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BY AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. ♦e©***- Sror0tito : PAINTED At tHE COMUERtlAL HERALD OFFICE, 1839. \i -^"V ■1 fc ./ ' ^ ,.» ■*- . - - I ' ? H 1 i. I ^..^•'•.•-.r af' I'i vr>{ «^5.*S,-i;4..^ • f - / / / . i i J* > TEN LETTERS ON THE CHURCH AND CHURCH ESTABLISHMENTS. V; LETTER I, TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. dec. &c. &c. iNTRODucTiojv.—On the evil of being governed bjr more Fopnltr Majorititfi. Sir, The Rev. Egerton Ryorscn having addre88'>d a seriea of ela- borate communications to you, I am desirous of engaging your attention, and through you, that of the public, to what I consider the fallacies of some of his fundamental principles, especially as they are brought to bear upon the question of an Established Church* I would, however, remark in the commencement that I have no per- gonal feeling against Mr. Ryerson. Far otherwise ; I admire hia tal. ents, I believe him honest, and I honor his fearlessness, while at the same time I must confess I regret what I cannot but consider his versatility, deplore his violence, and deeply lament that in his treatment of our Colonial officials, he should be too frequently in danger of forgetting the dignity and propriety of the Minister iq the partizanship of the mere Editor. But yet, Sir, do I equally regret the way in which he and the highly respectable Christian body of which be is at present the accredi. tea organ have been treated by their political opponents ; it is not by coarse vituperation and unfounded calumnies that he is to be silenced, or his anti Church efforts neutralized amongst a people by a portion of whom he is held in very high esteem ; indeed I regret to know that in many cases the gross attacks that have been made upon Mr. Ryerson and the Wesleyan Methodist Church in this Province have done more to excite unkind feelings towards the Church of England, and to cher- ish prejudices which are but too easily excited against the very principle of an ecclesiastical establishment, than any thing that has appeared in the columns of the Christian Guardian.'" J It is, perhaps, possible to charge men with disaffection, and to stig- matize them as rebels, until they really become soured in their feelings and are led to view with comparative calmness proceedings which would once have excited their utmost abhorrence. The Wesleyan * I deeply regret tkat, afler a mere extended examination of the Rev. Writer'a most objectionable course I ehould feel bound to acknowledge that «ome part* of tk« idjove par.igraph have no longer my entire concurrence. Melhodiitt an 7ioi rebeh, cnre thould be taken not to make them to, and the Reverend Editor of the Guardian himself, is most certainly farora. ble to a Durhamizetl\ connexion with Great Britain, notwithstanding his recklessness as to what may be the result of his violent opposition to a Canadian Ecclesiastical Establisiiment. Mr. Ryerson is not a man lo be despised or treated with contempt, view him in what light you may, and to attempt it does but recoil on the individual doing so, and injures the cause, however excellent, which he may be upholding ; Mr. R. must be met with firmness, respect; and sound reason, and then he is vulnerable, for there is certainly no small share of sophistry in much of his writing ; the Body also to which ho belongs might have been, and I would fain hope may yet be won to a complacent feeling respec ting that Christian and truly British institution, an Established Church, while it is but too evident that scorn and contumely will never drive ithem, unless it be to desperation. With Mr. Ryerson's legal writings and opinions respecting the Clergy Reserves, &;c. I do not intend to meddle ; as "an Anglo Canadian^ I can hardly be expected to cope with him on that subject ; and then the question at issue has always appeared to me to be one that should be considered and settled on much higher ground than any mere legal technicalities can suggest — to belong rather to a court of christian equi- ty, than one of mere civil law. I purpose to confine myself, therefore, principally to a consideration of the great religious and political prin. /ciples involved in this question, and their bearing upon the community of this Province ; and more especially as they have been referred to by the talented Editor of the Guardian. One of the most popular arguments against a Church Establishment /iQ this Province, and one upon which Mr. Ryerson lays great stress, is, tbM a majority of its inhabitants are opposed to any such an csta. blishment, and that in every free country the wishes of the majority of the people should govern the decisions of the Legislature. The latter part of inis proposition is so generally received as an incontrovertible Biaxini) that to attempt to oppose it is to run the hazard of considerable obloquy ; and yet upon a candid examination it will be found to requre much restriction in its practical application ; it is in fact one of those specious aphorisms with which many modern political economists are so fond of dazzling their followers, but which are yet far more brilliant than solid ; they have too much alliance with the dangerous doctrine of innate human perfectibility, a doctrine as dangerous in politics as it is .in theology. If the will of the majority, of even the electoral portion of the , community, is in every case to be a rule of legislation, then are the individuals they elect no longer representatives, but mere delegatefi, and king or president, peers, senators, or councillors mere unnecessary and cumberous appendages to the constitution ; while our halls of legis. " lation, no longer the arena of solid political discussion, and of the de- ' liberations of senatorial wisdom, are degraded to mere offices of popular ' + When this term was used, though then sufficiently questionable, it was not so ,vith their wants, and a deep interest in their welfare, that tor the most part, their owja liberal education, rank in life, and heavy stake in the country, would prevent their being e<][ually liable' ; with their constituents toiqeonstancy or petty selfishness ; and that con- ill (j scquenily, wliilo Ihoy paid ft rrspccirui degree of attention toiho wislios ofllio cornmuiiily, and this ihoir winli to bo re-cluctrd wotiM inHurp, that ihoy would yet over rngurd tlicmsulves rnthor us tho gnardinut than tho hirelings of the people, consulting whiit ihomselvcs considered for the public tjood fust, and lor llio public gratijication second: if this bo nol tho principle and woi king of our C(jnstitutiun, then I repent, Queen, Lords and Commons, or Governor, Councillors and Represen- tatives, are all but an useless parnpliorntilin, uikI we hud better at once substitute a democratic Assembly somewhat after the Athenian model ; for if we are to be ruined by popular incapacity and recklessness, let it be with our eyes open ! ' Another decisive objection to making the dictum of tho public tho law of legislation is, that from their very limited means of information, and their natural irritability, which is greutly increased by their ignorance, they are at the mercy of any aculo and talented agitator who finds it to his interest to flutter their vanity, and work upon their evil passions. I fearlessly appeal, Sir, to all history, whether or not in nine case£> out of ten, what is ostentatiously trumpeted as the voice of the people, be any thing more than the mere echo of the opinions of a few favorite dema- gogues ; the result of feelings that originated not with the public, but with their agitators. Perhaps there is no question in which this evil is more strikingly visible than in the one under consideration, as has been abundantly manifested in the history of its discussion in this Province. Where did the opposition that is manifested by a portion of the inhabit- ants of this Colony, against an Established Church, commence? Cer- tainly not amongst tho people themselves, but with selfish, unprincipled iimbitious men, or with mistaken sectarian partizans. Indeed the con. troversy is one which opens on the one hand a singularly wide field for the display of adroit agitation, and affords a fine opportunity to appeal to many of the baser feelings, while on tho contrary, to the advocates of ■our Ecctesiasticpl Establishment, little is left but a class of highly christian motives by which, alas, too few are impressible. In fact, so far from being myself influenced by these triumphant appeals to tho wishes of the majority, which are so frequ.mtly made on this question, I would be content to hazard the decision of the propriety of all such ap- peals, upon the result of an investigation respecting the class of motives by which this very majority, if such really exist, has been created, as to •whether they have been honorable and virtuous, or, in the general, di- ametrically the opposite ; for it surely does not need any lengthened ar- gument to prove, that if the suffrages of the people be gained by un- worthy means, that, at least in that case, they are not deserving of attention ; and I app al to the well-informed Editor of the Guardian himself, whether he does not believe that the voice of the people is far more generally, and more easily gained by inflammatory appeals and selfish motives, than by any other method ? I verily believe it was no- thing more than the ordinary selfish fickleness of universal human n: ■ ture, that made the same people who had hailed our Blessed Redeemti with "Hoaannas," aAerwards, when excited by the selfish threai of Ihuir lo.'i(]er:4, liiat the '* Itoiniuis would take away their placo and their Nuti(/fi," hacked hy nil hy|K)(;rilical appeal to thoir /oul for (rod, cry out wiih shucking uiianimify, *' (.'nicify him, crucify him!" Hut to return to iho matter more immediately under consideration, namely, the kind of opposition excited in this Colony against the Church of England, or rather against the principle of an Established Church : for all consider* ution of the character and treatment of the venerable English Church, as a distinctive Ecclesiastical Dody, I, at present purposely waive. Now, H'lTy let any unprejudiced person examine these hostile arguments, and will he not find them continually appealing to the pride and envy of the people, hy warning them how much greater and richer the Established Clergy will be than either themselves or the Ministers of other Denom. inations ? by arousing their independence by insinuations of the over- bearing and interfering character of such an Hierarchy ? — or by an ap- peal to that unhallowed dislike of ull lawful government, which in some form or other, is an inherent feeling of fallen humanity, endeavoring t» excite dislike and distrust against such a Clergy, representing them as mere state hirelings ? Whereas, as I hope to show in considering Mr* Ryerson's eighth letter to you, thrir connection with the State ought to be an additional reason for rendering them respect and affectioR. Dut further than all this, an attempt has been made to arouse the avaricious fears of the community ; and f regret that the respectable Editor of the Guardian should have been found handling so unworthy a weapon, and in a way too, for which he ought to have known there was no proper grounds ; indeed, an appeal, in a christian controversy at least, to the love of money is always wrongs and goes far to impugn the cause that needs it ; but in this case wc can hardly help suspecting that not only was it wrong in principle, but deceptive in fact ; for surely the persons who made the loudest cry respectmg " Tithes and Church Rates" must have known that there was no manner of danger of either, for that the very highest Church party in the land is fully willing to support an Act, were any such needed, that should receive Imperial sanctions, for ever preventing their collection : and indeed they must have been aware tha^ from the first the Clergy Reserves were designed to supercede their ne- cessity. Another weapon which I have deeply regretted to see used, has been evil speaking, — I do not mean now, false speaking, — but an attempt by the exhibition of individual improprieties, to. bring into discredit the entire Ministry of that Church which it is sought to establish. Now, I am aware, Sir, that some of thesj' improprieties have not been confined to one party merely in this' unhappy discussion, I therefore advert to them, not to injure the charac ter of those who have been unhappily betrayed into the use of such im~ proper itquus, in order to obtain their wishes, but for the purpose of sho'ving that it has ueen by working upon the *< baser passions" of th« people, that their aversion to a Church Establishment has been excited. If those who may be conscientiously opposed to any connection between Church and State, had enlisted the popular feeling on their side by dis. passionate argunricnt and cool rcaisoning, then indeed ought the public ji: 8 Voice ^o have been listened to by a >vise and liberal Legislature witfi respect, and have had iis due influence on their decisions, but has not the contrary, as I have been endeavouring to shew, been notoriously the fact ? I have had cnnsiderahie intercourse on the subject with a large number of the people^ and I regret to say, that while I have heard abundance ufcomplaint, vituperation, and violence, and beheld a disgust- ins display of selfish dislike and grovelling avarice, rarely have I seen this Anti.Church spirit founded on any thing that deserved to be digni- fied with the character of conscientious scuples ; in truth I feel persuaded that there has seldom been so powerful an opposition got up, professing to be founded on moral principles, that was yet so principally the result of mere agitation or stiii h |)rejudiccs. Such then being »he facts of tJie case, it adds another to the long list of proofs that have gone before, that the will of the majorit} is at all times a very questionable rule of legislation, ahd that especially in the present instance, it behoves the Legislature to act upon higher principles than those of nricre expediency; ^nd that while they take special care to prove their firm determination to guard the rights and privileges of all classes of Iler Majesty's sub' jects, and manifest a desire even to meet their wishes as far as possible, is essential that at the present crisis, they evidence their determination t9 do right at all hazards^ and leave results io the God of Nationi^. I cenhot help flattering myself, however, that the present violent op- ||)08iti6n to an Established Church will gradually evaporate, not merely, us in most popular excitements, from the exhaustion of the public mind, but from a growing conviction of the honest intentions of Govern- hient towards them, and of the harmlcssness, at leasts of a modified Es- tablishment ; I feel sure that this will be the case, if a few of its leading 6ppohent8 would for once sacrifice party zeal and private ambition oi!i the Altar of their Countr)', not to say the Altar of their God. But I must, at present, conclude, for my engagements are too humer. ous to allow of my following your elaborate correspondent through all his lengthy communications, I hope, however, to be able to answer suc- cessfully the objections in his last letter to you ; and thereby prove that dn established Church is an injury to no onct and that, too, in consistency even with his great Doctor, the ExpijDiENT Paley ; and, perhaps, I may ultimately endeavor to show, on the broad ground of public utility andf scriptural consistency, not only the propriety but the obligation of the State to uphold, defend, and support the Church. But, Sir, I must beg the exercise of your kind forbearance towards my letters, as I have po*' jvitiVely no time to re-write, and scarcely to read thom. In the meantime, I have the honor to be, Sir, with sentiments of respect. Your obedient Serv^ni, AN ANGLO-CANADtAN. Mareh 1, iaS9. d l.£TT£R 11. to THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. Ac. dtc. A:c- Roaiarks on Rev. Egertun Ryerson's attuck on the authorities; a covert con. ^piracy against the Constitution ; the frionds of the Church not a minority ; its' modified establishment advocated ; Emigrants chiefly churchmen ; tho question of tn Established Clmrch only to bo settled by an appeal to principle ; The exclusive appropriation of the Reserves no "Tux"; ChuTch Endowments not given as py.r. eonal favors, but for the public good ; orbitrary laws not needed to pir'^tect an Es- iablishinont ; Mr. R's un|)rot(istant scrntimenta with respect to the endowment of the Papal Church. Sir, In pYoceuding to examine the positions of Mr. RyorsonV Eighth Letter, I shall endeavor to do so as briefly as it will possibly admit, as I feel anxious to enter upon the consid'eration of that gen- tleman's last, and very specious communication to youk To the appeal for an imprtrtial hearing with which your correspon- dent commences th'6 Letter under consideration, I naost heartily res- pond, as it is only the frequent clTorts that are made to work upon the passions and prejudices of the pbo'ple of which I stand in fear ; and I cannot but wish. Sir, that the Reverend Writer would not endeavor to incapacitate his readers from rendering that impartiality to others which he seeks for himself. The direct attack upon our Constituted Authori- ties, contained in the preface of that letter, wero its insinuations even borne out by fact, Mr. Ryerson, as a Minister, ou'ght to know, is nei- ther consistent ^ith Sciiptural submission, nor constitutional loyalty; Or, if it be, the'h plain unlettered men, must sit down h'opcless even of being able to discover the " hair drawn line" between what is right and what is wrong in these maCters ; and the danger is, lest the mulli- tade should ybf//is/i/i/ (?) imagine that what he has a right recklessly to attack with Xm pen^ tliey have an equal right to assail with their, per- haps less dangerous weapon, the sword. But what is it upon which the compluirft in question is grounded? Not,- certainly that the wishes of the pe'tfpte on these subjects, have been neglected, for several' are the Ecclesfttslical requests they have made which have been acceded to ; no, Sir, the real solirce of discontent \s; ih.il our Constitution has not been violated, by miking the House of Assembly, not merely the su- preme, but the onli/ governing Estate ! No one knows better than Mr. Ryerson, that the refusal to let any one branch of the Legislature con- trol 'd,nd overawe the others, is no infringement of constitutional rights, otherwise the two branches so overruled would be virtually extinct, and our boasted Constitution of" 2Viree Estates," so long the admiration of ti^itUe worhi, become a mere name. Let the matter be fairly understood, for I '^oldly assert, that, whatever may be the merits of the present con. troversy, there is a most determined, though covert 'ck being made in this Province, against the very fint principles of the ^ itish Qmistitutio^ 2 .1 iii 10 and tliiftt noi,'asji vainly pk-etended, by tho Exocutive Government, tvhatever may be its failings, and I aih nbt Blind to them, but by those, wIm), whethf^r styled ** Reformers" or otherwise, are evidently, firmly resolved to annihilate the undoubted prerogatives of Her Majesty*s Representative and the Legislative Councillors, making them the mere' echo of the House of Assembly, while they seek to degrade M'aif itself into the miserable creature of a popular majority; these then are the men who whether designedly or no^ are the real *^ traitors*' to our un- rivalled Constitution ; yet it is for its opposition to such a withering conspiracy as this, that your correspondent so heavily charges the Ad- ministrating Government. I rejoice to believe, Sir, thai party zeal Has beclouded his, otherwise, clear mental vision, rather than corrupted his' heart. Passing by for the present, Mr. Ryerson's p ofesscd admissions, but rihplied doubt's, I hasten to notice his first objection, that ** an exclusive endowment of the Episcopal Clergy, would be a violation of the great |>rinciple which has bten conceded by the ablest advocates of Estab- lishments, namely, that they niust include a majority of the jtopnlationy In the first plaice, it would be by no means evident, that the majority of th0 people are not more or less attached to the Church of England, even though it should be pioved that they were averse to its legal es- tablishment.* In the second, it is to be observed that this is not a ques- tion to be settled l-y the authority of names however gf'eat, but upon' the moral rights of the case. The opinion of Archdeacon Paley, however, is far from bei»|;,as Mr. Ryorson seems to suppose, strongly in favor of his position,, even granting him his assumption that the Church of England is ^ minority ; tho Doctor's statement is, that in such a case, " the Establishment it- self ought to be altered or qualified ;" now this qualification our liber- al Legislature is fully prepaied to accede ; and I hope to be able to show that this^ and not ** alteratiun^''^ is precisely what the peculiar state of this Province requires. !.■ An important matter for decision in this controversy is whether the Provincial opposition to the Establish- ed Church be fictitious, that is, the result of mere excitement, from evanescent causes, as was the caso during the Commonwealth in En- gland ; or whether it be the pesult of deep rooted and; conscientious prejudice, as in Scotland ; now it is self-evident that the fdrmer class of oppositionists can have little right to expect that degreiei of respect- ful attention from the Legislature, which, yet, tho latter might reasona- bly hope to receive. Now, Sir, after some years residence in this Co- * I have little doubt that Mr. Ryerson is egrogiously mistaken as regards the feelings of the people respecliiig tho Church of England. As far as I have ytt learned the returns of tho late census they are largely in favor of the Establish- mont ; I haye now before me the returns of two Wnrds of tho Oity of To'Dnto, nnd in the one the friends of the Church aie upwards of four to one, and in the other upwards of three to ono. What are we to tliink of tho accuricy of the Ex- High Corhmifisioner or his panegyrist, Mr. Ryerson, when thoy represent the Clmroh us a BTtJftll minority ? ' ._ ; 11 If lony, I am perfectly satisflcd that the enmity whicli is felt by some of its inhabitants to the Church of England, is, in the vast majority of cases, of the former description, the result of interested or mistaken agitation. 2. Another important tact to be adduced in answer to the ob- jection under consideration, and one which your correspondent seems in no wise anxious to bear in mind, is, that we are but a fractional part of a mighty empire, and that it is, therefore, certainly but fair, if we niust^be governed by mnjoritie?, to give some heed to what is the feeling of the collective Empire ; and there is one fact espec'ally as connected ,with the popular bias at home in favor of the Church of England, that seems to me, in all fairness, to furnish, at once, an answer to the ob- jection under consideration, and it is, that wo expect our forests to bo peopled not so much by the natural increase of population, as by the influx of emigration from Home ; and that conse^quoiitly our Legisla- ture is called upon not merely to consider what i>, but also, what, ac- . cording to all human calculation, will be the feeling of the public mind.* Now, Sir, I have some acquaintance both with England and Canada, and I think, a little with human nature, and I confidently predict that lef there be a *' qualified" Establishment in this Province, supplied with an active, pious Clergy, and left quietly to work its own way in the affections of the people, and a very few years will behold it not on- ly tolerated, but loved and respected. I am not ignorant of the partial alienation of feeling froip the English Church, by which too many of the English and Irish peasantry are affected, or rather I should say the former only, as the Protestant Irish are, in the general, too well aware of the value of their Protestant Establishment to be easily shaken in their attachment to it ; but our rural English population also have still such a lingering attachment to the Church of their Fathers, that unquestiona- bly the mass, even of iho disaffected amongst them, would hail, on these distant shores, with real sati$faction, an Establishment that would so strikingly anglicise their new home, especially as it would, in this Pro- vince, be freed from those peculiarities that had excited their d^i3lil(e in the Parent Institution ; nor jet this feeling be underrated, its effects I am sure would be powerful, the English and Irish mind when not cor- rupted by republican associations, is strongly imbued with veneration and respect^ it is in thi? respect, as every acute observer of the various shades of character, must have remarked, altogether different to the more matter of fact, and calculating disposition of our Americaa neigh- * I confess I am perfectly at a loss to understand the common honesty of the assertion in the Earl of Durham's recent report that the ** great propo. 'ion'* of emigrants from Engknd wilt bo dissenters ! I have perhaps had as much inter* course, and of a much freer character, with the class of emigrants that usually come out to this country as has his Lordship himself, and \('ith a very few excep* tions, I have found all of whom I have asked the question had been attendants on the Church before they came hither ! Does the Earl, or do )iis supporters in these opinions know that according to calculations formed from data furnished by them-t selves, the dissenters are only about one hoelfih of the English community ? Such statements therefore, as the above are characteristic specimens of the Noble Earl's 'usual want of fairness. * { i'„ 13 ibours. But, though I have cnJoavorcd to i>rove that, oven on Mr. . Ryerson's favorito principle of »ntt/ori7j«», the sound and ttue balance fs in favor of an Ecclesiastical Establishniept, yet would I not wish to be understood as admitting that this is the proper ground upon which to rest the settJemunt of t'«3 question, as I am fully convinced that the real benefit of the people, and the proper national recognition of the supremacy of Almighty God, ought ever in this, as in every other duty, to be the only ruling principle whh those Powers who " are ordained ,of God." I cannot conclude this section of the argument better than with what is one of the fundamental principles in the nigra I Philoso- jihy, of even the accomodating V&hy^ napiely, *' that it is laxyful for the magistrate tp interfere in the affairs of religion, whenever his in- terference appears fo ^Ifm to conduce, by its getjeral tendenjcy, to tho public happmess.'* 2. Your correspondent states as his second objection to the exclu- sive appropriation of the Reserves, ** That it is taxing the entire po- .pulation to support the religion of the minotity." I do not wish at the present mprpent to interfere with the question of the propriety or im- propriety of " the exclusive appropriation of the Clergy Reserves,*' but to dr^w your attention to the singular incorrectness of the argu, ^ment here adduced against it; I can scarcely help imagining that the Rev. writer must have blushed with conscious shame, as he wrote an argMnient so manifestly founded oh gross misrepresentation. To ta!k of any appropriation of the Reserves being a " Tax" upon the people, is reajly a little too bad. Did they originally belong to the Crown or not? And were they, or were they not appropriated for a specific religious purposed How then pan it bo taxing the people to apply them to that purpose 1 Mr. R. says " that as the labojirs of the people have given the Reserves their value, they therefore h«ve the only right to dispose of them ;" but Sir, a child must see the unworthy fallacy of such an argument, as any increase in value which the Reserves may have received is purely accidental ; the cultivators of the neighbouring farms, having had no design to improve them, nor ever having bestowed any labour upon them, cannot in common honesty have any claim upon ,them ; supposing for instance, an individual should erect mills in any neighbourhood previously destitute of them, and thereby enciease the value of the surrounding property 25 per ccnl, then if Mr. Ryerson's nrgument be founded on the immutable principles of justice, the own- ers of the said property are bound in equity »'" -^ 3. In considering the third objection, that an appropriation " bestows invidious and unmerited favors upon a minority ofthe popniationj to thq exclusion ofthe great majority," I shall not in this place attempt to a n- awer Mr. Ryerson's disparaging comparison ofthe labours ahd'sqccess ofthe English Clergy in this Province, but leave it for future cohsideiL" Vi .fttion, as it iloes not legitimately belong to this stage ,of liie nrgumnnt* i shall content myself with observing, that the Rerurend Gentlerrmr) seems to mistmderstatul the very principle of Pcclesinstical Kndd^* ments, or otherwise wilfully to misrepresent them, as they, as you are aware, Sir, are by no means designed as rewards or favors to any Church ^r any sect of men, but are entirely and solely appropriated in principle with a reference to ihc {.'L-neral welfare, and the glory of Gbd ; the |)e* culiar privileges of the Endowed Clergy, are m.erely the accidents con- nected with the necessary arrangements of an' E^t.ahiiishment ; and tf) .represent them therefore, as the result of an ^'invidious" partiality, is neither just nor honorable. 4. The Reverend Gentleman's objection, that the " exclusive appro- priation of the Reserves would create a necessity fojr penal laws, for -partial and arbitrary government," is in keeping witii many other of that writer's insinuating and startling assertions. It is, Sir, unquestion- ably true, that such an approprialinn would call for protecting laws, (call them penal, if you will,) and so it would if they were given for Education, or any other purpose. The assertion that it would call '^for partial and arbitrary government," I must be allowed to declare to bo totally incorrect : your clerical correspondent is most assuredly possessed of su^cient political acumen to know that the firm support of .^ny and every pajrt of the Government, as by law established, even though it should unhappily be requisite to resort to harsh measures, has in it no* .thing " partial and arbitrary,^' for that it is the duty of the Executive at aH times, and under all circumstances, to maintain the Laws as it finds them. I do not, therefore, like this frequent juxfa-positlon of such oh- noxious epithets with the Authorities, it' looks very like a cqncealed at- iempt to bring, them into discredits But, Sir, though i have thought it necessary to rebut t)ie insinuation, that the resort to ey^AflfTsAinea- tsures in support of the Law, constitute a Government ** partial and' ar- bitrary," yet I am fur from imagining that such measujr^es would be .eventually requisite to m«7,intain the peac^e of this Colony in case of u •full find efficient Ecclesiastical EstablishmCDt being Sidopicd, •' ni.' i . \" -i I shall pass by Mr. Uyerson's argument against a dipiaion of the Re- serves, with many of which I confess my entire agreement, because my engagements forbid my giving tiiat lime to the subject^ which the difier- CJU circumstances of your indefatigable correspondent so amply per- mils to hinp, and I feel particularly anxious, as far as in me lies, to neu- iralize his bitter opposition to the principle of an Ecclesiastical Estab- lishment. But before I conclude this letter, I beg your attention to what certainly appears to me a most singular remark Respecting the rights of the Roman Catholic Chtirch, it is this, as a £/a/e«mai}, (says he,) and as a member of an enlightened and impartial Government, I conceive it ia your duly to show no favor to Her Majesty's Protestant Subjects, that is not equally shown to Her Majesty's Catholic Subjecis." .Now, Sir, I venture to say, that had a Divine of the English Church uttered i|uch a i^entiratent, unconnected with this particular subject, your Reverend Cor- ^espQjnde^Jt himself would have beien ^^nongst the Urst to exhibit yilih I 14 his own ptculinr force, the fearful indifference manifested by siicli n sentiment, to the essential interests of the Church of Christ. And, Sir, nllow me to ask him, whether he lenlly heliev»'S the Legislators of n Christian Land are indeed exonerated from all consideration for the mo- ral and spiritual interests of the community? whether it be in truth, in his estimation, the fact that Rulers are *♦ a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well," only in respect to the j;ross breaches of social order? I confess I have not so learned Scriptural truth. The Letter is already long, or it were easy to show that there are connected with the Papacy, political as well as religious evils, which should pre- vent the philanthropic as wpll as the Christian statesman, from granting it that sanction which they readily accord to Protestantism. Yours, &c. ' AN ANGLO-CANADL\N. 8th March, 1889. LET r£R III. TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. dec. &c. The Provincial Establishnient of the Church of England greatly dependent oi^ the present decision of the Local Legislature ; cannot exist as an Establishment without being endowed ; injustice to England of alienating the provision already made. Why Establishments do not answer in the States ; the recessity for ono here ; why the Church has been unpopular because slandered; why not more in- fluential hero ; reasons for American Ministers being first here ; the evils of mere voluntarism shown in the early history of this Province. Unpleasant questions for Mr* Ryerson. Want of liberality in the friends of the Voluntary System ; speedy attachment of the people to an Establishment, if lefl to themselves. Volun- taryism does not prevent Religious discord in the States ; but to thq want of an Establishment is to be attributed their unsettled political condition. SiK, ' ' The first assertion contained in Mr. Ryerson's Ninth Lettet, namely, ** That the application of the Clergy Reserve appropriation to educational purposes, has nothing to do with the assumption of any Church as an Establishment of the Empire," if not absolutely false, certainly ap. pears to me, to be based on an unworthy misrepresentation ; for though it be true that the Establishment of the Church of England in this Province, does not legally depend upon its retaining the Clergy Lands, no one knowi better than your Corresporident, that in fact the question of a 15 Sute supported Church does, il/is to bo feared, greatly hinge on the ciasa of wrinciples to which the Colonial Legislature may now give it« sanction. I ask the ingenuouit Editor of the Guardian, wheiner his eager desire for the Educational appropriation of the Reserves, does not Spring from the hope that he may thereby give a mortal stab to the prin- ciple ot an Establishment,, rather timn from his deep interest in Educa- tion ; if so, how trw and just "are the statements of high Church par> tizans, that the advocacy of the Educational appi^npriation of the Re« serves is an attempt to uproot the Established Church." 2. The second assertion is equalfy disingenuous with the former ; for though the Educational appropriation scheme may not, on the face of ii, be an attack against the Church as a part of the Constitution, yet it is so in fact ; for though a Trading Company may be chartered without being endowed^ of whnt is the Charter of an Ecclesiastical Establish- ment to consist, if it is not endowed^ As it is admitted on all hands that such an Establishment shall have no influence over other Churches whatever? The opposition to an endowed Establishment, therefore, is an opposition to the very principlt of ^Establishments, and such the keverehd Writer must have known it to be. Alas, then, Sir, who is that '* Impiigner" who will have to answer for his " false witness and disgraceful calumhies against his neighbours?" 3. It is tfue, thut thi^ " proposition docs not directly interfere with any grants which the Imperial Parliament may think proper to make to the Clergy of the Established Churches. But, Sir, it is self-evident that if stich appropriations are right, and it is upon this supposition that the above statement is founded, then common consistency requires that when they have been once made, they ought not to be dissipated, sim- ply because we have the power to do so, in the expectation that the Pa- rent State will make up the loss occasioned by such malversation. Can aiiy honest man believe this would be acting justly by Great Britain ? Does Mr. Ryerson think that any conscientious supporter of an Es- tablishment, cdn ever righteously acquiese in such an " unfair" pro- ceeding 7 4. The involved sentences of the first paragraph of the fourth section, are more than I have ability to unravel ; I shall therefore proceed at once to notice the remarks upon the voluntary system, as being ''the only hope of this Province." Save the mark ! Mr. R. says, that it is the only system that will answer where the people are as much divided in religious sentiiVients as they are here, and instances the New England Slates where State appropriations were tried and failed. I have loi^g been convin(^ed,Sir, that it must be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to maintain an Establislied Church under a Democratic Republican Oo- vernment ; and to this defect in the Government, and not to the divided state of public feeling, is to be attributed the failure of such appropria- tions in the Stales. Is there not in England a very considerable de- gree of religious difference, and yet how does the Establishment there exist and flourish ? 2d. The argument is certainly a somewhat singu- hif one, that because the Reserves Will not be sufficient for' the 8up(K>rt' 'ie , dfall iho. Provincial Minittlry, iliat therefore llicy siliali be given to riontr; ' , 'J'hisifhiiy be u reason fur not dividing ihom, and yet even then, 1 should ,. HUppoise ihey might serve as an adjunct to the voluntary system, but ul ' nil e.vonts it certainly can he none ugainst up|)ro|)rinting them (o one • Church cxclusive/j/t iJuldircciJy in fuvor of so doing. 3d. I am as well . . uware as Mr. Hyerson can bu, that this Province owes much to the vo- . luutftrp system ; but because either from unavoidable circumstances or criminal neglect, the Chuich of England has not, in former years, been . ihe blessing it itught to have been in this Colony, that is surely no rea. Sfui v^h^ it should not now he enabled to do its duty. For I can hardly .iaiugine that your Reverend Corres])ond'ent will s;\v the labours of its' I Clefgy are Mnnecessary ; if he does f, thoUgh only an *^ Anglo-Cana- dian,^' must beg to tell hin) from personal experience, ttiat he is entirely rhistaken. \\\ii, Sir, I must also be permitted to demur at the attack he 1161*6' K, hiakea, not only upon the English ChUrch, but upon the l^ritish Govern- • t ^n?nt alsto, as being alike disrespfactful and incorrect. If there have been > ; Unpleasant feelings created in this Province respecting an Established 1 Church, melhinks truth would lead us to look for the caii'se, not in " the odious assumptions and exclusive spirit of the Episcopal Clergy since . . 1827," much as I regret the intemperate spirit in which the interests of ' the Province, as connected with thenV, have occasionally been main^ :. lained, but that th6 solution' of such a feding must be soCight in the un- : fair,, untrue, and scandalous system of warfare which has represented* - tifhu denounced all per.ciuns as tyrants and enemies o( the rights of the people^ who are upholders of the endowment of the Episcopal Church. • .■^' Such impugners U\iye much to answer for to thoir Maker, and to the .^.public, for tii«ir years of false witness and disgraceful calumnies against their neighbours!" 1 cannot but think that christian candour' , should have found a difTerent answer to the "unpleasant" questions ...(vhich are asked in the Letter under consideration, to that which is there implied. Mr. Ryerson brings very heavy charges against the Estab- u.lishment for having neglected the spiritual interests of this Province in s its earlier history, and then most charitably attributes it to there being'rio' Mil'ichly endowed Rectories at that period. What then makes the differ- ence naw ? Is there yet any prospect of making' a gain of godlinc^ss .even by the Rectories ? Mr. Ryerson knows to the contrary, he knows :,, tUat at present, and for long to come, the Rectories theniselves can be y^ i^xpected toiyield little or nothing. Surely it is bng since the Rev'er- . erend Gentleman read the thirteenth chapter of the the 1st Corinthians,' . Or. been aqtuat^d by the spirit which it so beautifully indulcates, even 'ir< that Charity that " Ihinketh no evil," or surely he must^have remembofed' rJhat the very nature of the English Established Churdh, is such, that it .a fcicognizes no provisiion for the Ecclesiastical Establishment of any^ Ml iCountry but wbait is^ iftpropriated by the Executive within itself; every* i> .«xtr«neoiiis( €j8art,.therefQfe, even for tlje aifl of Colonial Establishments, ;i,,IHiM«t ^ a)3,y<4u3{iClfrTj.:,wj,l,h ,ll^e Church of England, as with any Dissent- ?ng Body ; Consequently, whatever, may be the force of Mr. Ryersotl''* 17 none; hould >ut ut o one s wcU he VO' :e8 or ; beea rea- lardly of its Cana- [itirely overn- e been', ilished ' since . ests of main* le un- sented' of the hurch. to the imnies ndour' 3Stions there iSlab. nee in infj'rio' differ- lin(5ss lihows an be I ever - hiiins,' , even ibored' that it if an^^ every mentSf i$sent> jrsori'A sarcasmB, they lie, not against Establishments, but against the toluntarl^ principle ! And in this censure, be it remembered, that every British voluntary Church is as deeply implicated as the Church of England, at thoy had the same kind of means at their command to send the Gospel hither, as the Establishment itself; nor should it be forgotten that it was yet the Church of England, if I be not misinformed, that did first send the Chrjstian Ministry from England to Canada ! Wiih respect to the fact which has been so loudly proclaimed as the triumph of voluntaryism, namely, that in /?/i/i5A Canada the Gospel was first proclaimed by American Preachers ; it may be remarked, that if we have had the truth it has certainly not been the whole truth which has been presented to our view ; for without wishing to disparage, in the slightest degree, the pious ardor of those zealous men, who, from the neighbouring States first brought the "Lamp of Life" to this then *• benighted" land, still candor requires that the great difference between their relation, as men and Christians, to this Province, and that of thi British Churches should be distinctly marked ; at all events it will be no diflicult matter to show, that whatever gratitude may be, and undoubt. ediy is due to individual zealy as connected with the early propagation of the Gospel in this country, that a very small share can be claimed on that account by the voluntary system; nay that its very failure in thai particular instance^ in the United States^ as well as atliome^ i^, of itself^ svjficient to -prove the necessity of 8tate appropriations, even for the ex- press purpose of supplying the spiritual wants of Colonial possessions, 1. When this Province was first settled, it was by the children, brothers^ and friends of those who remained in the States, and in coming to this land they might be comparatively said to be scarcely out of the sights or at least, to remain the neighbors of their Christian and relative con* nections ; now as national prejudices will seldom stand before natural affection, and are even still more easily dissipated by true Chris* tian feelings, it was surely to be supposed that American Chris- tians would have a tenderer interest in, and a more active zeal for the immediate welfare of their relations and neighbors in this Province, than could possibly be expected to exist in the bosoms of the inhabitants of Great Britain, who at that time had little or no acquaintance with this country, and no connection but the comparatively cold one of Em- pire. 2. But notwithstanding the consanguinity and contiguity of the United States, let it not be imagined that it was to the voluntary efforts of its Christian Inhabitants in general^ that this land owes its first Chris- tian light ; for if I am not very greatly mistaken, the first American Preachers came here, urged by no motive but their own individual Christian zeal, and supported by no arm but that of the Almighty, that is, having no pecuniary aid from the land or Churches they left. So that it seems, Sir, after all the flourish of trumpets respecting the won- derful effects of American zeal, backed by the magic influence of Amer- ican voluntaryism, that the sober facts of the case are, that a few holy men, under the influence of personal religion and relative affections, came, where it was most natural they should come, to their inrme^iattf 3 IS neighbours and friend«, to preach Christ, but that they came alone^ bringing tcith them no proof whatever of the blessings of voluntary Church zealf or voluntary Christian liberality, I confess, Sir, that as & Briton, I feel upon tlieexaminution of this matter not a litile ease of mind in finding, that though wo have been far too tardy in awaking to our duty as respects this Colony, that yet, unlike our boasted American neighbours, when wo were made to feel our duty, notwithstanding the want of suitable State provision, our Ecclesiastical Hierarchy failed not to cry to its ministerial servants, *' Go preach the (lospei," and nt the same time, unaccustomed us it was to the voluntary system, yet,- in lack of other means, it provided by voluntary exertions^ a proper pro- vision for the supply of their temporal wants. 3. Yet, when after all the voluntary cflurts that have been made, not only in America, but at Home, both by the Church of England, and by many other Churches alao^ and in later years among ourselves likewise, for the spread of Di- vine truth, we behold the great moral destitution that still exists in the Province, I should certainly have imagined, was 1 not, alas, too well ac* quainted with the withering efiects of prejudice, that not only would every man of sound understanding, have been thoroughly convinced of the necessity of a Religious Establishment, but that every Christian phi- lanthropist also would have vehemently urged on a too indifferent go. vernment, its immediate erection. The truth is that the spiritual wants of this people are strikingly great ; very many settlements, and even numerous Townships, are scarcely ever visited by accredited orthodox Ministers, and thousands more are little better than heretical Protest- ants ; surely then the condition of this Colony is of itself sufficient to show the inefficiency of the voluntary system. I might olso ask '* unpleasant questions," and with rather more prO' priety than your self excited correspondent. Does he suppose that thd tumult raised by his own agitation is to be the ruling voice of the nation ? Is Sir George Arthur, after having been the administrator of a Colonial Government for a long series of years, and deservedly earning a reputa- tion of the highest order, to be bearded as though he had nothing at stake, and were alike ignorant and unprincipled ? Are Honorable Mem* bers of the House of Assembly to be branded with impunity, as being bribed by Government Officers " to disregard the settled and well- known wishes of their Constituents ?" Is it right fur a private indivi. dual, and that individual a Minister, to misrepresent either the miethod by which this Province first heard the Gospel, or its present condition, in order to uphold a favorite theory ? And because Mr. Ryerson may be thwarted in his unconstitutional wishes, is he therefore to loosen the affections of the people from the Executive, and thereby practically, as he must well know, from the constitutional Government itself? Mr. Ryerson returns to the charge by once more repeating hia be- loved argument, that " the voluntary system is the only one that Can give general Satisfaction to the inhabitants of this Province." I have already endeavoured to show what attention id due to mere majorities ; and shall therefore content myself with observingj that though, when the wish of the 19 vnojority if fuiinded on due knowledge and calm judgment, it iltould meo( with every consideration as far as can be consistent with the real public in- terest; still, it is entirely unworthy of notice when the mere result of faction, and the mojarity may be factious, and that this is greatly the case in the present insuince is but too evident. Were the friends of the voluntary system actuated by any other than selfish and envious in- terests, certainly they would be led to support the principle with zeal and liberality ; but what are the facts of.the case ? Probably not more than one in fifty at present pays a shilling for the voluntary support of the Christian Ministry, and of those a very small portion indeed pay more than|;Hve shillings per annum ! Is it then to gratify such conitcientioun nod liberal supporters of the voluntary system, that a venerable and con- stitutional Establishment is to be laid prostrate in the dust, and the Scriptural principle, tliat '* Kings shall be the nursing Fathers, and Queens the nursing Mothers" of the Church to be sacrificed? 2. It is further intimated that opposition to this principle will either endanger the stability of the Government, or render it tyrannical. Now, Sir, there would be no danger o^ {\\q former evil were there no "stirrers up of strife;" for it may be taken as an universal axiom, that the people will never be dissatisfied, if left to themselves, so long as their per. eons and families are unmolested, their houses are their castles, their con- ciences are unshackled, and their property not immoderately taxed ; — your correspondent, ready as he is to hazard bold assertions, will, I think, hardly venture to say that even the hated principle of an Es- tablished Church, will interfere with any of these rights. I again, there- fore, repeat what I have before slated, that if free from unrighteous agitation, the community at large would ere long feel the utility and bless the defenders of a ''qualified" and pious Ecclesiastical Establish- ment; and if so, as all factious opposition would be at an end, the very temptation to arbitrary measures would cease, and consequently all the repeated threats of ♦♦tyrannical government" vanish into thin air! The note from Dr. Mathewson, of London, (who by the way, seems al- most as thoroughly British in his feelings as Mr. R. himself,) calls for a moment's attention. Dr. M. tells us as a striking fact^ that because American Churches are totally unconnected with the State, that there- fore they have no political strife. Were it so, such an apparent truism would afford no stronger an argument, than it would to advise a blind man to make no effort to recover his sight, because vision was frequently deceptive. But the truth is, paradoxical as it may seem, that this absence of State patronage does not jyrci;e»1830. 21 LETTER IV, TO THE HON. \V. II. DRAPJ:R, xM. p. p. &c. Ac. 4tc. Tho Voluntary System apt to havo nn inj irious influence on the MInittry. — Porvecutiiin on ovil to iiio (.'hurch ; llio fre<-,tioiit rosu'.ls of voluntaryism & •till- greater ovil; the loss of tho Cliurch in cimfquoiico ot the inefficiency of iho ml. tintary system ; tho writor no enemy to il in ita proper sphere ; unot'ul to aiJ an EBttthlishinent; proper us thn suppoit of Dissenters ', roasons why; voluntaryism Woiks best «\hoio tiioro is an hsiabliHUment ; Mr. K's tests ami reasons tor his boldnoss; confidoralions ot tlio oauat's why liio rriinitivo Cliurch was not estab-. lishoJ ; arguments tu provo that Ct:clttsi;:^licai Establishments are of Divine in. fctitution and still bindinji; upon rulers. Sib, In continuing tlio strlcturos upon Mr. Ily«?rson's ninth Letter I proceed to remark upon his third principle proposition, in which after some of his ustuiiiy liold, hut entirely unsupported assertion.^, h(r states ns the argument, tl)at the Vuluutfiry System *' is the most efficient agen- cy in promoting the creat ends of religion in tho country, and no evil consequences, either to the soui'% or hodies of men, will ensue from its adoption hy all denominations." Tho admissions by which this argu- ment is succeeded are pleasingly candid, but most certainly ihey ap- pear to rae to go very far, when fairly examined, to disprove both the assertions contained in it. '* In reference to the Clergy I admit," says he, •' that their suppoit may not be always sure or even adequate ; — that they may sometimes suffer want, on account of which their labors and usefulness may be circumscribed ; — that their temporal circumstances are not in general so comfortable, and what is usually termed respec- table, as when they denve their support from the State; — that .hey may sometimes be compelled lo work with their hands in order to sup- ply the lack of voluntary liberality on the part of others.** This wit- ness is true. I am very far from wishing to disparage tho labors, or undervalue the sacrifices of a largie portion of the volun.. " clergy ; I know that the world is greatly indebted to their pious zeal ; i>^t in pro- portion as 1 honor them must I stand in doubt of a system which leaves them subject to these painful personal trials, and presents, Mr. R. him- self being judge, such serious obstacles to their usefulness. Let us look at what are the moral effects of such a state of things. The absence of n certain and respectable support by confining the attention to tri- fling cari.3, and disturbing the soul with petty anxieties has a powerful tendency to contract and degrade the mind ; a minister in such circum- stances, also, being in the too frequent habit of appearing before his charge with the groveling shame of conscious dependence, is shorn of that dignified self respect which ought ever to be one of the ornaments of his sacred o^ice, and is therefore in danger of being in a meaiure unfit for the firm diaeharge of his onerous duties. How can it be other- 22 ii, '' I i wise so lung as ho U ofian actually dependent for tiic morsel of a dny upon the cnprice or selftslmess of his people ? And Ministers are men " of like passions with othrtrs," what then must be their frequent throb- bing cares respecting the want of proper provisions for their wives and families? But further, as your correspondent very justly states, it sometimes happens thnt the only way of ni"'^ Ing these cares is by per- sonal bodily labour. Now can it be for a moment imagined that these tender «mxiclies, or the dissipation and exhausiion of secular business will leave the subject of them in tluit calm and collected slate of feel- ing lequisite for the proper discharge of the solemn duties of the Chris- tian Ministry ? No, sir, the Reverend Writer may point us to the Apos- tles, and threaten us with charges of infidelity, but this is not the ago for such miracles or inspiration. God has otherwise provided, and the God of Wisdom has taught us to pray '* lead us not into temptation" ; it is therefore as deep a wrong to the Church of Christ to place its Ministers unnecessarily in circumstances that render them peculiarly liable to depression of mind, secularity of feeling, or avarice and mean- ness, as it would be wantonly to inflate them with worldly ambition, or corrupt them with exhorbitant wealth. Mr. Ryerson asks whether *' the grapes of the Christian Ministry have not been more developed by a subjection to these trials, than by independerj-e and endowment.*' This is neither more nor loss than to say, that because the (Slreat Head of the Church can bring good out of evil, we are therefore to prefer the evil to the good ; and that consequently Nero and Queen Mary were two of the best friends Christianity ever possessed ! There seems indeed to be a very strange misconception in this day respecting the ef- fects of persecution on the Church of Christ, even as though this fear- ful evil had become, in its own nature, converted into a powerful bless- ing ; the truth is, however, that though it may frequently lend to purify the virtues of the real christian, and has occasionally been overruled by the Great Head of the Church even for general good, yet still, without all question it has greatly retarded the spread of the Gospel ; not ad- vanced it. But the kind of evils which your Reverend Correspondent seems to think so beneficial to the Christian Ministry, are even more injurious to their integrity, spirituality, and sober zeal than tho^e that arise from without ; yes, sir, I fearlessly assert that in the majority of cases, that so far as such unpleasant circumstances have any influence, it is a degrading and injurious one ; indeed I imagine that Christianity always suffers more when subject to the neglect, avarice, or selfishness of its professed friends, than it does even from the malignity of its avowed enemies, Further, the working of the Voluntary System is not unfrequenlly as injurious to the Church itself as to the Ministry. It begets a feeling of disrespect to the latter which has an obvious tendency to paralyze their usefulness. How can it be otherwise, especially in this country t Yoii arc probably aware Sir, that among those Churches which most vehe- mently uphold the voluntary pnnclple, not only are the priesthood de- pendent upon the people for their support, but too frequently it is dealt 23 out in such niiserablo pittances, and in so undignified n metiiod, ai t6 inai(e thehi appear more like objects of charity than the honored and venerated Ambassadors of Christ ; while human nature is as leadiiy af- fected by outward circumstances as it is, a Mioistrj^ in such circumstan« ces, will rarely comniand that deep respect, *vhich is requisite in order to the most extensive and permanent usefulness. The system under consideration also fosters a selfish f^nd avaricious disposition ; paradox- ical us this assertion may seem. It leads the ^]erobersto calculate koto little they can got a Minister for, and then tho^ wretcheil qrtite that most of them contribute too often satisfies their consciences, and le^ds them to plume themselves upon the blessings of the vcl'intary system, even though it lenves their pastors in indigence, and themselves hoarding their miserable pelf, comparatively heedless that the world is perishing and that the poor are cold and hungry. It ii further in danger of caus- ing these Churches to erect a very fair • and degrading standard of Min- isterial excellence leading them to value their Pastors according to the degree in which they shall conform themselves to their prejudices, suc- cumb to their dictations, and confine their expences within the bounds of penury, rather than by their talents, their learning, or even by their elevated tone of piety itself. Another of the principal evils connected . with this system, and the last to which my necessarily brief review will permit me to allude, is, that it elevates the people into a most unnatural and improper relationship to their Ministers since as their immediate supporters, they easily imagine that they have a perfect right to sit in judgment on their Teachers as respects not only their talents and piety, but even their appearance, family, or expenses, nay to pry inio their most secret concerns ; in short it is in danger of giving almost the death blow to that highest reverential awe with which the Minister of the Sanctuary ought ever to be regarded. It was surely a fear of sudh evils that lead the great Apostle of the Gentiles himself, to prefer oven pro- viding for his own necessities rather than receive the voluntary aid of the Christian Church. Hear, Sir, before we quit this subject, the tes. timony of a great republican divine. "The most melancholy boding,'-' says the late Dr. Mason of New York, ** presses on the raindwhen we " behold a large portion of the calents which the Head of the Church has' bestowed on her ministry for her edification, unoccupied, languishing, and expiring;. This, brethren, is too common an occurrence in our day. A fault there must be somevv^here ; perhaps in different quarters. Bui' there ran be no doubt whatever that one great cause of this evil is the inadequate support afiforded to ministers of the gospel, and particularly the tardy andinegular manner'xn which it is not unfrequently furnished. The eflTecls of this ill judged parsimony is aiarming. When the mTnis- ters of the gospel find it impossible to devote themselves to readng, study, and research — when, like the Levites in the days of Nehemiah, they have fled to their fields to labor for their bread ; instead of wait- ing on the service of the Sanctuary— 2/ie inevitable consequence is that leanness and poverty must mark their public ministrations. It cannot bo otherwise ; people deceive themselves if they imagine that their :ii 24 I:' .1 :.! ttiinister can bring out of his treasure thinn;s new and uld — thai hel can be a workman who needct.i not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth — on any other terms than on habitual and vigorous application to the study of divine things, and that two under the favorable circum- stances of competent talents and a competent library." Such are the views of the powerful Mason of some of the effects of precarious min- isterial support ; and how generally thJit support is precarious, where the voluntary system only prevails, let Msison and Ryerson declare! — Permit also the Eiiglish Dissenters to add their testimony to the fre- quent effects of this system, in some of their own reeenl tracts they thus speak of ** many congregations" that "they are chargeable with Mhameful meanness, crimitial supinenesSf i/ea, idolatiuus cnvttousness,'m refusing to part with a due proportion of their tsubjjtance for the sup- port of the Gospel, and the maintenance of their pastors ; that it is of. ten difficult for them to raise the miserable pittance by which their min- isters who have families are prevented from starving." May we not then more than question the correctness of those statements of Mr. Ry.; erson, which appear at the head of this letter? and declare instead, that the voluntary system is far from being a sufficiently efficient agent in spreading the gospel, and that especially if left to work alone, it is clog- ged with many very serious evils which are deeply injurious both " to the souls bnd bodies of men ?" I tvonld not wish to be misunderstood, I am no enemy to the volun- tary system in its proper place and under proper restrictions, as I think its inherent evils, may, under certain circumstances, be greatly reme- died ; but I fear its friends have very generally, on this continent, mis- taken its right sphere, and neglected to surround it with suitable guards. I am convinced, Sir, and 1 hope to succeed in convincing you and my other readers, that the system under consideration will never work suc- cessfully in any country as the onhj^ or even as the pnncipal means, of maintaining and spreading the truths of the Gospel ; this duty I have no question belongs to the State ; and, were I writing didactically in- Bte«d of controversially I would endeavor at once to point out those di- rect arguments by which this duty may be easily proved, but at the pre- sent t must go whither I am led, content with the humble task of stri- ving to negative objections. I am ready to admit however that tho Voluntary principle may be brought into very useful operation as an ally in the great work of Christian evangelization. And there is ample foom for the display of the most unbounded Christian benevolence even by the members of State-sapported Churches, in those various charita- ble institntrons which are the glory of our age, and especially in that one great work of ** preaching the Gospel to all nations." But yet the grard field for the operation of the voluntary principle lies in the vari- ous bodies of Dissenters ; if, as I am endeavouring to maintain, it be the solemn duty of the State to support the religion of Christ, it is of course bound, as far as the collective wisdom of the empire will enable it, to eielett the purest form of that faith, and having done so to sanction no departure fh)M it I am aware, Sir, that such a sentiment as this if 25 ifi danger of calling down upon me no small share of indignation, and that I shall be told that Kings and legislators arc but men, and so on ; all this I know, but though they are but men before God, they are ru. LERS before us, and as suc'r are crtlled upon to guide us in what thetj conceive to be the way of truin, and to afford us no countenance, no aid, in departing from it; yet, let the word I use be borne in mmd, namely, that they cannot righteously *' sancUo.i" any departure from the estab- lished faith. Still as it is yet ^«6';v/i/c rulers may be wrong, and indi- viduals right in their dissenting modes of faith, or what is yet more fre- quently the case, that such individuals, may bo really conscientious in their dissent, and compulsion could only make them hypocrites without really changing either their hearts or their views, it is evident toleration should be absolutely unshackelled, without the slightest approach to any thing like persecution ; but while, as men who must answer for them- selves at the bar of God, they have undoubtedly a right to claim thus much, yet if King and Queens ake to be the nursing fathers and moth- ers of, what they ^believe, the purest and most efiicient branch of the Church of Christ, and are to answer to tbem accordingly, more than this ^isscjiters cannot claim : to expect Government sanction, or Gov- ernment aid to dissent, were to ask their rulers to betray the trust re- posed in them by the Kinj; of Kings, and to violate their consciences in order to please others. Yes, Sir, here is the proper place for the vol- untary system. It is right that the faith of the Lord's Anointed, of the State, and of the Nation should have some defence against the mere caprice of its members, namely, that when they forsake tits pale, the care and expense attending another mode of worship and the support of another minrstry should devolve upon themselves ; and surely no sensible or conscientious individual can object that the Government, which is to watch over him for good, should lay so gentle an obstacle in his way, in order to preve.it his leaving that fold which it considers the purest and best ; being his guardian it could not ''o less and discharge its duty, being itself frail and mortal it ought not lo do more, lest hap- ly it might be wrong ; let it also be remembered that no stigma accom- panies this, far otherwise, for by incurring this slight pecuniary sacri- fice, it affords some proof that the dissenter is conscientious in leaving the Church of his fathers. Under such circumstances the voluntary system is not near so liable to fall into the errors to which we have been previously alluding ; in- asmuch as the regularity and dignity of ark Establishment cJoest as all experience proves, form a useful check upon the ardent and perhaps, sometimes, mistaken zeal of voluntary and less trammelled Churches. The respect and attention which a State supported Clergy generally re- ceive from the members of their Church has also a most salutary, though perhaps unperceived, influence upon the non-established Churches as regards the respect of their members ^or, and attention to, the wants of their own Ministers ; the respectable portion of such Churches be. come convinced that, in order to niaintain their own standing in the Christian world, their Pastors must be placed in circumstances to rank - ■ ^- ■ 4 ■ . - 2d i in floclety, in some measure at least, with (he Clergy of (lie Gstabiishecf Cliurch, and to enable them to procure the advantages of learning and literature. Another way in which, notwithstanding their bitter oppo- sition, the Dissenters are profited by an Establishment, is, that their own Ministers are tiiereby stirred vip to a virtuous emulation both of literature and usefulness ; and ihat by seeing the dignified character of the Christian Ministry as upheld by the Kslabiished Clergy, they are in a measure, guarded against ihat degradation of feeling and want of offi^ cial self-respect which the voluntary system is too apt to superinduce. In support of the proposition under consideration, your correspond* ent triumphantly says '* I will not stop to investigate the divine, the true philosophy of the answer to this question; (that is, whether religion has flourished most when sanctioned or neglected by the State ? " let the history of the Church, says he, during the first three centuries, and then the next fifteen centuries — let the history of high Churchmen in England on the one side and Non. Conformists on the other, from the reign of Elizabeth to that of James II. inclusive — let the history of the Church of England at the time that Wesley and Whitfield appeared — let the history of voluntary Churches in England at this hoar compared with endowed parish Churches — let the history of Methodism for the last century — let the former and present history of the United States — let the history of this Province — let each and all these give the appro- priate reply." There is nothing easier than to ask questions, make broad assertions, and the mischief is that when asked in a bold tone and with a hectoring air, they are almost universally received by the mul- titude as being undoubtedly true in the afFirmalive ; now I am well per- euaded that a calm and dispassionate examination ol these various tests would give a most decided triumph to the principle of an Establishment ; but then the Rev. writer knows full well, that he is safe from any such danger, as newspapers do not present a suitable medium for so elabor. ate an investigation, and there are few who could find time, or command the means necessary for doing it. But yet I am so heartily weary of hear- ing such bold ajisertions, and unblushing one-aided misrepresentations, especially with respect to early Christianity, that I will endeavor briefly to show their fallacy. It is truly painful to witness the way in which even the great and good are frequently led astray, by the deleterious influence of party pre- judice, if it were not so, there could never have been so much great nojisense u';tered to prove — thf;t because Christianity had no imiadiate Slate provision by direct Divine appointment, and was consequently without it for the three first centuries^ that therefore it has no Scriptural or righteous claim for it now. Before proceeding to examine Mr. R*s. tests, I be^ your attention for a moment to the consideration of this ima* ginary difficulty. The circumstances connected with the rise of Chris* tianity, are surely forgotten by those who clamour so loudly respecting its freedom from Slate protection ; it was not a new institution, but the legitimate fulfilment of an old one, for " to Him gave all the Propheta witness;" and comoquently had not the Jewish Hierarchy refused him 27 who"wailhe end of tlie Law." Christianity would, of course, ai wat its undoubted riglit, have become possessed of all the honors and pro- tection of that Ecclesiastical Establishment whicli Jehovah had himself appointed ; and which, so far from being necessanly doomed to over- throw, was, I venture to assert, admirably adapled to the support and spead of Messiah's Kingdom. And it is to be remembered that though they rejected the Lord of Glory, yet was a further space granted unto the Jews for repentance, their place and name not being finally over- thrown till upwards of thirty years after our Lord's Crucifixion ; now it is evident, that to have made any opposing national provision for Chris- tianity, without waiting to see whether the Jews would nationally receive it, had been virtually to cast them off*before the appc' -^ted time of their pro- bation was fulfilled; there is much meaning in the ^..claration " Ho camo to his own, and his own received him not." Again, since his own re- jected Him it afforded a consistenl'opportunity of giving a splendid proof that though Jehovah usually uses all proper human agencies, that yet, whensoever he chooses, he is a God that can work with the meanest and least efficient instruments, or with none ; such a display was pecu- liarly suitable in the early history of the Religion of Jesus, in order that the spirituality of its nature, and the high blessedness of its soul-renova- ting influences, even under the most discouraging circumsiances, might be exhibited to the world as contr.^sted with the formality of Judaism and the degradation of Paganism. But further and especially ; as it was not the Divine intention to uphold Christianity by a continued succession of miraculous interferences, and that only nation which could have vouch- ed for its truth, as the legitimate and acknowledged fulfilment of their Heaven-sanctioned dispensation, having utterly rejected it, it then seema highly proper that it should, in the first instance, be ushered into the world, in such a manner as to shield its professors from every suspicion of being actuated by worldly or secular motives, and to afford them an opportunity of displaying to the world by their mildness and patience the astonishing effects of Christian principle and Christian consolation ; while at the same time the firmness with which they suflTered the i^ss of all things for the Gospel of Christ clearly manifested the integrity of the suflTerers, and consequently the truth of the things which they had affirmed. Had not experience strangely proved the contrary, I should have imagined that it must have been sufficiently obvious to 3very one, that the Church of the Living God could not have been designed to remain any longer in a condition so outwardly forlorn, than was absolutely re- quisite to lay its foundation, under the peculiar circumstances in which it was placed through its desertion by its natural protectors, the Jewish Hierarchy. And, Sir, it is evident to me, that such only was the inten. tion of its Gretit Head ; for though 1 admit that there is no direct or ex- plicit command in the New Testament respecting the State support and endowment of the Church, for which I trust I have assigned fuflictent m 28 reasons, still how could any Christian Ruler possibly interpret the ge. Iieral tenor oftho Wo.d of God in any otlier way, than as committing thq Church to his care ? In the first place, the example of Jehovah him- self in the establishment of the Jewish Hierarchy, must, I should think^ to an unprejudiced and unsophisticated mind be decisive of the question of duty ; you know, Sir, liiat it is not iho sneering at an argument that negatives it, otherwise, I confess, that the one under consideration were not worth notice ; but often as I have seen it treated with contempt ! — never yet saw it fairly met. If I mistake not, it is Professor Lee, of Cambridge, who says, — " To this argument in favor of a National Reli- gious Establishment; drawn from that of the Jews, no solid answer ever has been, or ever can be given.'^ I am, of course, aware, that in nany things, there is a great difference between Judaism and Christianity, and I am very far from contending for a similarly arranged Hierarchy ; but great principles arc immutable, it is the mode of carrying them out only that can vary. If therefore it were right and consistent, in one oce of the world, for the pure spiritual worship of Jehovah, to be con- nected with and upheld by the State, I conceive it must be so still, for the very same principles are involved, and tiiose only, in this day as in that. And there is not in the whole of the Sacred Volume^ the slightest intimation that the principle of this Divine example is not to be followed out by us, but, on the contrary, it is left on record, stamped with all the infinite importance of the Divine approbation, in those very Scriptures that are expressly declared to be written ^^ aforetime for our instruction;''^ and that too, in connection with repeated declarations of the duties of Rulers respecting the Church, and the memorial of the very decided ap- probation of Jehovah, of those who in the old time used their regal pow- er to uphold and advance His Church, with the most glowing descrip- tion of that care and attention with which they shall watch over its in. terest in the latter days of its glory. Does not all this clearly prove that the great Head of the Church had before hand so ordained, that yet, notwithstanding the fearful defection of its natural guar-^ians, when Christianity had once been tested and given evidence to the world of its truth and JDivine origin, it should then, without interfering with existing political institutions, by the force of the Divine example, and the gener- al tenor of the instructions contained in the Sacred Scriptures, at once secure the protection of Christian Governments ? And was not this sin. gularly brought to pass, as it would seem, by the immediate interposition of Divine Providence ? For it is to this hour most questionable whether C istantine was any thing more than a nominal Christian, influenced I; political motives. It is evident the early Christians so read the word Oi V id, as I have above, and so interpreted the sacred precedent of Ju- daism ; it is to the wisdom of modern timss and the influence of republi- can notions that we owe these unnatural efforts to disunite what, verily, **God hath joined together !" Whose then are the " infidel objections." and whose the "infidel theories"! ^ mwmi 2» I have got already to too great n length and must therefore leave, till next neek, the examination of the effects that resulted from follow- ing this Divine example, and obeying these sacred intimations. With sentiments of respect, I have the honor to remain. Sir, your obedient Servant, AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. March, 26lh, 1839. LETTER V. TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. &c. &c. The folly of trusting to history as to the propriety of connecting Church and State ; the corruptions of the Church before Ccnstantine— testimony of Rloshiem Eusebius and others ; Church property not from State but individuals ; the question spread through its connection with the State; its corruptions owing to suporsti tion ; moral danger not to prevent our doing positive good ; the importanco of Statfl prctcction proved by the rapid decline of those early sects that were without it ; the want of it caused early Reformers not to succeed ; the sanction of Princes ^minontly serviceable and necessary to the establishment of the Reformation. Sir, In proceeding to examine Mr. Ryerson's tests of the compara- tive spiritual prosperity of the Christian Chuich when connected with the state, and when not so connected it cannot, as has been before in< timated, be expected that I should attempt more than to give a very cursory review of the facts, and point out a (gw of the fallacies con- nected with such a mode of reasoning. The line of argument founded upon historic details upon which we are now entering, and upon which your able but plausible correspon- dent places so much dependence, is in great danger of having too much importance attached to it, as the question of the propriety of state sup- port for the Christian Church is not one of expediency^ but oi religious principle, and is therefore not to be settled by our opinion of its effects or results, either one way or the other, but by the infallible Word of the Living God. There is, moreover, a peculiar fallacy in making the voice of history the umpire in such a matter ; for, as all wiio have read the history of the Church must know, it is absolutely impossible to form any correct estimate, from such records, of the real spiritual condition of its members, as even ecclesiastical historians seldom carry their re- searches into those humbler walks cf life, where genuine piety is most commonly found. Hence it is, that their incorrectness is all in favor of w V' 30 our opponents, for wliilo ihcy thus very generally overlook ilioso hunt. ble matters, which form many of tho real blessings that flow fronj the Imperial favor when shown to the Church, such as the vast increase of the lower ranks of leligious teachers, many of whom, at least, must be supposed zealous for God, and the quiet opportunity afforded for the multitude to hear, and hearing, for many of thcMn certainly to feel those blessed truths, to which, in trotibious times, fear ciiused them to refuse even to lend an ear ; on tha other hand they emblazon the evils which are confessedly too frequently associated with court patronage ; as tho pride or avarice of some of tho ecclesiastical leaders, with the pomp and circumstance of courtly, or too timeserving ceremonies, because being connected wilii those who occupied the highest seats, tiiey are sure to meet the eye of these moral painters; still though they cannot but mourn over the dark unhallowed scenes, which they fe«}l obliged to pourtray, they ought not so readily to overlook the rich and holy, though humble facts with which they might adorn their pages from the history of scores t mongst the undistinguished throng. It is evident therefore, that the uncertain and partial information which is to be derived fi om such details, will furnish us but little data, sufficiently correct, to test the merits of an Established Church ; though, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, I doubt not that even ecclesiastical history itself will give a verdict in its favor, when fairly appealed to. 1. Mr. Ryerson says, " Let the history of the Church during the first three centuries, and the next fifteen centuries," answer as to the comparative usefulness of established or voluntary churches ; I echo ; ** Let it answer !" First, as to the comparative purity of the Church before and after Constantine, I am at once ready to confess that after its connection with the state, as there was a wider field for ambition, pride and avarice, so there were many especially of the higher Clergy, who fell victims to their ruinous influence ; but this is merely allowing that there is no earthly good without its attendant evil ; and I positive- ly assert my belief, that this court corruption was comparatively cir- cumscribed in its influunco. How could it be otherwise ? even now, it is a very few of the state clergy who are, methinks, in any danger of injury from courtly influence; poor men, it is well for them if they can live ; surely then, in those' times of haughty arrogance, the most of the provincial clergy were in little dang?r of being seduced by the attentions of the great. But the proof that court degeneracy was ne- ver by any means universal, is, that Monkery and Asceticism, which, . whatever may be their folly, are certainly not luxurious vices, greatly and rapidly increased, and that too under circumstances of real poverty .and privation, after the Church had been taken under Imperial protec- tion. In truth, my sober conviction »s, that the deleterious effects of state patronage have been strangely overrated, and that the lamentable corruption of the Church must be sought for in something else than - court favor ; for it appears to me that the decline from primitive sim- plicity was, at least, as rapid while yet the Imperial purple was dyed with the blood of the Christians, as it was in those happier days that SI liUcceedeJ. In iho iliird century, fjr Instance, irliile Pngahism itill rulud the world. Moshiam charges the bishops with ambitiously violaf ting the rights, both of* tho people and presbyters, and even of cor- rupting tho pure doctrines of Christianity, in order to maintain their usurpation. "Many" srivs he, " were sunk in luxury and voluptuous- ness, puffed up with vanity, nrrogance, ambition, &.c," and had already " appropriated to their ev.i!>L';i'lical functions the splendid ensigns of temporal M «jesty ; a throne siirroundod with ministers, exalted above his equals, the servant of the meek and humble Jesus, d::,c, &c. ;*' and ail this, be it lemembereH, before even a siagle potentate had, in any measure, s motioned Christianity ! — In this century also, marriage be- gan to he fliscoiiraged through tho vain and heatlieniili traditions of tho rulers of the Church. — About the same lime too, images were introdu- ced into the churches, and incense into the worship ; in short, super- stition, that fruitful and real parent of most of the evils that afterwards so terribly overran the Church, was now making rapid strides. Such indeed was the state of the Church at the close of this century, that Eusebius and others, attribute the bitter persecution " which afflicted it during the latter half of Dioclesian's reign, to the anger of God at be- holding the growing corruption of its members — the great mass of whom were daily sinking lower and lower in sensuality." — " Sloth, negligence, envy, discord, fraud and malice, form the sad catalogue of sins with which the Bishop of Cesarea charges the believers of this age." — Paul of Samosata, Bishop of Antioch, was a civil judge ^ and is described as ** a vain and arrogant man, whom riches had rendered insolent and self- sufiicient." — It is surely unnecessary to multiply proofs to shew that the outer courts of the Church were becoming deeply corrupted, long before its connection with the Purple. Another evidence of its rapid decline shall suffice, and that is to be found in its frequent, and about this time, peculiarly dangerous heresies ; in addition to the various schisms that had existed before, this century gave birth to the monstrous heresy of Manes, who taught, among other absurdities, that the evil one was the creator of man ; — no less than three sects approaching nearly to the doctrines of oui modern semi-infidr>ls, the "rational" or Socinian Christians, arose at this time, these were the Patripassians, the Sabellians, and the Paulianists ; the great Arian schism also, which rent, as it were, heaven itself, and so clearly displayed the unsound state of the Christian Ch'.irch, took place too soon after this period to have been caused by its Imperidl friend. Now, Sir, however much, or however conscientiously certain individuals may be prejudiced against an established church, it does puzzle my ch.'*istian charity exceedingly, to know how^ with facts before their eyes, and whole volumes besides of similar details, of the state of the eai'ly Christian Church in those pal- my days of voluntaryism, when it received nothing from the state but persecution, I say when they se6 such proofs of its already rapidly de- clining outward condition, I do feel perplexed to know how honest men Can 80 boldly attribute its continued corruption tQ us being taken under the protection of the state ; that, as I before observed, douhtless, had m ■•■r Si 32 its peculiur dangeri and evils ; but, as doubtloss, tli«^y were far out-hal- anced by the good ; at al! events, il is clear, iliat whatever corruptions were found in Ine Church after the days of Constantino, tlicy had tljcir foundations laid broad and deep in its bosom long before his day. I have already stated that one giand source of the corruptions of the early Christian Church, was a dark and gloomy superstition, the natu- ral offspring of a barbarous and ignorant ago, the next {rroat ciuiso was undoubtedly its accumulating so great wealth. But it is again wonder- ful that men of intelligence and extensive information, should so fre- quently fall into the gioss error of supposing that this wealth came from its Imperial Protectors, it is certainly the fact that it was principally the result of tho superstitious generosity of individual devotees, so that tho connection of Church and State is in no wise answerahlo for either tho good or evil that has accrued to the Church from its large possessions. Dr. Dealtry says — "but all the estates of every description, whether be- longing to bishoprics, colleges, cathedrals, or parishes were voluntary donations; and if kings contributed, they did it from their own private means." It is moreover evident, that whe.: persecution ceased and the profession of Christianity gained tho smiles rather than the frowns ot the great, that vast numbers would join the Church from slight convic- tions of the importance of its truths, and consequently would bo early drawn aside from the paths of virtue and piety, by the seductions of the present world, and thereby bring a stain upon the purity of Christiani- ty; while many others would call themselves by tho name of Christ, and conform to the Church from motives altogether secular; from such what could be expected but shame to the Christian name? It is to these circumstances, after all, far more than to any general spiritual loss a- niojBgst the true believers themselves, that the idea has arisen of th6 declension of true religion in the Christian Church after the days of Constantine. 2. Mr. Ryerson will himself allow that the Imperial sanction was, un- der God, the great cause of the rapid diffusion of the Christian Religion. It immediately become the Religion of the vast Roman Empire, inclu. ding nearly the whole of the then civilized world. It did not, however, by any means stop there, but continued, upheld by the favor and aided by the wealth of the great and noble, to spread on every hand. Chrys- ostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, writing towards the close of the fourth century says, '^The Syrians, the Egyptians, the Indian^, th6 Persians, the Ethiopians, and a multitude of other jio^iows, having trans- lated this Gospel into their own languages, the barbarians have learned to be philosophers." At the same time the Emperors were anxious to in- crease the spread and reading of the Sacred Writings ; — " Eusebius informs us," says Dr. Townley, " that he himself was ordered by tho Emperor, to provide Fifty Greek Bibles, or more probably, only the principal books, at the public expense, for different Churches^"* those who are acquainted with the enormous expense attending the transcrib- • Townley's Illustration* of Biblical Literature, vol. 1, page 132. 1 3B ing, in that day, of large volumes will readily admit that this was imtoed a " munificent order." In the fif\h century the Emperor Theodosius was remarkable for his attachment to the sacred volume, and trans- cribed much of it himself. About the middle of the same con. tury the Emperor Justinian ordered, that in the congregations " the Scriptures should be read in the language of the country, whether Hebrew, or Greek, or Latin, or any other." Now is it to bo believed that this rapid spread of the Knowledge of Christianity, accompanied as it was for long by the word of God, was a cuusc to tiii: WORLD 7 Let those who can, believe the monstrous absurdity : but do not let them charge us with ** infidelity" because we verily believo that in the midst of much mere profession, there wos a real and extensive in. crease of true piety ; how could it be otherwise, by the efforts of tho state, the Gospel of Christ in its native oeauty and truth, was brought before thousands whom yet that terrific spectre, court influence, could never reach ? A capital mistake intb which not only your correspondent falls, but also most of those who entertain his views, is, that they look in the high places of the Hierarchy, amid the fascinations of a Court for the beneficial effects of an Established Church ; it is true they will find tnany of them even there; but yet clearly to discern the extensive ^nd most salutary influences of such an establishment, they should certainly iooH to the great ameliorating change which society at large underwent, and to that mass of individdal piety which would most assuredly be found, and that not merely in the humbler walks of life, on the regal introduction of Christliihiiy. Injurious as wealth and splendor too often are to the growth of individual piety, yet it is really astonishing how oflen, nay, how generally, this secular influence has been exerted, in order to stem not increase, the fury of superstitious zeal, or soften the bitterness of par. ty animosity ; to this superintending care tho Church owes much. Pa. pal corruptions were the effect of superstition, not o^ princely inter- ference ; the great strides of the Church to ruin, were after she trampled upon the secular power, rather than sought its protection. The fact is, a Church possessed of real piety, will use that Government patronage^ with which it may be favored, in endeavoring to uphold the pure Gospel of Christ, and by increased instruction, to deepen its influer.ce, while on the other hand, an extensive or influential Church, destitute of vital Re. ligion is far too dangerous an engine to be lefl uncontrolled by Executive authority. And, Sir, allow me to ask your Reverend Correspondent, if it be any proper test of a Christian's duty; to ask whether such and such cir* cumstances may not possibly load him into danger, while it is at the same time obvious that there is a positive good connected with them ? Is it not his duty, in that case, fearlessly to enter upon them, and to trust in his God, seeking his protection against either the fascination or the troubles incident to the circumstances in which he may thus be placed ? Our Bleeaed Saviour seems to have thought so when he said, " I pray not that Thou shoiildest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil." That money and the moral' Influence of human sanction are both absolutely requisite to pro'- 5 34 pagtito the Religion of that Being who docth as Boemolh Him good," {ind who sees Qt to work by iticans, is, I should imagine, sufficiently evident bolh by the past history and present proceedmgs of that very respectable Christian Body to which thti Reverend Gentleman himself belo^igs. It is, therefore,' no sound arsument against the connection of Chuirch and State, to sny, that there is danger in such un association, so long as it cart bo proved, that, if the Church rfo its duty, large and im- portant benefits to the cause of Christianity must be the result of such connection; consequently were oven the voice of history silent as to^ these beneficial I'esuits, which, however, as we have already seen, and ■hall see still further, is very far from being the case, still even then,^ if human patronage and temporal wealth bo in themselves advantageous to (he diffusion of Christianity, the advocates of an Established Church Would be impregnable. Believe me,- Sir, most serious is the responsibil- ity which those individuals take upon themselves Who venture to oppose) it ; ah ! let them beware, lest their brother's- bhood' be re()bired at their hands ! 3. The important effects of thfvt proteetron and aid #bich the State has afilsrded to the Church in the later ages of its history are also deaf' ly displayed in the facts connected with the rise and fall of those of nu. merous sects which have in almost every age disturbed its peace ; and especially in those circumstances by which, through the g'face of God, the Reformation in England and Europe made such rapid progress. — 'rhcse are details, however, into which, as already intimated; circum*' stances prevent my entering at any length. Permit, me to ask, howev- er, how it is that the seven Apocalyptic Churches, with almost the en. tire of Asiatic Christianity, have been lost amid the gloom of Pagaiir darkness, or destroyed by the pestilent heresy of Mohammed ? Will it be answered that '* they were unfaithful, aod therefore their candlestick was removed V* True, but what was the human agency, for others have been unfaithful, and yet they flourish still? I ihust believe. Sir, that they fell, hun^anly speaking, for want of the protecting care of the ci- vil arm ; Popery in its^ darkest days had that protection, and it yet ex- ists ; has given birth to Protestantism, and I hop*) may yet undergo an entire regeneration within itself. — Where are he early seets to which t have alluded; some of which were perhaps even purer than the Churciv from which they sprang, as Nestorianism, for instance ? Echo answers, where are they ? for the very name nf most of them has almost perished from the earth, and the rest are hardly to be found, even after diligent search. They also are withered, blasted by the frown of the ** Lord's Anointed." What is the present state of the parent Greek Church ? — Let the erudite Moshiem answer, " licentiousness and impiety,'*' Bays he, "not only abound among the people, but also dishonor their leaders; and the calamities that arise from this corruption of manners, are deplorably augmented by their endless contentions and divisions. — Their religion is a motley collection of ceremonies, the greatest part of which are cither ridiculously trifling, or shockingly absurd. Yet they are m\H:\\ mure zealous in obseiving and retaining their senseless rites, 36 if than in maintoining llu) doctrine or obeying tlio precepts oftiK) religion fhey profess," and yet Mr. Rycrson corlainiy cannot nccuiio the poor GreekR of having b^^ cornipled by Court favor ! 1 cite thefie instanced, Sir, to allow that so fur from princely care having been upon the whole an injury to tlie rjuihoiic Church, it has been the principle agent in pro. serving it from still greater oviis than those into which it has unhappily fallen, and perhaps even the means of saving it from entire destruction. The same truth will be yet more strikingly exhibited if we glance at the eflucts of regal inducncu on the roformatioa of the Church. It is a fact worthy of especial consideration in a discussion of this na* ture, that it is to the fostering core, or arbitrary enactments of Sover* jcign Princes that we owe the happy maturing of the blessed Reforma. tion itself. The celebrate,d Wickliffe, of England, in thjs fourteeotli century, and the Bohemian Reformers, John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, in the fifteenth, endeavored in ain to purify the Church, thougii the former succeeded in obtaining numerous followers, and the latter sealed their testimony with their blood* How shall we account for the entire failure of these good men, nowise inferior probably to those more successful Reformers who succeeded them ? In candor is it not to be attrii^uted to the fact that they were unsanctioned by the civil j)ower? How is it that the comparatively pjure and simple Vaudois^ who after having existed for ages, spread, in the twelfth century, aided by the pious zeal of Peter Waldo, so rapidly over many parts of EJurope, should in the nineteenth be reduced to a small number not exceeding 20,000, who are under the spiritual direction of thirteen pastors?* Be- cause, instead of being nurtured, they have been frowned upon and dis- couraged by a bigoted Court. Few nations gave fairer promise at the time of the Reformation, oi a religious regeneration than did France ; some of its Royal Princes, and many of the very flower of its Nobility, with vast multitudes of the people, cordially embraced Protest- antism, and yet few countries, with the exception perhaps of Spain and Portugal, were eventually brought more completely again under Papal influence ; I think your well-informed correspondent must, maugre his prejudices, be convinced that this, at least, was owing to the want of re. gal support and countenance ; especially as with the apostacy of Henry IV. the hopes of Protestantism in France were sunk for ages. How din*erent was the success of Protestantism in Saxony, Switzerland, Ge- neva, Sweden, Denmark, JSngland, &c. t/< alio/ which it was aided, sup- » *The Reverend and very respectable Editor of i^ The Church" in one of his flat, lering notices of these letters, points out an inaccuracy which had escaped my ol;< servation. In the former impression of this IjBtter it is stated that the Vaudois arof* }n the twelfth century, it should have been arose to eminence ; fur, as he very jusUy remarks, thoy were in existence long previoifs to that period, probably even before the time (the beginning of the 9th century) that that gentleman himself states. M. Sismondi says that their enemies allow that their opinions "had beoQ transmit, ted in Gaul from generation to generation, almost from tlie origin of ChrtstiaBity ;'* and the Inqasitor Reineilus Sa^cho, admits tbft tho lVa| yerity of Calvin, the timidity of M elancthon, tl simple purity of Zuing. lius, and the courtier like pliancy of Cranmerr presented far toe discord, ent materials ever to have expected e:^t9nsive lasting benefit to th<^ Church, had they not been variously controlled, checked, or sustained, as occaip)ion required, by the regal power. In concluding this letter al: low me to direct your attention to the singular and most important fact, that wherever you find the Reformation permanently successful, you inva- riably find it maintained by the princely and righteous agency of an Es- tftblished Church f If these things are so, I would so!.jmnly warn the opposers of such Es- tablishments to take heed lest haply they be found %hting against God. Flatteriiig myself that I have satisfactorily proved that even the histo> ry of the Church for the last fiftet^n senturies, is decidedly advantageous to the principle of an Esfiblished Church, and that in a very high de- gree ? I leave the question of the state Ot the Church of England, ^c. till next week, and remain, V With sentiments of esteem. Your obedient Servant, AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. March, 28(h, 1839. ' TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. &c. &q. Comparison betwcon Churchmen and Non.nonformists ; Non-conformity itaelf a proof of Ihe piety of 'he Church; Non-conformists under Cromwell and in America; Mr. Ryerson, and Uie conduct of the Hierarchy under Ch&rles I. and James II. ; intrepid conduct of the Prelates; different conduct of Non.corirormists. The Church and Dissenter*) in Mr. Wesley's day. The increasing heresy of Dissent. Sib, I have already admitted that an ur4on of Church and Slate, lik^ every thing else connected with humauily, is liable to abuse ; and in thisi evil I regret to know the Church of England has but too greatly shared ; that at the present moment she is tratnnielled, especially at home, by many ihings which tend to cripple her usefulness, none more deeply de- plore, or are, 1 believe, more anxious to rein^dy, jthan many of her own worthy dignitaries ; but while I freely make th^se admi^sionSj I should 37 r ~ yet have no fear of triumphantly meeting Mr. Ryerson** test a« to th« comparative purity and usefulness of Churchism. Nonconformity, &c. if I could only command sufficient literary leisure, and were more fully possessed of what Dr. Mason would style '** a competent library." I do liot despair, however, notwithstanding these deficiencies ofbeing able to show that England owes, under God, her present high Protestant and .t!hristian eminence, in a "ery principle dflgreo, to the Church of Eng. land ; I shall endeavor io do this with all brevity, as the primary intent of these lettern is not r. defence of any one form of ecclesiastical polity,; .but an effort to impress you. Sir, anu my readers in general, with a deep* sense of that righteous obligation which rests upon our CoioKial Admin*^ istration to jniaiiitain inviolate, in the disposition of the Clergy ReserveK, jtjbjp vital principle of a National Church, upheld by Executive counte* nanco and support ; as you will perceive, Sir, I seek to enforce this du- ty by ;he general argument, that while such establishments are liable to error, they yet have afforded most important aid to Christianity, and are evidently in accordance with the Divine model, and accompanied with His sanction. I have no wish to speak evil of any body of Christians, I have ever es. teejfned it a very questionable mode of advancing the interest of any Church, to endeavor to erect it upon the ruins of another ; on Mr. R ■ erson, however, rests the responsibility of compelling me occasionally to present the darker shades of Nonconformity, as he it is, that has i hallenged the comparison between it and Churchism, high or low, R will not make the distinction, I mean Churchism proper, as by hkw es^. jtablished, and Nonconformity proper, as acknowledged by Dissenters* ^ut I must be permitted to beg your attention to a little earlier period' in hisCjry than your prudent corresponcicnt seems to desire — not merel3r to the reign of Elizabeth, but to that of Mary, when five of the English, fiishops out of twp^ty'Six, and twentyone Clergymen suffered martyr-, dfom ^ th«;se witnes.^ds for the truth, were the ministers and dignitaries of an eftalflishmentt and that too, just as it was rising from papal pollu. tion ; at a tinie wnen the principal part of ihe Puritans or Nonconfor- mists had fled t Frankfort, and other parts of the Continent. If, how. ever, as de9ired, we pass to the days of the imperious Elizabeth, we shall, it is too true, have to regret the adoption of harsh and unwarrant- able methods, in order to produce uniformity ; but were these the max. ims of the ruling, oir English Church only ? Hear the dissenting Neal, in his able history of the Puritans, ' Such was the conduct pf those Churches, mahy of the leaders of h ch undoubtedly commenced in real, though mistaken piety, but who yielding themselves to a stubborn ob- stinacy even in non- essentials, firm in their own sufficiency, had too, ri^shly separated trom, and opposed themselves to the " powers ordained of God." What w£)s the effect on the Nation 7 They led them in a wild and gloomy path of superstition, almost as dangerous as the Popish thraldom from which they had so recently escaped, and which was cer- tainly 6he very priticlple cause of the terribly profigate re-action that took place under the dissolute Charles. Nor is this the only opportu- nity we. have had of learning the dangei^ous character of unrestrained Noncupformity ; about the very same tinie the Copgregationalists of New England were passing laws against the Quaker^ and Baptists, ** and many pf both sects were imprisoned, fined, ^hipped and banished. Among the latter Was the illustrious Roger V^illianjis. Two Quakers were put to death." I feel, loath, Sir, to speak unkindly, but candor requires me to state my conviction that low dissent, like democracy, is necessarily intolerant ; this reminds me pf a remark of Coleridge, who gives it, when speaking of the Church of England, as his firm convic- tiouy that an Eitablishment is absolutely requisitet <'n order to maintain true liberty of conscience, I know that in a darker age the supporters of the Church of England have been intolerant ; but now that the light of Christian day has well nigh put out the torch of persecution, where will you meet with the most painful displays of the bitter animosity of party prejudice ? Not, certainly, in the Church of England. The Rev. Editor of the Guardian, in an article on the state of the Church in the days of the Charles* and James II., brings very heavy charges against the Hierarchy, as the principal cause, or at least the warm supporters of the arbitrary measures of the jinhappy Charles I. A little less prejudice would have enabled that gentleman to see (hat these^ once more, were the e 'Is of the age, not of the Church ; 4i It if, as before remarked, the misfortune of iiumanity tliat every good hag it attendant evil ; so in this case, the recent emancipation from popery had introduced a latitudinarianism of feeling, which too gene- rally led every man to imagine he 'vas fully able to be his own guide, and had an indefeasible ri^^ht to be his own liiwgiver ; this produced a moHt unscriptural opposition to the constituted authorities, and thereby unlsippily r in any way work themselves up to believe, that when the Universities reftised to listen to James's request, and many of the Fellows were in con- sequence ejocled, that they were seeking their own worldly interests ? Or that the noble firmness of the Bishops whereby they staked, not on- ly their fortunes and honor, but risked their personal safety, was the re- sult of selfish avarice, or low ambition ? Nay, let Mr. Ryerson answer, a^ to what were their prospects of success, when it is well known that the Prince of Orange was so coldly received even after he had actually landed, that writes Mr. R. himself, ''Impatient of disappointment, he is "said to have p* blicly declared his resolution to permit the English Na- tion to settle meir own differences with their King ; and to direct King James where to punish, by transmitting to him the secret correspond- ence of his subjects ;" why, this extract itself proves the perilous nature of the enterprise upon which the dignitaries of the Church entered, that when they undertook to oppose their arbitrary King, they did indeed take their lives in their hands, and it is most unfair, therefore, to charge them with other than conscientious motives. But, Sir, such unworthy •:v Inuations became doubly painful when we examine a tittle further in- to the actual facts of the case ; — the truth is, that Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the seven other Bishops who led the van in consli. tulional opposition to James, and who were in consequence committed to ttie Tower, and afterwards tried at Westminster, all, with the excep- tion oFTrelawney, Bishop of Bristol, became nonjurors, refusing to take the 6ath of allegiance to the Prince of Orange, afterwards William III. and of course, in consequence lost their Bishoprics and benefices; as though they had felt bound to oppose their Monarch's attempted inroads T)n Protestantism by all lawful means, these loyal subjects, sound chris. tians, and intrepid prelates, were no less conscientiously determined not to sanction what they considered a wicked rebellion against their law- ful, however fauhy, Sovereign. I envy not the moral sensibilities of those who can leel ii in their hearts, lightly to impugn the character of ftuch noble and disinterested champions of the vital truths of Christianity. But surely Mr. Ryerson ought to be aware, that the Clergy in general, when the opposition to James commenced, to their immortal honor be it ispoken, had little expectation, and less desire, that the throne should be ««bvorted. BeJsham, an ultra-Whig writer, says, the generality of th» 43 Tories, including almoit the whole body of lli« Clergy, hij^hly otendufil with the unexpected advancement of the Prince of Orange to th« Throne, adopted the famous distinction of a King de facto, and a King dejure. I confess, that even the cursory exarninuJion iito wliich I have entered, of the condiict of the Church of England at this trying crisis, has greatly increased my esteem for her, — her firmness^ where jirmnisa was chrisiianiiy ^ and her suhiiii^aion^ where isnbiimsion was scriptural duly^ is perhaps hardly to he equalled^ to the same extent^ in the annals of the Church. I must advert for a moment to the Non-conformists, for so the challenge runs. They, it must be reni(^mbered, professed to believe opposition to tyrannical Princes lawful, consequently the Editor of the Guardian is beside the mark in lauding them for their submission, for as they looked upon James as a tyrant, quiescense in them was not vir- tue, but cowardice; the proof of which is, that no sooner did other* stand in the fore front of the buttle, than they were content to bring up the rear! We are also referred to the days of the venerable Wesley, alas, I know that England lay in a stupid lethargy ; I will not stop to enquire th« cause, content that it was not a National Church, for dissent was in a still sounder slumber. But the awakening of England was owing under God to its Established Church ; not only were the Wesley's, Whitfield, and others, Clergymen of that Church ; but from whence did they ga- ther their converts? Was it not in the vast majority of cases from the Establishment ; and for this simple reason, that they had a way to the hearts and consciences of her children by means of her Liturgy, Articles, Homilies, &c. which they did not, and could not find, to the hearts of those who did not acknowledge their authority ; thus as far as human sagacity can do it, the admirable Establishment, by the purity of its doc- trines, the immutability of its creed, and its hold, as a National Church, upon the affections of the people, provides for its own regeneration ; far otherwise, is it with the dissenting Churches. One of the most astonishing things connected with the views of the present and recent slate of the English and Non-conformist Churches, which is taken by many, is, that they do not seem to discern this marked and vital difference between them, namely, that while both were in a painfully lethargic spiritual condition, the one (the Nonconformists) was also theologically depraved, having too generally fallen into ruinous he- resy; the following testimonies, will, I imagine, be sufficient to cause those who " love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" to feel deeply grateful to the King of Kings that he did not leave us, as a nation, sub- ject to the uncertainties and mischievous consequences of Nonconform, ist and voluntary Churches ; — Brown, in his '-Religious Encyclopedia," says, " But after the Revolution, many of the Presbyterians (Noncon. formists) first veered tovv-ards Arminianism, then revived the Arian hy- pothesis, and by degrees settled in Socinianism, Some of the Independ- ents and Baptists on the other hand, leaned to the Antinomian doC' trines.*' — Professor Palfrey, of Cambridge, United States, states that f'of'he old connection of general Baptists in England a majority ar9 44 acknowledged Unttariane, The Presbyterian Churchea aiao throughout England, are understood to be, with scarcely an exception, occupied by congregations of this sort. Their number is reckoned at more than two hundred." Sir Richard Phjilips snys, <' Most ofihe English Presbyle- rinna, and many Independents have joinfd them," — the IJnitnnnne. And R^nin he states, thut in Knalnnd and VVales iheru are 1663 Inde* pendent Congregations, and 258 Presbyterians, and that one-third of them are Unitiiriuns. — It in also grtally to be feared ihat u large piopor* tion of the Quakers are sinking into deism. If J mhtuke uot, at this ve- rt/ hour the pulpit tif even the dtvoted and nr1hod>x Mntlhtto Henry ^ is filled by a Socinian Teacher ! Alas, alas ! may a gracious IJeuven save Us fr)m the unliallnwed machinatiemn of those who would C(insijrn us for ever to the gloomy prospecfs of dis8ent. Such, alas, are some of the results of Nonconformity ; and tliey are amply sufficient to make every real lover of pure Christianity siiudder at the idea of leaving the religion of any country to the care of such unstable, and too often ungodly hands; and pardon me. Sir, for saying, that surely great must be the guilt of any Legislator, who, under any circumstances, would sanction such a measure. I have not quite done with the character of the English Church, but must postpone it till next week. I have the honor to be, Sir, . ' Your faithful obedient Servant, AN ANQ;.0-CANADlAr^. 4prU ith, 1880. LETTER VII. TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. &c. &c. Chureh and Noneonfprmists— nuble conduct of Clergy, respecting Catholio Relief Bill — nececsity of an Establishment to guard the Scriptures from Sbctariao eorruption— comparison of thd Literary labours of the Clergy and Dissenters-— Remarks on the Voluntary Ct urches of the Establishment— Methodism indebted to the Church — Contrast between the former and present condition of the United States— Doubtful character of Republican evidence against Establishments— testi. snony of an American Bishop as to their necessity. \ , ,>' -t- Sia, I have already alluded to the noble integrity in the hour of dan- ger, of the dignitaries and Clergy of the Church of England; there is, however, another instance to which I would have alluded, bad not my )ast letter extended to so great a length, it is to the conduct of the 45 Bishops In the House of Lords respecting the Catholic Relief BllU This Bill, it must bo reniombered, was introduced by [lis Mjijesty*s Min- isters, and a Ministry too, that were estrem(?d highly ronservntive, nnd that in their hands, of coursf, was held the entire Episropjd, >ind much of the other valiinhie cliurch palrona^o, yet under these trying circuni- slancs did the Episcopal Bench wiih one or two unhappy defections, supported by neirly tiie whole of the Clergy, firndy resist by every co'-.tiiutitmul means, as in the days of Jantes H., this too successful Imo I ' tip')n that Protestantism of which thry thus, once niorc. provi.»d thou. < 'v ^ tho firm and disinterested, as well as natural guardians; laying . Ay their teinpoial pro8|;ects, but their dearer lepiitaiion, also, as a s t«i , flee upon the altar of pure Christianity, sustained only by the VVesley.iu Mnjiud'sts; whihMhe Dissenters (Non-ronfoi mists) were very sfeneraliy lucnd supporting the claims of the Romish Citnrch, ready lo sacrifice ih. interests and safety of true religion, to their demo- cratic principles and spurious liberality. Indeed the tieneral unflinching political and legislative integrity of our Protestant Hierarchy, has often excited my admiration ; they have again and again thrown themselves into the breach when the constitution, or especially the orthodoxy, of the state has been endangyred ; whereby they have continually manifested a firm determination to be governed by tho dictates of princijAe^ and to resist at every hazard, the encroachments of a wretched expediency. It ought not to be forgotton in a comparison of the relative usefulness of the Established and Nonconformist Churches, that the former are as it were, from the very necessity of their constitution, a kind of body-guard to the Sacred Scriptures. It is not so with the Nonconformists ; I do not wish to insinuate that the Dissenters are in general corrupters of the Word of God, very far from it, I honor many of their worthies, admire their talents, and love their piety, but I cannot shut my eyes to the truth that we have not from them, and cannot have, any security that the Sacred Volume will not be corrupted under tho pretence of more correct translations, &,€. ; already we have had to lament over a whole host of attacks on the authorised version, evidently manifesting that were it not for those Christian enactments, which in Britain prevent the ready publishing uf spurious editions, we should have been oveirua with them ; as it is we have had the garbled '• New Version** of the Unitarians, and in the United States the trnn^lniion by the Baptists, purposedly dcvsigned to support their peculiar viuws ; besides many Others of a like nature. Of the same stamp was the Liverpool Liturgy, published by the Presbyterians in lG52, of which Mr. Orton says, *• It is scarctly a Christian Liturgy — in the collect, the name of Christ is hardly mentioned ; and the Spirit is quite banished from it." These aie farts, to which happily, as you ar« well aware. Sir, no parallel can be found in (he history of the Church of England; individual Ministers of that Church may become heretical, but then its creed as well as itself being under the protection of the civil power, they have either to leave it or conceal their heresy and are consequently prevented sowing tho feeds of death within its pale, by their false administrations, their cor- 46 captions of its Liturgy, or yet more danf^erous altorotions and perrersiuni of the Sacred Oracles. Speaking of the Church a modern wiitcr re- mnrks, — " It seems, moreover, if riglitly understood, to he a Jilting taft' guard and centre of gpivitual unity in the truth of the Bihle, to those wiio love the Saviour and yet see not their way into our portion of his earthly fold." That most salutary hiw lorhidding tho common printing of the Bible, without note or comment, and its yet more valuable provision which prevents the ordinary distribution of any but tho authorized ver- sion, we certainly owe to the inlliionce of an establishment. 1 know it may bo argued that such laws may be passed without an establishment. I know it may be argued that such laws may bo passed without an cstablisiied church, but tho (juostion is, will they ? a.n they ? I trow not, look to tbe much lauded neighbouring States. No, sir, tho very feelings that riso in opposition to a state supported church, would \ery soon cry down such a tyrannical legislature ! But this is not all, the *' Word of the Living God ought ever to be surrounded by those whose duty and interest are both involved ip guarding its purity, and watching its fate," while they are engaged in spreading its precepts. I do not, and cannot believe, that in an age of licentious free thinking, like this, it can be the will of Heaven to leave its Records to tho sport of every deislical witling ; it has required all the care of an Established Church, first to prepare and to disseminate the Sacred Volume, and afterwards to maintain it pure amid the itTorts of the deistical or dissolute to corrupt it , and all this care, it is but too evident, is still needed for tho same vitally important ends; and this, it is clear, can be efficiently done by none but an establishment armed with a measure of authoritative intlu- ,ence. Such an Hierarchy, were it only for such a purpose seems to mo all'impprtant. The learned Dr. Adam Claike asked tho question ." What would our nation have been, if it had not had a version of thq Sacred Writings established by the authority nf the laws ?" Permit me to adduce one more comparison between tho parties under .consideration, and then, I will pass on to another part of your Reverend correspondent's letter. Mr. Ryerson, I doubt not, will admit tho vast importance of bringing the mightest powers of the human mind, impro- ved by all the adventitious aids of the most elaborate cultivation, to bear on the infinitely important matters connected with revealed and practi- cal religion, and yet admitting this, where is the consistency of denoun- cing that only system of ecclesiastical polity whereby we can reasona- bly hope to secure a fair proportion of such ministers 1 He surely can- not expect it amid tho uncertainties of the voluntary system ? Has such a ministry been found there? Where then are we to look for tho mass of erudition, the Leviathans of theological literature? Where, in the common sense of the thing, but where there is literary leisure, and free- dom from pecuniary care? The Dean and Cliapter of Winchester, in an appeal to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in behalf cf even one of the most questionable appendages of the Establishment, thus powerfully plead: " It was by those very appointments," say they, or by appointments of that cksS| which it is now the fashion to stigmatise as sinecures, that tha 47 ghntiof Bnglisli tlirolo^i:} weroroartM) ; iind iliHt lUny vr«re enabled fo give to thnir owr» ix^Oy nnd lo posterity, thuir great and inestimable lervices. It was to the siiiocnics (as thoy are invidiously termed) connected with the church, und in no njoun degree to those of calht'drals, that we are, under Providence, indebted foi our Cranmcrs, and Ridley's, und Jewels, and Whilj^ifts, and Hookers, and Davenants, and H;dls, and Ushers, Hnd Lighlfoots, and Pearsons, and Cudwortl s, and Patricks, and Nar- rows, and Tilottson's, and Stliiingflfels, and Pococks, and Fh-etwoods, and Goslrclls, and (libsons, and Waierlands, and Sherlocks, and See- kers, and iNcvvtons, and Balguys, and Lowlbs, and llorsleys, with a multitude of others, who arc the adniiraliun of foreign churches^ and the glory of their country, and will ever be regarded amongst the greatest lights of the wo»'ld ; and we confidently appiud to thnm as witnesses on behalf of such sinecures as those for which we plead, auti we claim them OS [never (lyhtff nduocatcs for our vcnertihle in.ftitutinns^'^' and as the loarnod Dr. Adam Clarke observes, " no Church since the Apostle's days has bean more honored in this way, than the British Church ; and the same writer says *' wo cannot help adaiing the good Providence of God, that taken as a body, they have been an honor to their function, and in general men of great learning and probity, and the ablest advo- cates of the Christian system, both as to its atii/icuticiti/ nnd the purity and excellency of its doctrines and vioraliiij. I am not ignorant of iho talent, erudition, and labor that have been displayed in very many of those numerous works, which are the honor of the non-established clergy, nor have I any wish to undervalue them ; but it cannot bo denied that they are rare exceptions ? How can it possibly be otherwise? To expect any thing else of a ministry, who, however, we may honor their frequent piety and usefulness, it mtist be admitted, are Xott generally limited in their education, circumscribed in their means, and worn down with too excessive ministerial and pastoral labors ; ** \tho have no access to libraties, and no leisure to use thoni," to expect su'-.h a minis- try to be frequently found amid the higher walks of theologicat literature, and defending by their learned labours and ponderous efforts, the outworks of our sacred citadel, were indeed to display our own entire ignorance of tlio nature of literaiy pursuits, and, Pharoah-like, to require men to make bricks without straw. Now, Sir, notwrthstanding my own entire inability to do justice to such a subject, and all those other drawbacks which I have stated, I still feel that upon a reV'eiV of the statements contained in my last letter, and in this, I may ventuie td repeat your Reverend correspondent tost, nor tremble to place my cause upon the issue, — '*let the history of High Churchmen in England on the one side, and Noncomforniists on the other, from the reign of Eliza- beth to that of James II. inclusive — let the history of the Church of England at the time Wesley and Whitfield appeared— let each of these give an appropriate reply," as to the comparative usefulness and success of established or non-established churches. Once more I say let truth and candour decide. \.u '.' .*t~.r ■,>;>. w 4i Mjr letters having Mlreudy become more numerout, and much mori lengthy than I anticipated, I do not design to unter at nil into the dis- cussion, at loast beyond u simplo statement or two, of tho other leasts to wl)ich rir. Ryersun appeals; but hasten to consider liis cl'iborate statist tical strflpment^, rather, however, as regiirdd their moral ilian llieir nu* mericnl arciiriicy. The fad that Enj^land contjiins many voliinfmy Churchc«, helonpinjj; to tho Est'ihliRlintcnt, lo the hi^tury of wliirl. y«iur nirrncixintU'iii rpfurd ns an ar;;ii(neiit, if I understand him cornoily, a^nmsl ^late Eiid'^w mniiis, is worthy ol'cdnsideralixn. In liie first |»lace, / tim nut npjutumg the viihnUary syilem us an adjunct ; and in the sHcotid, llieso very Churched and their Ministers ad funning n part of the Eriiahlishment, are secured, excepting in ih>> matter of inco(un, nil thv« advantages of that Eiitablishment. In lliese Churciics 'he Mini-ter's anlarv in manu* ged ill a manner far lesB ohjectionahle than in most di.ssenting Churches^, mainly, if I am not greatly mrstaUcn, frnm the Pew Rent, not from what can be sirictiy called voluntary contributions. 2. 'I'ho Ministers of these Churches also, cannot, I believe, be removed at the pleasure of the Congregations, any more than the incumbent of a regular Parish. 3. It must also be borne in mind, that these voluntary Clergymen owe (heir large Con^^regations, not only to that undoubted piety and talent which many of them possess, but to the moral influence attached to their characters as Clergymen of tho Establidhed Church. A second con. aideiation of impf»riance is^ that, ofcoiir.se, they /mne recdvtd the same education^ are sithjcct to the same cnnt-oj, and pr > feasor h of^ and bound by the same creed with the rest of their brother IVlinisters. In a word, the puublic good which is derived from an Establishment, must be felt from these voluntary Churches to a very principal degree, as in their great e>8entials they form a part of it, while llie evils that are so apt to be felt from the vtduntary sysiom by the C'ergyman himself, and his immediate Congregation, are in liiis case very materially obviated, not only by the facts above stated, but also by that indefinable, but most un- questionable feeling of respect which so Nirongly apperiams to every thing that is connected with Monarchical Institutions, and consequently to the Established Clergy, even apart from the veneration due to their sacred office, as one ot those Institutions; a feeling so singular and thrilling, and yet so powerful, that I can only account for it as a myste. rious guard placed by Divine Providence around a form of Government 80 peculiarly in accordance with his revealed will.* It should also be borne in mind that these Churches, the support of whose Ministers is vo. luntary, are generally built by the State, and in many catscs the Minis* I ■ ■ .. . ~j • Sir Frnnciu Palgrave has the following ttrikinj; remarks upon thi" important,' but t>o litt'e iiliserved feeling. "Tho respect rendereJ to ancestry, the influenc« which it I estowB is a diFpnnHation of Providence in the moral governin! nt of the world; n'4a convnntional institution ropnlting from bu»nan authority. It is a ta- lent cast upon the owner, for which he is awfully responsible. Shatfio full upon him if he raisUse the glTi ; out disgrace is his, and the gift ituelf is unstained. It hr ft possession which 6annot be acquired by those to whom it has not been granted 40 ant, nc« the ta- pun It ■itMl tert are regularly aidod in thuir ealary out of what ia called «« Quean Ann'a Bounty." With respect to Metlu>di8m, I have already remarked, thai under God it owed its rapid spread in no small degree to the inlluence of the Church of England which resulted from its being an Establishment ; — and I am further prepared to hazard the assertion that often tho zeal and piety of the Wetileyan Ministry themselves, tho most powerful conducive I? ^^°'f prosperity, is still to be found in the orthodoxy produced by tho Establishment, and in that literary emulation which has been produced by their being placed in continual juxta-position with the regularly edu- cated Clergy of the Establishment : while the same, 1 trust, sacred com- petition has led tho people on their part to endeavor to place iheir Min- isters in such a situation as shall enable them to take u suitable and use. ful stand in societ/ ; these things have had a far deeper though parliolly unobservoa influence on the success of VVesleyan Methodism in England than is generally supposed, especially as a gracious superintending ic^ vidence has hitherto preserved amongst them that noble conserve i feeling which is at once so conducive to their respectability and sound piety, and which has also led them while they upheld the principle of the Established Church, to copy whatever seemed excellent in its insti- tutions, as far as was practicable.! a .^. .... , . . .1 ,. .. by tlio Father of mankind. It is a pro-emioncB which may bo rendered more utie, ful, or more illustrioun, by wealth, or intellect, or station ; but which nciilnr wealth- nor intellect, nor station can impart. It is a power not conceded either by King or by people, and which neither the arbitrary tyranny of the despot, nor the sliilmors arbitrary will of the multitude, can obliterate. Man cannot bestow dignity of birth — man cannot take it away. Whatever results frum time ia incommunicable, and cannot bo supplied by any other ulMmont. Hunce, nobility of birth is »n authority bnfore which man's natural rebellion humbles itself most unwillingly, and which, however ineiTectually, the 'spirit of tho age' seeks most anxiously to destroy.'* tAn able Wesleyan Minister (tlio Rev. HicharJ Watson,) in his "Institutes'' makes the following remarks, which go to prove at once both tho/boling of British Methodism towards the Church, and the sufficiency of her ordinances, oven for her most pious and devoted members, all insinuations to the contrary notwithstanding : — "It may also be asked, who are tho persons whom the Methodibtu have alianatod from tho Church ? In this too, the Church writers have laboured under great mis. takes. They have 'alienated' those for tho most part who were never in anysub. _. ■tantial sense, and never would have boon, of tho Church. Very fow of her pious members have at any time been separated from her communion by a connection with us ; and many who became serious through tho Methodist Ministry, continued uttendants on her services, and observers of her sacramonts. This was the case during the life of Mr. Wesley, and in many instances ia so still ; and when an actual separat! m of a f^w persons has occurrod, it has been much more than compensa- ted by a return of others from us to the Church, especially of opulent persons, or their children, in consequence of that superior influence which an Established Church must always exorcise upon people of that class. For the rest, they have been brought chiefly from tho ranks of the ignorant and the careless ; persons who have little knowledge, and no experience of the power of religion ; negligent of re- ligious worship of every kind, and many of whom, but for the agency of Metho. ' diim, would have swelled the ranks of those who are equally disaffected to Church i»nd State. If such persons are not now Churchmen, they are influenced by no feelings hostile to the iastitutiona of their country.'*— !#*/(• o/" Me Ker. J. fTestey* 50 The truth is, that these things prove, not that " voluntaryism,'* whe- ther disciplinary or financial, is suited to stand ulone in any lc:td, but that in the present imperfect condition of fill things human it may be, and 15, when properly regulated, an excMent auxiliary to an i^siabliih- tnent. With respect to the present and fvyrmer religious conditions of ths United States, I cannot, consistently with the limits I have prescribed to myself, aKempt to enter into an cxam'jiation of them. Suffice it *o re- mark that while the infancy of Colonies, from a variety of obvious rea- sons, i.s always unfavorable to religion, that still I think it would be dif- ficult to prove that the children of the " pilgrim futliers" are either as pious or as orthodox, as even their Nonconformist progenitors. But will your 4wgnco.Cana«/tr«n correspondent himself venture to compare the present moral condition of the New or Western States, not lo mention some of the Southern, as Louisiana for instance, with that of the East. ern States, when thay were English Cblonies ; yet the former arc under the voluntary system in ail its glory, while the latter had their Estab- lished Churches. It is hei'e, as Mr. Ryerson well knows ihat the com- parison to be just, must be drawn, and not between the infancy and maturity of the same States. And where is it, perm^l me to ask, that at he present hour Unitarianism on the one hand and Popery on the other, are niaking the most rapid advances ? Let Boston and Baltimore an- swer.* But even take the older States t^.ienyselves, and are they indeed provided with religious instruction as abundantly as under the old and maligned rrjyime. Professor Emerson and Dr. Wisner, of the United States, say, " Many of the first Churches of New England,, though small and poor svjjporied two able Ministers. The first ten towns in Connecticut enjoyed the constant labors of ten Ministers, making an average oi cv. Minister to Jijty families j or to two hundred and sixty or seventy souls." In the prssent day, which Mr. Ry^rson would fp.in make us beiieve is so far superior, he himself gives the average as Dne Minister to svery THOUSAND souls/ Dr. D wight, an American Presbyterian, speaking of the depreciated condition of the United Stales, owing to the introduction of voluntaryism as a national srstem, instead of the former plan of Slate provision for the Christian Ministry thus writes : " Further «ho rapid decrease in the number of ministers, compared with the population, is shov/n. In 1753, in New-Engbmd, there was ' min- ister for every 628 persons. In 1S06, in the United States, there wjs no. one well educated minister to 6000 souls ! But in many cases where churches formerly existedy they are no longer to be l^oundi Tlie n em- bers are dispersed, the records j?,one, not a vestage of the church to be found !" He adds "It is quite clear the example of America can never be Again quoted as a proof the success of the voluntary system. Such tacts speak volumes ; to multiply words were idle ! But, Sir, what must we think of your correspondent's controversial fairness, wK? in the face of such facts, can studiously endeavor to make his readers believe that *For a more particular account of Popery and Socinianism in America see Letter X. 51 ^ sr X. in ilie States; under ilie voluntary system, ministers are proportionably more numerous, and the means of religious instruction more abundant tiian when under Br'tish rule, and enjoying the privileges of Established churches ! Surely wretched must be the cause that needs such defence ! If such be some of the first fruits of voluntaryism even in onco protestant and puritan America, what shall the end be? Could I draw the veil from a very few years, I greatly fear I should not need to ask what they had gained by dissoverinjr Church and State; already do we behold por- len;s, that cannot bo mistaken, of an awfal pcl'ticul tempest amongst the peopio who have never been taught that they " must needs be sub- ject, not only fur wrath, but also for conscience sake;" — while the tri- umphant paeijjis of Pope and Infidel exulting over their rising prospects ^ive mtlanciioly presage of an approaching religioiis struggle in this Re- public. I have already shown th'U the "slate of this Province" does indeed affurd a striking comment on the voluntary system, though of a far dif- ferent kind lO that which Mr. Ryerson would secrn to intim^.-e ; to its inefliciency, let the thousands who never hear the "glad tidings" of the Gospel testify. In drawing this letter to a conclusion I have only to remark that the testimony of Republicans on such subjects as thail of a State supported Church, ought to be received with very great caution ; as their political jealousy of all authority, to be consistent, must be extended to Ecclesias- tical Institutions. Further, this unchristian impatience of all restraint being in exact proportion to the degree in which we think " more highly of ourselves than we ought to think," it is evident that the great bulk of a people whose every institution fosters this latter evil, are sure to frown 'pon all Church influence. It is also well known, that in that " land ,of the freo" it is dangerous for any one, more especially for a Mi- nistOi', to dissent from the " Sovereign People," and that consequently they arc cautious not to offend ; more particularly does this refer to the Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church, of whom, as Mr. R. must be Well av/are, many of our democratic neighbors are already sufficiently jealous, as knowing that the true genius of their Church is soundly Con- servative, not to say Monarchical ! Bishop Hobart himself, in one of the extracts in youi- correspondent's Ninth Letter, is compelled to depre- cate a disruption cf the connection of Church and State in England, and such is the general feeling of his brethren of tiia United States. I know his excuse, and that of others., for making a •iifferenco between the two nations, is the importance of old associations, dec. &c. but 1 confess I cannot see how they can make what is black in America white in Eng- land, or vice versa ; if such an Establishmeni be good in England, I can* not comprehend but that it must be so the world ovei*; indeed the Rev- erend Prelate is hardly consistent, for if he really disapprove of the principle of State Endowments, how comes he and his Chuch to retain the appropr^«tions made to them in former times by the British Govern- ment ? But says Mr. Lorimer, " If Bishop Hobart, and other good men -^re opposed to Church Establishments, it Is not unknown that there are w^ 63 good men in America, aye, bodtes of ChristianSf more sound than their neighbours, who hold the principle of a Church Establishment sacred^ and lament that the State docs not interpose on the side of God ; and strange to say they are increasing in numbers."* The consideration of your Reverend correspondent's specious "Facts" in my next ; in the meantime, I have the honor to be. Sir, Your obedient Servant, AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. 4pril 12th, 1839. LETTOR Till* TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. : Sir, ,.--•••■••• I shall not attempt to follow Mr; Ryerson through all the elabo- rate statistics of his Ninth Letter, I flatter myself that without doing so I shall be able to show that they are entirely unsound in principle, and most delusive in detail. He states, in substance, that London, with the metropolitan diocese in general, is lamentably destitute of suitable reli- gious instruction and accommodation, and that it affords a fair criterion whereby to judge of the rest ; and proceeds to compare a few of our densely populated manvfacturing towns with some of the leading cities of the United States, of course, to the disparagement of the former; he then says, that even " allowing the orthodox Nonconformists to aflford instruction for as large a portion of the population as the Endowed Es- tablishment, one-fifth of the population of the kingdom would still be without any place of public worship !" while on the other hand he ex- uhingly points to the voluntary Churches of the neighbouring Republic, as affording " an averge of one orthodox Minister, and one orthodox * For ftxrther testimoninls on this subject, 8M Letter X. 53 Church for every thousand persons." Now, Sir, what are the "fAtre*' of the case, not merely the ono-sided but the general facts? I will endea- vour to present a bird's eye view of them. It is a matter of considerable pain to ,r.^ to have so frequently to point out what I cannot but consider very improper misrepresentations in a ministerial writer ; and yet what else can I call an insinuation like the following, where, after stating the painful evidence given by the Bishop of London, with regard to the religious destitution of his diocese, he adds, " Other dioceses throughout the kingdom cannot be supposed to be better supplied than that of London ?" Did I not know the talent of your correspondent, and the fact of his having twice visited England, I should at once be ready to suppose it arose from a want of accurate in. formation ; surely Mr. Ryerson must be aware that the moral destitution of London is far, very far greater tlmn any other portion of the kingdom; and for obvious reasons. The mighty metropolis must stand alone, it does not admit of being compared with any other city in the world, it is unique in its character ; comprising a vast band of foreigners — a con- siderable number of Jews, perhaps 25,000 — a large portion of the mer. chant princes of the world, and a pauper population of about 3 or 400,000, very many thousands of them the most debased characters in the world ; in no large city are we to look for the special triumph of Christianity, as they are always the very focus of those who have given their souls to gain on the one hand, and of the idle, the abandoned, and the destitute on the other. Unless the Established Church is to be blamed for results, the legitimate consequence of the present corrupt state of the world, I cannot see the force of the argument brought against its usefulness, on account oT the present state of the City of London ; which, whatever its moral aspect may be, is rather to be viewed as the mart of the world, than as a city cherished under the guardir wing of the Church. I re- gret to say that from long experience, I kiji»w that the accommodation of Churches and Chapels, is superior to the altendsince ; I cannot \u\t think the proper question is, what w(uld London h.»»e been without an Establishment ? Its Churches and Chapels are about a^ numerous as all the English Protestant Denominations put together ; and if we take into consideration their large size, they will probably afford accommodaiiun for twice as many as all the others. I do not like your corre pondent's reference to Canada, as not being :jo destitute as London ilsell, it is cal- culated to mislead the people of this country, who are unacquainted with the peculiar circumstances. The destitution here, is that of a steady respectable class of yeomanry, who would attend the i. -use of God had they the opportunity ; whereas in London it is generally that of the debased and abandoned tiiat will not attend public worship ; and while, without doubt, increased efforts should be, and I rejoice to know are being made, in order to reclaim these miserable masses, still let the case be fairly represented. Is it right or fair to compare the situation of the farmern of Upper Canada, with that of the pauper or abandoned inhabitants of London, as though their moral destitution was owing to the same cause ; while in the one case it is owing to their own depravity, W' i' 54 nnd ki the other to ibe want of efficient atale care, and active private be- nevolence in not providing suitable places of worship for those who are willing to attend. Bui let. us proceed to examine whether indeed the rest of England be equally deficient in suitable Churches and Chapels, or is equally lacking ministerial care- Sir Richard Phillips, a high authority in such statis- tics, states that in England and 'Vales ihero are lO,87'-2 Established Churches or Chapels, and 7517 Di«se»iting and i\lotliodi«t Chapels, ex- clusive of Papal Chapels, which gives a total of 18,389 Places of Wor- ship, which, taking the population at tlie outside eslimule of 14,000,000, gives one fof every 761 of the gross amount, or as nearly, if not more than half the population cannot be supposed cnpi^ble of attending Public Worship; the above statement shows that in England and Wales there is one Church or Chapel for every 400 of ailult and able persona! and as most of these are of iargu size, many even of the new Churches being calculated to hold from 1,800 to 2000 persons, it may fairly be presumed that there is not only on an average sittings for all the inhabi- tants of England and Wales who are able to attend Public Worship, but positively a considerable surplus ! Above Jive. ninths of the whole num. ber of Churches and Chapels belong to the Establishment, and, owing lo the greater size of their Churches, probably three-fourths of all the jBittings. Now, is it right, with such an ample general provision as this, to \^\k o^ one fifth of our home population being destitute of Places of Worship, while in fact they have such a surplus ? Your accurate cor- xespondent states the Churches in the United States to be as 1 to 1000 people, that is 1 to about 600 efficient persons ; now I would put it to Mr. R. who knows how much smaller the public buildings are' here than at home, whether these American Churches will on an average hold at the outside above 300 individuals? That then leaves one half of the population of the United States destitute of any place of worship, while .jpiuch traduced England has numerically an abundant supply. Such then is one of the effects of the working of an Establishment, as con- trasted with the Voluntary System. Again, there are 36,000 Ministers in Great Britain, which gives one to every 83 families, or to about 444 individuals ; while in boasted America, Mr. Ryerson gives an average of ! Minster to 1,000 indivi- duals ; not half the supply of the United Kingdom, or perhaps about half, if we throw out the few who are not orthodox ! And of tliis cloud of Ministers in Britain, nearly one-halfsLve Clergymen of the two Estab. lishments ! 1 confess. Sir, when first I saw your correspondent's "curious" state? ments I did feel a little startled, though I had my suspicions that a care- fbl examination would put a somewhat different face on the matter, yet I scarcely expected to see the tables so completely turneii, as I now hope we shall before I finish this letter. With respect to the statistical comparison in the letter under consideration, of certain cities and towns in £ngland with others in the United States, it is sufficietit to observe that, if the voluntary system will work any where, it will be in towns ; as 55 Id stater care- r, yet " now Istical [owns Iserve Is ; as that spirit of enterprise which distinguishes coihmcrcial communitieiy has also a marked influence upon their religious proceedinga. 2. Be* cause as ihey have much more to do with money transactions, they na^^ turally acquire a readier liberality. 8. The infiabitants of towns ar< more actuated by a feeling of conventional pride, and personal emula lion, than country res'idtmts, and consequently thousands of them erec) Churches, and uphold the outward ordinances -^f religion from mere res- pectability of character. Yet after all, though on a mere glance at the numbers, some of the Cities in ihn States soem to he as well provided with Places of Worship as in England, ih<'re is yet, ii) fact, a very essential distinction arising from the different character of llieir populations; while the proportion of paupers or very indigent poor is exfemely small in America, owing to circumstances to which I shall shortly advert; in England they are nearly one-third ; it is obvious, therefore, that had it not been for an Es- tablishment, supposing that the voluntary system had proceeded with us in the same ratio that it has iii the United States, our reli- gious deficiencies would have been probably near that one-third mure than at present ; but if we only take the increased reli* ^ious destitution at one-fifth^ that would give in Nottingham for. instance, one Church to every 2,500 persons, instead of, as at pre* sent, one to every 2,000 ; or to reverse the picture, had Philadelphia a mixed population like that of Eng'-^nd, instead of having one place nf worship to about 2,400, and one Minister to 1,180, a supply, methinks; meagre enough ! it would afford only one Church to 3,OOiO individuals, and one Minister to 1,700 ; which supposing, what is no wise probable, that on an average these Churches as being in cities, and thereforer large, would hold 700 each, still that would leave three-fourths of the inhabitants destitute ! while the utmost destitution of which Mr. Ryersoi^ complains in England is onc-ffth ! Such would be the effect of the vo- luntary system even in the land ot its glory, were it in the situation o/ old, manufacturing and populous countries. May it be saved from thfir weakness of voluntaryism long ere that day shall arrive ! But I am rea- dy to admit, and to lament the local deficiencies, which, notwithstanding the abundance of the average supply, are found in certain of our largd towns ; and yet, after all, as I have before intimated, it is rather an ap> parent than a real deticiency; for if unhappily a certain class of the people cannot be persuaded to attend, it were useless to erect ChurcheS' for them till they are imbued with better feelings ; and that such is the case, your correspondent's own quotation from the Rev. Hugh Stowell amply proves, where he says, "The truth is, that the multitude of our labouring classes, and our poor have become so utterly estranged from all reve' jncc for the Sabbath, and all inclination for the sanctuary, that the mere contiguity of the ordinances of religion, would affect them but feebly ; they will not of their own accord come to the Gospel ;" — hence H, would seem that it is rather religion than churches that is needed ; and again be it remembered, that the largest proportion oi this utter con- tempt of religion and its ordinances, is found amongst a class of the com- 56 inunity of whom, ia the naturo of things, a new country can know liitt^ ornothing. But even for that want of Ministers and Churches, which is undoubtedly felt in a degree in many of our largo towns, let not the Establishment be blamed ; these towns have grown to their present size within a very few years, during which time there has been every effort made to cripple the Establishment, how then could she bo expected to meet, as they ought to be met, the increasing demands upon her parent' al. care ? Yet in 1828, if I mistake not, a law was passed for the erection i'.i England ami Wales of 213 new (.'liurches and Chapels, at an aver- age cost of JE 15,835 each ; in 1832 a grant was made for 78 new Churches, and for 58 in 1833; so that notwithstanding the frantic ef. forts of infidelity, democracy, and low dissent, in unhallowed combina- tion, to overthrow the Church of England, all reckless, or a portion even triumphing in the thought, that by so doing they peril all the holy things not only of England, but of Christendom, nay, of the world itself, not- withstanding, I say, this wicked combination, yet has the venerable Es- tablishment extended wider and wi'ier *ho wings of her protection.* Al- low me then to ask, Sir, whether every fresh light in which we view the working of the Church of England as an Establishment, does not in- preasingly prove the deep guilt of those furious attempts which are ma- king to overthrow and destroy her, and whether the vehement efforts to prevent her eRtablisimient either here or in any other place where her fj.rst'born, the- British Constitution, holds the Sceptre of Government, are not likely to be most fatal to the real, moral, and civil interests of the country, and verily to call down the judgments of Heaven upon us as a people alike neglecting the national homage due to Jehovah, and that due care for the souls of the people, which is incumbent on all rulers? The bold and self-opinionated manner in which Mr. Ryerson intro- duces his remarks on the operation of the voluntary system upon the Episcopal Church in the United States, is revolting. — " This is indeed, (he says) a matter of minor importance, it ought not to be even a matter of grave inquiry by an enlightened and impartial Government," (he pru- dently says nothing about Christian Governments,) *' whether its sub- jects are Episcopalians, Presbyterians, CongrCgationalists, Baptists, or Methodists, &c." (he should have added, of course, Socinians, Jews, or Turks!) <* much less ought it, (he continues) to be a matter of patronage and legislation to elevate or depress, or interfere with any branch of the Christian Church, in the race of benevolent emulation and religious en- terprise." This, in a Christian land, from a Christian Minister, with the Bible in his hand ! But happily the Rev. Egerton Ryerson is not the man, neither will wisdom die with him ; and his dictum to the con- • The Wealcyan Methodist Magazine for April 1834, alluding to these efforts of the Establishment thus speaks : — '• So clearly was the insufficiency of the vohrnturi/ system proved, that the Legislature was culled iipott to interfere, and in the space of ten years more was done in building new Phioca of Worship under the Church Commision, than had been previously eflfected under the voluntary system in half a century t" If wealthy England had to call for State assistance to erect its Church- is, vkat is to become of poor Ctaada if bfl to the voluntary system ? - ^i 51 trary notwithstanding, some of us may yet venture to believe in common with thousands of the wise, and the holy, and the inspired^ that Christian Rulers are bound to act as Christians, and to use all their influence, personal, acquired, or official, in order to be nursing fathers and mo> thers, in every instance, and by every possible method, to the Church ol Christ ; and that, not actuated by a spurious liberality, which opening its arms to all, betrays a false-hearted sceptiscism ; but, while imbued with the charity that '' hopeth all things," to manifest a zeul according to knowledge, and " proving all things, holds fast onlif that which is. good;" (i. e. which they consider best ;) no righteously honest Ruler can go further, where the essentials of true religion are involved ; and where is it that they arc not more or less involved? With respect to his obiisrvations on the state of the Protestant Epis* copal Church, I have only to remark, that though I doubt not its rising prosperity, still viewing it as I do, as one of the principal bulwarks of sound orthodox Christianity, I can say little in its present circumstap;* ces but what is calculated to cause increased dissatisfaction with volun- taryism, as a national si/stem^ and disgust at the government that upholds it as such. The Rev. Mr. Boyle, of Boston, a distinguished Clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, states the number of its present Ministers to be only sixteen Bishops, and six hundred and forty. eight other Clergymen ; which at the large average of 700 hearers to one Miiiister, gives a total of about 450,000 ; while Roman Catholicism boasts, in these same States, 800,000 members, under the care of 1 Archbishop, 11 Bishops, and 350 Priests ; and the Unitarians and simi. lar heresies number at the lowest calculation 1,300 Ministers, whiqh at an average of only 500 hearers to each, makes the alarming amount of 650,000 adherents to those heretical teachers. Would the Protestant Episcopal Church have made such a melancholy and meagre figure be- side Popery and semi. Infidelity, had it been nurtured by the fostering care of the State ? The Protestant Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, who will be considered an authority on this subject, thus writes in 1834 : — <' But that our Church is half as influential as it might be un^er other circumstances^ or that the Ministers of Religion of any Sect, who act among the better conditioned part of our population, experience the respect, and have the authority necessary to the effect of their ofRce, is not to be asserted !"* Are not these facts, instead of being cause of ex- ultation, as your correspondent seems to think, sufficient to prove the ab* solute necessity of State patronage and support to those Churches whose doctrines are the most scriptural and pure; as is still true that "the world will only love its own ?" And the truth is, that the very purity of * The following remarks by the Editor of the (Wesleyan) Loi^dori •♦ Waichnian,'* in October, 1837, anticipate eimilar evils to ♦hose to which the Right Heverend Prelate refers, he says: — '*Let the principle of an Established Church once gu% and we shall soort nee an end put to those retigwus de'^^-ncies, which invest miigislorial qji- llhority with an additional claim to reverence ir tho eyes of the people. This is na «urtnise of ours, but the assertion of what is verified by a recent fact which has ta> kpn place at both." 5d ihe doctrines of the Prolcstunt Episcopal Cliurcli, especially in ma((er« of civil government, is what keeps it down. But let us follow out a little more generally, the facts adduced above. h seems that the Papal and rngular Heterodox Churches in the Unifed Stales comprise at a low estimate about 1,450,000 souls, which is one- ninth of the entire population : in England and Wales, on the other hand, the same Churches, at a liberal calculation, do not amount to 600,000, or one-tiDcrtti/ third of ihe entire population, not greatly more than one-third the proportion in the States ; were the calculation accu. rately made, probably not a third ! Such is again the comparative result of the working of the volur. .nry and establishment principles. Must not every enlightened lover of our Zion then cry "all hail" to the latter princi- ple? Let these "facts" also be my answer to your correspondent's sneer, {lover of Britain as he is!) at the moral and intellectual condition of the " masses" in good " old christian England ;" let him *' look at this pic- ture, and then at that." I had intended not to advert to the subject of Education, as whatever he and the State of New York may think, "good old christian England" has ever been foolish enough to suppose that religious instruction was incomparably more important than mere intellectual cultivation, and has acted according ; but the preceding allusion having brought it before us, I will just remark that the two subjects, namely, an Established Church and the Endowment of Common Schools, being no way necessarily con- nected, I cannot but feel as though ho had introduced the subject of Education for the mere sake of effect, and in order to create a feeling of disgust in the minds of tho inhabitants of this Province against the English Church, though with a most reprehensible disi'egard of the justice of the ground on which he did so. I regret, perhaps as deeply as Mr, Ryerson, that there is not more Legislative provision for Com- mon School Education, in this Province ; but Heaven forbid that the' Church of Christ should ever be spoiled of her possessions, for what would then become, so unholy a purpose. But, Sir, though I seek bre. vity, permit me a statement or two, as I imagine that the state of Bri- tish Education is from being as bad as Mr. Ryerson's partial re- port would indicate. 1 have lived for many years in our manufacturing Districts at Home, and for some years in London, and have had consid- erable intercouse with our poorer classes of society, and very rarely in- deed did I find an individual that could not read, scarcely one amongst ihe young; and I know not that I ever met with any one who had not the opportunity of learning, if they wished to do so, and generally not only reading, but also writing and accounts. But hear Sir R. Phillips, an author on this subject, perhaps equal to any Parliamentary Commit- tees. " In 1828, 487 Parishes in England contained 3,260 unendowed Schools, educating 105,571 children. These 487 being a 21st part of the whole number of parishes, it is inferred that there are from 65 to 70,000 unendowed Schools, educating above 2,300,000 children at 30 to a scliool- (About one fourth of the population are between five and fourteen years, making ^,25C ,000 children in England in 1831.) Stt»- 59 to to nd day Schools in 1628 educated above half a mtllion ; (now doubles abovt a million.) These and the Endowed Schools (4167) make vp w.arlv (now above) the whole juvenile population^' Of the above Schools 30,000, though not endowed, are aided by public or charitable funds. — " But for Education" saya Sir Richard, who, it may be observed, ia no great friend either to Britain's Church or State — *' But fur Education the distressing circumstances of the country, (England) since 1825 would have increased crime ten-fold." How much reliance then can be pla* cod on partial reports and prejudiced representations? Mr. Ryereon lauds at some length the connection in the United States of Educatioa with Religious Institutions ; I was fully aware, Sir, that that gentleman is peculiarly happy in his efforts to make the worse appear the better cause, but I confess 1 hardly expected to see the boasted Republic held forth as an example of the exptdiencu of connecting Religion with any thing secular ; 1 always understood that its evangelical government held religious principles too sacred to be allowed to influence them any where, save in the Church ! But to bo serious, where is the religion, where even the acknowledgment of Christianity in the conducting of the 9000 Common Schols which are supported hy the Legislature of New York ? In England, on the contrary, from the Universities down to the humblest National School you will find a regular recognition of revealed religion, and, if I mistake not, regular Divine Worship even in the Na* tional Day Schools : the legitimate and glorious results this of an Es- tablished Church ; and the same influence is felt throughout even the vast majority of private Educational Institutions. I know not that 1 was ever in either a Private, Boarding, or Day School where domestic Wor- ship was not regularly attended to; and the resident Pupils regularly taken to one stated Place of Worship with their Tutors. Such are the principles upon which Education is conducted in Christian England. Before I conclude this Letter i wish to advert to Mr. Ryerson's great unfairness ! 1. That in his comparisons between England and the United States, he seems carefully to keep out of view the different character of their popt^lations. Now if he really loved Britain, as a Bri, ton ought, and such he is, being born in a British Province, why does he carefully keep back "facts" that would redound to her honor, or serve as apologies for her delects ; while at the same time he certainly appears to throw into the fore ground of his picture, whatever is to the credit of our Republican neighbors. I hope I love impartially, and I hink these letturs have proved it, as sincerely as Mr. R., but I confesj I have no fellow feeling with the cold. hearted cosmopolite, as a son of Britain I wish to cherish the aflfections of a son for her. Does not your corres- pondent know, as before remarked, that owing to an abundance pf un- occupied land, and wood, and water, and to the comparative absence of extensive manufactures, perhrtps not more more than one-fifth of the American population are employed as manufacturing or agricultural la- boures, and that their destitute poor are a mere fraction ; such are the advantages of a new and agricultural country, which, though not advan* tageous to the acquiring of wealth, is most favorablQ to competence *, w 00 vrhila on the other hnnd, in England, the laboring, manufacturing, or deitituto ponr are upwards of one-hnlf the inhabitants. Now, when •peaking of our Religious or Educational provision, Mr. Rycr. son cert.iinly ought to have stated this uncqualityf and have made the large requisite deductions necessary to make his calculations fair to the Empire of which he is a subject ; — and how triumph, ant would it have made it appear. I have already shown that even without such consideration the "land of our fathers" and its Ecclesiastical Government may proudly challenge any and every comparison. 2. Again I complain of the want of fairness in not attributing whatever deficiencies may and do exist in our supply cf Churches and Ministers to the right cause- 1 can hardly conceive hovf so well-informed a writer, notwithstanding all his prejudices, could pes* sibly attribute, in common candor, thoso deficiencies as the legitimate results of an Established Church. Why, Sir, ho cannot but know, that whatever else he may charge such Hierarchies with, it cannot be with neglecting to supply the people under their charge with Ministers and Churches. Let him look at Spain, Portugal, Italy, or any other of the Papal Hierarchies ; do these Establishments lack either Priests or Churches ? Let him look at England prior to the Reformation, and then let him mourn over the dissipation of sacred wealth, which instead of being so, I fear, unrighteously alienated, should have been expended in holy uses, only through purer channels ; and thus will he in part disco- ver the secret of the partiality meflicient condition of the Protestant Hierarchy ; and then let him listen to that infuriate cry, raised at the in* stigation of most unhallowed agitators " raze her, raze her to the ground !" and he will no longer be at a loss where to lay the sin of what- ever degree of inefHciency may attach to her, if he be only willing to charge it aright. I hope next week to be able to conclude this lengthened series of let- ters with some general remarks upon the unrighteousness of appropria. ling the Clergy Reserves to Education, or to any other use than that of a direct support of the Christian Church and its ordinances, I have the honor to remain, Sir, Your obedient Servant, April 92nd, 18S9. AN ANGLO-CANADIAN, 61 LGTTGR IX, TO THE HON. W. 11. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. &c. dtc. Contrast between ITis Excellency and Mr. Rycr»on— Extroct from His Excel. lency's apeech— Exlratls 'Vom Mr. R.— Strictures on— Duty of a L<>gii>lator Reasons against appropriutir.'j Reserves to EUication— from necessity of Religious Instruction — duty of Rulers tu provide for it — tho sustaining of Law depends on it— No govornmci t stable unless connected with tho Church — such appropriation would sanction infiJelity — Education without Religion, a curse — such principles stab Religion— injurious cfToct at Home of giving up an Establishment here — Destitution of this country forbids such appropriation— Extract from Rev. R. AI. der. Sir, With Mr. Ryerson's Tenth Letter or Appendix, I do not intend to interfere, further than a very few remarks ; I dare not trust myself to expose its most unconstitutional tenor, and unministerial vituperation, as I fear that were I to do so, my deep regret that the Reverend writer should have so far forgotten iiimself, and that the columns of the Chris< tian Guardian should have been so prostituted, would betray nie into expressions which I might afterwards regret, and as stated in my last, I wish to enter upon a consideration of the evil of an educational appro- priation of the Clergy Reserves, I must, however, crave your patience, while I make one or two observations upon it. The remarks of flis Excellency Sir George Arthur, respecting the disposition of the Reserves, call forth in that letter the most violent language ; but, Sir, notwithstanding your Correspondent's very impro- per effort to attribute unworthy motives and intellectual incapacity to His Excellency, let any unprejudiced man contrast that document of a Christian (invernor with certain passages in this letter of a Christian Minister, His Excellency says : — •• 1 he strongly excited feolings to which the long agitated cfaestion of the Clcr- gy Reserves has given rise in this Province, have sensibly impaired that social harmony which may be classed among the first of national blessings and have augmented the hopes of the enemies of the country in proportion as they have created divisions amongst its defenders. It is painful to reflect that a provision piously and munificently set apart for the maintenance of religious worship should have become the cause of discord, among professors of the same faith, and 6cr< vantsof the same Divine Master ; and 1 (eel that, on every account, the settle- ment of this vitally important question ought not to be longer delayed : I, there, fore, earnestly exhort you to consider how this desirable object may bo attained ; and I confidently hope that if the claims of contending patties be advanced, as I trust they will in a spirit of moderation and Christian charity, tlio adjust ment of them by you will not prove insuperably diflF.cult. But should all your efforts for the purpose unhappily fail, it will then only remain for you to re invest these He- serves in the hands of the Crown, and to refer the appropriation of them ^o the Imperial Parliament, as a tribuQal free from those local influences and excitements (it Nf hlch inaj operat* loo po'.v«rralljr hert. My arJ«nt deali* ii, that, keeplngf ia Tiew aiclofvly as you can tho true ipirit of tlio object for which these lanla wore originally set apart, thin oinbiirr&Meing question may he Mettlud on equitablo prinri- plea, in a manner satiifactory to the cotrmunity lit largo, mil conducive to tho diffutionol religion una true piety throu ;houi the Province." Such is tho mild, dignified, pious, and evidently sincere language of the *' Constiluled Authority." Now, Sir, your Correspondent " — and iHo Queen (snys he) i« known to have personally (except by the sanction of her nnnipj liulo more to do with State afl'iiirs, than any other young lady of 19 years of age.*'— -Such is his method of increasing the respectful loyally of Her Majesty's Canadhin subjects ; respecting the correctness of the state- ment, I say nothing, let those who can believe it.* Again Mr. R. thus speaks of His Excellency — "yet the recommendation of Sir George Artiiur flatly contradicts tho maxim of Lord Glenelg — a fact that irre- sistibly forces upon tis tho conviction that, whatever may bo the cxcel- lont virtues of Sir George Arthur's head and heart, and whatever may have been his intentions and proclamations, he is not a slntesman^ nor does he recognize tke principles of, and therefore is not n friend to civil and religious libertt/.'* Such is this Reverend Gentleman's compliance with the scriptural injunction " not to speak evil of dignitaries." Agaiii he then writes : — •* To designate and treat an unchanging and overwhelming decision of tho Pro. Tince through all the conflicts and variutions of party, for fifteen years, as mere " local influonces and excitement," is an insult such as was novcr before inflicted upon the inhabitants of Upper Canada from the 3ame quarter, and shows that how highly soever. Sir George Arthur nu'.y rate their loyalty, ho has a very low opinion of thoir uoderstandiog, and very little regard for their sontitneuts and wishes." This, then, is Mr. Ryerson's way of tenching the people to love and reverence those *' Governors that are sent out by tho Queen, as su- preme,'* Once more he writes thus: •' And yet again we are told that our only hope for the future is our own ability to repel and punish hostile aggression, and that the militia laws are to be revised la order to raioe the largest possible force at the least possible expense ; yet with the prospect of again needing the country's services, and perhaps some of it? best blood to defend tho Govcrn.nont, tho head of thoGovornment tells tho people's re- presentaiivcs that they are to pay no regard to the country's prevailing opinions and feelings. Tho intelligence and loyalty of tho country are eulogized when the Governrnt-nt and its ofiicers apprehend danger, and are alarmed for their places; proclamations of large promises are officially issued and distributed throughout the Province ; but, as ia the days of Charles I., the moment that danger is past and fears are allayed, the mountain promises bring loith a single paragraph of a * Since tho above was written, a loiter from Mr. Stevenson, the American Mi- nister atthe Hrilish Court, which gives a very pleasing description of Her Majesty, has been going the rounds of tlio papers ; the following extract from which will ■how how far the above rf*^ec«A/Z and %«/ insinuation of the Rev. Writer wae correct. Mr. Stevenson says, she "devotes herself to business till 2," and then adds, •« her attention tol>usiness is such, that I unde.^stand, if a despatch comes while 6he is at dinner, she cfrmmon/y rises and attends to it. She has a torn and capacity for bnrineas, and will, as she advances, doubtlcBS take even a deeper inte. r*»t h) affiiirs of fftate than the does at present." 63 «peeoh which prbpoioii to filch (Vom the eountrj lh« «)iipoul of on* (MVAnih of tho fruila of iU industry and loyalty. 'I he moment this rocomnionded act of ■pnliutinn and robbery Pf^ainst the Province ii committed— committed under vice rei;al dictation on tho onr hanJ, and logiHlativo HubHerviency on the other ; that niomont the inhabitantH will Know thoir future doom ; that tho eix-iteTenlhB mojufi* ty iiro toho RiibHorvient to tho ono-iteV(Mith minority; thnt ex«'outivo intimidaiinn, cleric'il pntr()na|;[c nnd political bribery arc to bo the order of tite day ; that the reHourcoH uf thu country are to bo absorbRd in the payment nf debt* and the en. riuhmont and elevation of certain faiiMli«>8 and partioii ; that tho coiiniry is to Htu|;gnr on under tho weight nf acc\imulatod debt and internal weaknoan, with no other hopo or prospect than incrensed oxpcntte to England progrodnivo diminution in credit, in trade, in tho value ot property, and in the onjoymont of public safety and aocial happiness—" as an oak wliose :Qaf fiulcih, and as n (rarden that hath DO water.-' Should tho rash the suioidul rucninmondation of His Kxccllenry be adopted by tho legislature, how van any nicnibor nf tho Assembly ever look hia constituents in the face 7 With what face can the GoTornmnnt cvor call upon the inhabitants to turn out in its defence ? With what kind of a roRponae will such a call be likely to meet, if we may judge from whut occurred last November in com-' parison of the occurrences of tho preceding December 7 Will rot nine.tenlhsof tho country feci themselves justified and authorized (by the lauded facts of British history, and by the best theological and political standnrd writers) in refusing \o. lift a hand in support of the local exocutivo until tho Imperial Government shalt have restored their pillaate life» bndyet be a good prince.*' The very instructions to parents '' to train up their children in the way they should go," when taken in connection with the parental anpsilatintis, and characteristics given by inspiration to kings and governors, strongly intimates the obligation that rest upon tliem to do lik»'wisn. liut how arc rulers to fulfil these sacied duties^ but by using their official influence and executive authority, in tl»e sup- port of un orihudux cUurcli, and pure ministry? Could Mr. Ryerson tlirreforc prove, \vh;it he has so vigorously allem])ted, that every cc clesiastiral establishment had hitherto proved a curse rather than a Lh.'ssnii, which, thanks be to Gi»d, neither be nor any other man ever did or ever can |>rove, yet would it avail little as an argument for alien- ating the Reserves ; for so long as scripture and reason directly, or by evident inference declare it to be tlie duty of Christian rulers to pro- vide for the religious instruction of the people committed to their care, they are imperatively bound to do so, let the apparent results, at tho time, be what they may ; — obedience belongs to man, consequences to God. 2. Another of the arguments for an established church which has not been advanced in the preceding letters is, that Christian gov. ernments profess to base their legislation on Christian principles, and do most certainly seek the sanctions ol revealed truth to give weight to their laws, and terror to their penalties. In the common matter of giving evidence op oath, for instance, why is the evidence of an avowed unbeliever refused but because it is supposed, that rejectins Christiani- ty, the oath which is founded upon it will have no moral hold on him. — The pains and penalties for drunkenness, swearing, and blasphemy, are obviously entirely founded on the same princi|)les, that we are to be governed by revealed religion.* Even the punishment of death, itself, is supposed to gather its most fearful terrors from the awful reali- ti' ^ of thai eternity which is brought to light by the Gospel. Now Sir is L not a solecism in legislation thus to acknowledVhom they feel themselves indebted fer their acquaintance with their religous creed and the knowledge of their future hopes, and to whom ihey feel themselves bound by that most endearing tie, a community of faith. Sir, men may theorise as they will, but no government whose superstructure is not raised on this foundation will long stand ; no other bend over was, or ever will be, sufliciently strong to bind the various elements vi' society together. Let the voice of History teach us wis- dom. Compare the ditlerent quietude and stability of even papal to infidel France. Look at England during its seven or eight ages of corn- rtiunity of faith, faulty and degraded as that faith frequently was, and compare its comparative tranquility during those ages with its tempos. (Uous tossings during the hundred and fifty or sixty years that succeeded, till the nation again found peace in the settled establishment of the Pro- testant Church ofFiUgland ; contrast also that refreshing loyalty which resulted from a general and ardent attachment to the Church in the days of Queen Ann, when after the release of Sacheverel, as Belsham, a violent whig, writes, "These rejoicings were succeeded by numerous addresses expressive of a zealous attachment to the Church, and an utter destation of ail anti. monarchical and republican principles." Let these sound, safe, and conservative feelings be contrasted with the pro- ceedings of the torch-light chariists — the O'Conneli destroyers of pro. testantisrn, and the smooth tongued Durham revolutionists, — so smooth, fio insiduius and so flattering that one is ready to fear the very elect will bo deceived ; — look at these things and say what have wo gained by shaking the connection of church and state, by patronizing instead of tolerating dissent and by the courtly sanction of a rabid hostility to the venerable establishment. What have we gained? Why confusion, and trembling, and infidelity and riot, if not eventually ruin ! Again, look at the neighbouring republic, and who does not see that it must come to pieces ? What lie upon earth is their to hold it together? — Their religion is all sectarian, and therefore a matter rather of disunioA than union to the mass of the people ; they have no acknowledged gradations of society, therefore the scriptural injunctions of submission to masters, rulers, &c., are lost upon them ; and I'lO government be- ing altogether unsupj)orted by immediate religious sanction is unconnec» tod with their best and holiest feelings, and their strongest prejudices ; a people thus politically free from all religious restraints, must sooner or later, fall a sacrifice to the ungovernable fury of democratic pride. — Again therefore I fearlessly assert, that all experience, all Christianity, and all sound philosophy prove that no government can be permanently secure and prosperous without being directly sanctioned by religion, and intimately connected with its mstitutions. 2. Another weighty objection against such a mal-appropiiation of the Reserves is^ that it would give a very irapioper currency to the mfidef r «7 niiy, ntly fiottOD, already too rife, that General Education ii as importiint, if not oiore so, as religious instruction. I confess I cannot see how any one, much less a christian minister, can sanction an error jo derogatory as this to the Gospel of Christ. Education, unaccompanied hy religious principles, is only CHlculiited to ni'ike devils of men. And if the Re- s«rves were to be given to education it would have to be without any important reli^ous guards of conditions ; as were it otherwise* iitilo or nothing would be gained even in [)eacf', by iho costly and unhallowed sacrifice, for th(^n would war bo immediately pio»;laimed, as to how ma- ny or how few of these religious restraints were to be placed upon edu- cation, and the contest would end, like the ever-to-be-blushed for Irish Education Bill, in a ruinous amalgamation of Popp, Infidel and Church- man, worse, a thousand times, tljan tiie present open strife. Or were it to be divided amongst all denominations for education, about the same amount of evil would he done, our Government thereby bccurains: llie avowed patroniser and foster parent of every imaginable form of low pretension, and open heresy, while our youth would, a large mijorily of them, be trained in error, if not in avowed scepticism ; for even your Correspondent must allow that in a world, fallen as ours is, error is much more general thia truth, and that men are far more apt to follow evil than s[0'j>i, unless there be sone strong counteracting influence. Of the valuH of education I am as fidly convinc?d as any man ought to he, but I must confess that so far from believing it a substitute for reliiiiiin, I do and must belief that without the inlluence of Christian principio, intellectual acquirements are only calculated to make their possessors tyrants in their families, rogues in commerce, rebels in poli- tics, and intideis in religion, in a word — it leaves them monsters whero it found them men ! And is it then for this that our legislators and even our ministers are ready to insult the Gospel of Christ by practically ad- mitting its inferiority, and for which they are content to retard its pro- gress hv r? violent alienation of these Reserves so piously set apart for its support by that Christian King, and " nursing father" of the Church; Georgo the Third. Much 1 fear me that the fathers are setting the " children's teeth on edge," and treasuring up for themselves filial cur- ses, deep and bitter, in that Day when their children will be judged pol b}' tlie measure of their intellect, but the purity of their minds. — Will it be believed, Sir, in that time which, despite of these unhallowed proceedings will sooner or later arrive, when all shall love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, that in the middle of the nineteenth century professing Christians deliberately, and with the Bible in thtir hands and Ciirist on their lips, preferred to secure for their childien, whose brows wer?^ yet moistened with the water that solemnly dedicated 'iiein to God, the heritage of a literary education, content to leave their instruction in tho sacred duties they owed to God — on the due performance of which their eternal happiness depended — to the uncertain voluntary provision of our ungodly world. One such fact, seems to me, a more mortal stab to the cause of Christ than it was ever in the power of Voltaire of Rous- feaa to ^ive; is it not crucifying the Redeemer in the house of hit 68 T friends. Moit sincerely do I pray ^' Lord lay not this sin to their charge." 3. Results the most important frequently spring from apparently tri- fling causes, and insignificant as our internal provincial affairs may at first sight appear, in rofurence to the parent state, siiil I am afraid of tho coi Rfjqt'onces at Home siiouid the p'inciple of an ecclesiastical eslah- lishmeni bo sacrificed hmc. England has alrendy felt the effects of false colomnl policy; — to tho Republicanism of the United States may be traced niucii; not only, of British, but even of Europoan troubles in general. The " rnovt-mpnt pu«(;'"at Homo know full well how to avail ihomselves of uuv j- i.^t-iken hiMSurns in colonial policy, I cannot but think that at tho present momeni fvo-y sound Chrisiian and ♦ruo Eiiton may learn a most in)porl;)ni lesson jVoni the Earl of Durhaui's Report, tin; partl;ility of which is perhaps unrivaii< il *n the history even of diplomacj' itself; let it not be imagined however liial a production so labored, so clever, and so insiduous was written for Canadians only or even princip.dly ; oh no! His Lordship is moved by higher aims and nobhr expectations; — it is well known that he is looked upon as the leader of the movement party at Home. It is net for nought therefore he seeks every opportunity of applauding the Reformers, while he has steadily frowi.s upon every betrayer of British feelings. It is not for nought that the neighbouring republic is so incessantly the theme of his ardent admiration and her citizens the subjects of his smiles — it is not for naught that the Catholic priesthood and the dissenting ministiy are pronounced as " blessed, while the Clerg_, of the English Church are re- presented as few, dishonored and useless — yes, well does the ex- High Commissioner know how his *' sayings and doings" will gratify the de- mocratic dissenters and infidels at Home ! — well has he calculated that if he can induce the Imperial Government to give up the principle of an established church here, it wiil bo a mighty step towards the pros- tration of the Established Church in Briluin, full well does he know that once left to stand merely upon the grounds oi expediincm "ihe spirit of the age" — '* the march of intellect" — "the relicks of supersti^ tion" — "equal religious privileges" — " dominant Church oppression" — ** the priest ridden poor" &c. &c. will serve as sufficient moitos for the O'Connels, the Durhams, and Humes, and Molesworths, to urge her entire overthrow. Sir, I would not fear that the "gates of hell" would ever prevail against the Church, but where shall we look for succour when her own sons, ministerial and legislative, assail her foundations ? Why, Sir, the blast of the Lord shall wither them, and a people holier than tiiey shall man the walls of our Zion ! 4. But, Sir, there is yet another reason why I mourn over such a rutlu lessspoliaiion of the Church of Christ; it is that our numerous town- ships and destitute thousands have not yet heard the Gospel. Here, Sir, I need enter into no particulars, it is too well known to be contra- dicted, that very many townships are not even gladdened with the face of an ambassador of the Gospel of peace; how can we possibly expect It to be otherwise than poor and irreligious, and therefore unable, or not 69 willing, to maintain a n.inistry for tlinmselves ; and long will it be fear, before missionary efforts will fully do it. And can it be right t the Iher >uld uir licr ith. 'n- |re, |ra- ice I o - .0 take away that provision that is already made for their instruction in righteousness, and leave thorn to be provided for by a mere precarious cliririiy'^ Shame! sliiune ! upon the men who can thus defraud the souls of their brethren. Blood ! blood is in danger of being upon the skins of tlu'ir garments ! Tlie very want of the associating influenco of on pstaliiislmjent would prevent their Ix.'ing able in thinly iiduibited townsliip^: to support a minist'T. Hear the Kev. Robert Alder, a djs- tinguishevl \Vesieyan Miniatiu", and one of the General Secretaries of the Wesley ill Missionary Society in London, who referring to some place in the bi ii'^s, in 1835 writes thus: — *• I fi«und there it, m this as in many oiiior places in the United Stales, in con. sequence ofind ffereu • ari;1 tliu infliK-nce of Hcctarinn foelins;, anJ nthur causes, no < hristiaii minister se'.ile ' amongst ihem. This it* one of the evils fjrowin"' out of their nalionni laws and iuatilutionf:, which make no provision fir the religious instruct ion df the pfioph), who in many cases make none for themselves on account of lii»'diff.'rence of scutiineiit w];!' h prevails amongst Ihein on religious subjects. 'I his difi'erencf, though it i.ften exists in reference to things non essential (as, for instance, i if;> 'it h:iptism, or the peculiarities of Calvinism) prevents them fVom uniting in tho choice of a minister, and because they cannot find one to please all. they remain without any ; or if they do engage a preacher for a short time, thev seldom agree long. Hence, if you ask •' Have you Divine Service today?'* •' No," is tho reply ; we had a man hired for a few months, but ho has led us. I guess, however, we shall soon have another." 'J'his is an evil and a source of evil to indiviilu;ils and communities. 'I'he Sabba'h is neglected ami God is for- gotten. In order to form a correct estimate of the working of their system, it is necessary to visit their small and remote settlements, and also the recently oc. cupied districts in the L'tate of Ohio Illinois, Alabama, and the .Michigan Ter. ritory, where there are thousands and tens of thousands who have neither Chris, tian in^t notion nor C\ risti in ordinances. I confess these things have rsado a strong impression on my mind in favor of the }■ cclesiastical ICstabiishment of our own country. It secures a place of worship, at least, in every pari.sh, the regular reading of the scriptures in the hearing of tiie people, and the decent and due ob. seivanco of public devotion. This is a testimony for Gcd. — [Seo Wesleyan .\ietho. dist Magazine for 18J5.] I must crave your indulgence to another brief concluding letter. I have the honor to remain, Sir, your obedient Servant, AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. ' April 27tb, 1839. tot 70 ■ L, E T T £ R X. TO THE HON. W. H. DRAPER, M. P. P. &c. &c. &c. Th« Writer's painful feelings ; Voluntaryism in the United Statf s ; testimony of Americans on the subject ; even Americans not unitoJ on tliis subject ; flourishing state ot'Socinianism in the United irtatcs ; Voluntaryi.sm Joes not even begot mercy, witness American Slavery •, Voluntary System in England— tosiimony ofDissentori to its inefficiency ; Writer's views of that sysi em ; llemai ks respecting Wes'.oyans i •ztracts from Mr. Wo^Iey— showing his opinions anJ remarks upon — testimonies of Wesleyan Ministers; appeal to Wciicyani ; Writer's apology lor these Letters. Sib, I would that it were in my power to convey to you ond your Le. gislative compeers, something of that intense anxiety that pervades my own, respectmg the subject to which these Loiters have referred, and which has increased ten-fold, as I have written, and read, luid thought upon the matter ; I have found the Canadas much more than I expected when 1 left the "land of my fulliers." 1 have formed my dearest con- nections here, and I have felt proud in calMng Canada my home, but I begin to feel as though it were about to be rubbed of its dearest privi- leges, and ail connected with it left, as the Ostrich leaveth her eggs in the desert to perish, unheeded, beneath the foot of the spoiler. A fear- ful moral darkness seems creeping over the land, and already I could imagine thai an indignant God had written ^'Ichabod" upon this fair *' land of promise," which I had once hoped might have proved a '* city of refuge" — a Pella to thousands when he shaketh the nations as trees in autumn. But shall it indeed be said uf us, " the glory is departed?" Shall our Province verily become the seat of the Infidel scorner, or the arena of baited sectarian strife ? O, Sir, I cannot but hope that the Head of the Church, the Almighty Friend of Britain, has not yet cast us off, but that the Church will yet out-ride the storm, and rising in all its ma. jestic beauty, be at once the ornament, safe-guard and blessing of our infant kingdom. If in righteous severity Jehovah nas otherwise decreed then in hopeless sorrow I feel ready, trusting to the guidance of a Gra- cious Providence, to bend my steps to seek some other land, if such may be found, whose princes cherish, and whose people rejoice in, the worship of the Lord Almighty, and Church and State, are one in Christ ! liCt these honest feelings of my soul be my apology for a few further statements respecting Religion in the neighboring States ; some addi* tional remarks on voluntaryism ; and a few observations to Wesleyan Methodists. With regard to the United States I wish to show, from the testimony of hor own children how the voluntary system works ther*? as a national plan, even after having been aided by establishments in the first instance. jDr. Dwight, an Ametican Presbyterian Minister, says that where Prea- hyterian Ministers were supported by law in the States, they wero as 71 one to every 1364 inhabitants; while in those States where their sup' port was voluntary, they were only as one to every 19,300 ! Again he says, "a sober man, who knows the United Slates, can hardly hesi- tate, whatever may have been his original opinion concerning this sub* jecl, t'» believo that a Le«jisiniiire is bound to establish the public wor- ship of God." Whose testimony shall wc receive, Dr. Dvvight, an Acnerican, opposing tho prtjiulices of his own j)eople, from his own knowledf^e and exlen^^ive tiavels amoog them ; or Mr. Ryerson, a Ca- nadian, who has seen only a few of their populous cMies, and has an ob. ject to gain by his representations.' The Kev. T. Mills, American In. dependent, writes respecting the West, that were the Presbyterian and Congregational Mmislers ** equally distributed throughout the country, there would be only one to 10,000 people ; but now there are districts of country containing from 20 to 50,000 inhabitants, entirely destitute ; — while with respect to the Protestant Episcopal Church in the same dis- trict, the Bishop of Ohio states, *' among all the million of Ohio, there ore at present only thirty Episcopal Clergymen ; in Michigan only five; in Indiana and Illinois there is but one!" The American Tract So. ciety Report of 1833, says, *' It is estimated by those who have the best means of judging, that not far from five millions of our population are now unblessed with the means of grace!!" What becomes of your correspondent's, boasting representuttons of their ample svpplyl Bishop Doane, an American Prelate, thus writes, in 1834, on the necessity of Establishments, on accountof their moral influence: — "On the contrary it is nianii'est, that as a body, the Christian Ministry in this country (America) have very little of that proper moral influence which the pa- tronage and countenance of civil government, cannot but give in aid of the best possible character and intentions of the ministry. In short, we want strength amidst all our show of popularity; nor do I believe that our own ministry, or any other (in America) is half as useful and ho« nored as it would have been if the Constitution of our Government, after the Independence of the States was gained, had incorporated with ita provisions some requisitions by which every one, not by profession a Jew or Turk, should be made to contribute to the maintenance of Chris- tian Institutions of worship and instruction." These are the convictions of a Prelate speaking from sad experience not from theory, nor is he alone; ask the late Dr. Dwighi's ministerial pupils, many of whom are Con- gregationalists ; ask the Rev. Mr. Nettleton — look to all the Reformed Presbyterian Churches. *' These Christians are all Church Establish- ment men." What then becomes of Mr. Ryerson's representations af the anti'establishment unanimitij of our neighbors? Dr. Dealtry, of Winchester, states that **so scanty is the support commonly afforded to Ministers, that one-third of the Churches actually in existence appear to be unsupplied." And Dr. Dwight says, "a vo- luntary contribution, except in large towns, is as uncertain as the wind and a chameleon only," (who can change to please the whims of his people) *'can expect to derive a permanent support from this source.** if such be some of the results of a national voluntary system in the com- w^ n T t)ftrativeiy oiti uiid ricli States, what would it be, both spirituufly and( temporally, in these unodunntcd nnd poor Colonies?* - The first *'Ci)urch of the ►Sociniiins" was planted at Portsmouth, Uni- ted States, long after they were free from llio tyrannical yoke of estab- lishment protected Britain, and well have they flaunshed since ; not on- ly in their proper distmciivo «'harii('t«r its scpa a e Cmirclnfs, hut pm liiu: in a happy count ry^ whire Ihe true R/ligiuu has got the impnmutur of thi: State — hare^ lohtre my lot is castj a Synasogiie of Salon uundtl jutore are no obstructions to the progress of knowledge an I truth, tho spread of liberal doctrines has exceeded our most banguine expectations." — Ay, destroy the Establifhment, and the "rational'* christians will crown you as the welcome herald of a universal •cepticijm ! J1 ir neii- needs and pUnt sh true tl)C re- sed by lendor of the teac!i.- indling resa in a liost >ment. lore are Ictrines iment, Itversat 73 illis tnomont slave Status !* Good reason had lie h.inest Scoiclimau, when Mr. Thompson, tho well known Emancipationist, was oxpalia- ling upon Republican slavery (!) to cry out, " let us hoar something more about that country where there's no religious establishment !" Oh ! tSir, my soul sickens at the thought of leaving these fair and goodly Pro- vinces — a part of the Empire of Christian Britain — to the desolating of. lects of such a system. It is a question this, Sir, with which the cold- blooded, half infidel, tlieorists of the Durham School have no right to meddle ! With respect to the working of the voluntary system, in England, hear what Dissenters thenr.selves sny, in their own authorised organs ; "more than one-half" say they, "of tho (dissenting) Ministers who have a wife and four children cannot live upon their income ; and if they have no private property must run into debt." Again, so far from the system seeming to improve as it grows older, they say, that " it moy justly be questioned, if there be one congregation in seventy, where the support of Ministers is equal to what it was fifty years ago ; in the greater nura- ber of congregations Ministers with families could live then ; now they cannot !" Tho Home Missionary Magazine also laments, '* That per- sons should be so unaccountably backward in paying their pew rents by which means the Deacons of Churches often find difRculty in making up the very inadequate salary allowed to their pastors." — It adds, " this is a glaring and extensive evil in our Churches." *• In Wales, where dis- sent is sometimes represented as eminently flourishing," the British Ma« gazine for July, 1834, says, *' the greater part of Dissenting Ministers there are either actual farmers or tradesmen, and most of those who are not so employed, are assisted annnally from the dissenting fund in Lon. don." "Scotland tells a similar tale," but my limits forbid my reciting it ; let one quotation serve : — *' It is about 100 years ago," says Dr. Chalmers, " since the great dissent from the Church of Scotland com- menced; and in this land of toleration, these have been at perfect liber- ty to traverse tho whole length and breadth of that land. In a popula- tion of about half a million, the whole amount of the product arising from their exertions, the whole fruit of what has been called ** the voluntary principkj^^ has certainly iiot exceeded Churches wherein the stated Gaelic service rs performed. The Establishment has contributed 160 Churches to that people !" Such is a little specimen of the miserable inefficiency of the voluntary system even in Britain itself. Is it possible * " The author of • Men and Manners in America,' asserts, that during a whole half century of peace and leisure, the United States have dono nothing to ameliorate tho condition of the slave, and raise him to the dignity of a rational and responsible being. Some States, indeed, have given up slavery, but only where its continuance wa« injuriousto their interests. When Pennsylvania abandoned slavery, she sold her slaves to others. Maryland, and Virginia, and North Carolina, are now used aa Brcedi7>g -grounds (!) to supply this vast waste of life in tho above working Slates !! When will the United States sacrifice seventy millions sterling to emancipate their slaves, (upwards of 2,000,000) as Britain has done, to emancipate Iic/s?" — (Part II. p. 73.) 10 u ilierefure, lltut any inun whu Ima the upread uf truu rclii^iun really ht heart, and is possessed uf a sound mind, can roaliy dcsiru to 86e such a system national ? Yet let ii not be suppuued thut I am opposed to the volun- tary system as an auxiliary, far from it, as tlic man ofcandour who reads these letters must perceive ; it is to voluntart/ism as a national system that I object, believing it unchristian in principle — disgraceful in politics — and ruinious in religion. Permit me to quote a passage from Dr. Dcallry, which ha. my entire concurrence : — " V^oluntary liberality" suys the Dr., "is not only consistent with the form and nature of an estublisiitnent, but where there is an increasing population, is almost ne- cessary to meet the addition. ! wants of the country. The voluntary principle as opposed to establishments, wo leave to others. Voluntary liberality, in aid of establishments wo highly honor, and wish earnestly to promote." It is but just to observe, that from many of the objections which lie against voluntaryism as found amongst dissenters, VVesleyan Methodism, especially in England, from the peculiarity of its economy is greatly free. I have long been convinced that if any Church in the world can bring the voluntary system into successful operation, it is that uf the Wesleyan Methodists ; their astonishing success and high res. pectability prove the truth of this 8up|)Osition ; but yet they would not bd slow to acknowledge that they owe much of their financial success to their peculiar connection with the establishment ; and t< that general, though almost unseen influence which it has upon tl. ommunity at krge, and to which I have so often . eferred.* As your correspondent professes to be a Wesleyan minister, and his writings are chiefly designed for the VVesleyan Body, 1 beg to ofler u few observations to them. Being myself a Wesleyan Methodist and the • The following extracts ffom tho London '* Watchman," for 1837, a paper pub- liahod under the direct sanction of the fjritish Wesleyan Conference, show wiih suf- ficient distinctness tho views of that highly respectable and influential body on the question of voluntaryism as a national system, the Editor thus writes: — "Anew era, wo are told, has burst or mankind, through the intervention of ihe voluntary prin- ciple, it is not obscurely hinted, that all those glowing predictions of the millcnial age, so sweetly sung in Pope's Messiah , are on the eve of their accomplishment. We confess we are not so sanguine, but greatly fear the intervention first of those last days, when perilous times shall come, with all tho melancholy fruits of a selfish, boastful, fierce, heedy, high-minded, and perverse voluntaryism. The deification of the human will is as much the dn of our times, as that of reason was at the pe- riod of the French Revolution." Ho goes on—" Hence when we are told that thb compulsory system checks the full developement of tho voluntary principle, and that the holy zeal and activity displn.ycd by Churchmen, in building now Churches on that principle is a novelty, and tho unfledged oltspring of a new born zeal, we might bo led to infer that voluntary efforts were wholly alien to the nature of an tsiablishment. Nothing, however, is more contrary to fact than such a represen- tation.*' Again he concludes—*' The argument against the efficiency of the com> pulsory system from its past neglect, is on a par with the excuse urged on behalf of the admitted dcficiences of the exclusively voluntary cue, namely, that * the full strength of the voluntary sy^tem is not yet developed !" If this be true of the infan- cy of the one system, it applies with equal force to the suppressed energies of tho other, whether that result from uncorrected abudos within, or obstruction from irilhout. - . ■• ■ 75 .>» era, prin- ilcnial We iie last sltish, nation le pe- lt th6 >, and irchea Ll, we I of an iresen- Icom- jialfof le full mfan- ktho frosn ion of a VVe'tlcyan minister, alike loved for liii soun (loscril)Oi. Tlioy have neillior hecn 'neutial' nor 'iimcfivt-' ill the cnnsti of religion, moiMlity, social order, and tlio instiuaions of Uic counlry. Wlien ono of tlieir ministers a fow yenrs ngo, assumed tho chiiracter of an agitator nc.iinst tlio Establishment, and refused to abstain from muIi woik in ['\i\mt\ thrj/ founders of our societies were trained, and Mr. Wesley declares himself to have boon more confirmed in the doolnne of salva- tion by tailh, by reading tho homilies than oy any other means. Sellon and Fletcher, the ablest defenders of the VVesloyan theology against the attacks of tho last centu- ry, were both clergymen. When tho early Methodist I'roachers went through tho land declaring the necessity of inward religion, as distinguished from mere forms of worship, and from moral duties, they found the way so far made rkady for THEM BY THE CuUIUH, THAT A\ APPEAL TO THK LITCilGY, ARTICLES, AND HO- MiLiES, WAS ALMOST EVERY WHEUE RESPONDED TO ; and a nominal Christianity prepared the way for that Kingdom, ••which is not meat nnd drink, but righteous, ness. and peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost.'' The incomparable liturgy of the Es- tablished Church is regularly used in many of the Wcsleyan Chapels in England, and in all Mission Chapels in the West Indies. Translations of it have been made by VVesleyan Missionaries into various languages, for the use of their congrega- tions, especially in the East. It is always used in tho administration of the Lord's Supper, both at home and abroad. At the same time the sanctified learning which is displayed in the profound and orthodox writings of the Divines of the Church of England has ever been of tho greatest benefit to the VVesleyan body, as it has to the more serious and religious part of the community in general. This is a debt ■which can never be repaid. The writings of Churchmen in opposition to infidelity, popery, and tho Arian and Socinian heresies are beyond all praise. — Jackson's "Cai- ennry of fFeslci/an Mdhodism-y" p. 174. r for the religious establishments of his country." Tiio Rev. W. Bram- well, Wesleyan Minister says — " I esteem the Church of England be- cause her Liturgy is the most scriptural form of prayer of human com- position in the world ; and rarely do I find my mind brought into a more desirable frame, than under the power of it ;" — testimonies to the same elfect are given by the Rov. R. Watson, and Dr. A. Clarke. A Wesleyan minister writing in the London Times^ Dec. 20, 1833, thus speaks — "and I repeat for the sake of my brethren, that we arc decidedly averse to that attack which some of the Dissenters are medir tating against the Establishment." I will conclude these Wesleyan avowals with one worthy of a son of Wesley, by the Rev. Robert Al- der — In his evidence before the Parliament he says — "I wish to state that we consider ourselves as a branch of the Church of England, both at Home and Abroad."* Wesleyan Methodists of Upper Canada, yo see your calling — what your fathers were, what your brethren are — friends, supporters, brethren, through good report and evil report of the Church of England ! Thus Sir, I have endeavored to counteract, as far as my humble ability and numerous engagements would permit, the dangerous tenden- cy of the Rev. Egerton Ryerson's later letters to you, to vindicate the principle of an Establishment, — to defend, from the foul aspersions cast upon it. the character of the Church of England, and to point out the absolute necessity for its establishment here. If in any measure these letters hava served to confirm some, and enlighten others with res- pect to the nature, importance, and blessedness of Church Establish- ments, I have not laboured in vain. My apology for troubling you with these letters I give in the language cf Dr. Dealtry, Chancellor of the Diocere of Winchester. *' Assniled as the Church now is by op^n as well as secret enemies, every man, who like myself l)elievrs her to be a groat national blessing, has a right to step forward in her behalf; and if according to his means and opporrunities he does not lend his aid, he is answerable, both as a Christian and a ritizen for an abandonment of duty." To my Wesleyan friends my apology is, is that Mr. Wesley has strongly declared, — " They that are enemies to the Church are encr * Tii answrr to an attack made by the Editcjr of the Guardian on the above state- ment, Mr Alder remarks, in a loiter to that gentleman, dated, so late as March 25th, in the present year : — " Some , orsons, indeed, thought and'proclaimed that it was no longer the same ; (that is the connection between the Church and Methodism;) ♦' but whwn the hour of trial came, in the year ]834, the conduct of the Conference demonstrated that the spirit of our venerated lounder pervaded the body, and that in every sense compatable with the ecclesiastical independence of Methodism, the Wesleyan community stand in the friendly relatnn to the Established Church of England, expressed by the entire remark which I made during the course of my examination oeloro the Commons' Select Committee — a remark, the truth of which HAS NEVER BKEN ITHPt'GlVED «Y A SIiNC.LE WeSLEYAN MiNISIKR NOW COxVNECT- ED WITH US IN THIS corNTRV !" Who, after this, can irust Mr. Ryerson's cor- rectness as a writer, when ho so boldly asserted that not " one out of fifty, if one out K)\ .no hundred" received, or agreed in Mr. Aluer'a statement as made before the House ? 79 mies to mc : and says ^' you cannot bo too zealcu* for the poor Cliuroii of England." Trusting tliat the Great Head of llie Church will spread over it, es- pecially in this land, the shield of His Divino protection, so that none of the weapons formed against it may prosper, I remain, with sentiments of esteem, Your obedient humble Servant, AN ANGLO-CANADIAN. May 4th, 1839. yo POSTSCRIPT TO THE READER. The above Letters, tho hasty productions of an humble individual, who felt anxious to lend his aid, however feeble, to stop that torrent of those unscriptural and disloyal principles which seem ready to destroy all that is noble in our Constitution, or holy in our religion, originally expected only the fugitive existence of a newspaper ; when, however, a number of individuals stated their wish and intention to reprint them, the writer availed himself of the opporlunity of making a few correc lions and some important additions ; but still without being able to give them any thing like that attention which under ordinary circumstances a proper respect for the public would demand — even for their correc- tions as they go through Press he is obliged to the polite attention of a friend. A. C.