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Wall of partition—the Israel of God, It seems to me taught here, not by the law, which was no tfor 400 years after, but by the Gospel in type aim essence, that Christian people s'tould give a definite portion of their property, to the support of the Christian priesthood or ministry and that our K! n;: and Priest, Jesus Christ, is pleas-d to accept this. It can hardly be seriously contended that tht- Jewish Church was not established, for if that wa. not an Established Church there never was one, ami there never will be one. Gi-eat r State interference than that exemplifies is hardly conceivable. It h said, indeed, that though every Jew was ordered, by the law of God, to contribute to that Church, yet m one was obliged to obey that law every Jew co.uld make it a matter of choice to obey or disobey. And so can every Englishman,, in the same sense, make it a matter of choice to pay Church dues or not. Both must suffer the penalty, however, of their wrong choice, If the Jew chose not to pay, he had the plague as his penalty. If the Englishman choose not to pay, he has much more lenient punishment: some additional law costs to liquidate. It could not be morally right, at one time, that such an Established Church should exist among God's chosen and peculiar people, and yet be morally wrong that an Established Church, similar in its great character as a teacher and instructor of God's people, in God's revealed will, should exist now in this Christian land. St. Paul, not only by his commentary on Mel- chizsdec, in Hebrews, but also by his language in 1st Cor. IX, seems to put the case of ministerial main- tenance in the Church very plainly, when he says- u Even so hath the LORD ordained, that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." It is not surprising, with such examples as the Old Testament gives,without rebuke—of Rulers in- terfering in matters of religion, and favouring and helping on, by the State power, the teaching of God's will; It is not surprising that with the precedents of National temples, and national worship, favoured by heathen Rulers in the most civilised and powerful of the nations of the heathen world, that Kings once heathen, when becoming Christian, SHOULD think themselves not merely permitted, but bound to help on, and endow Christianity. When I think of Constantine, I can hardly under- stand how he could have done otherwise than favour Christianity as an Emperor. If he looked back, on the past of his glorious country, he saw a State Religion, at Rome, the Capitol and Pantheon—en- riched by successive Rulers, and upheld with all the pomp and circumstance of National worship. If he looked into the Bible he saw not merely what we have noticed before, but David, Solomon, and the Kings of greatest mark, busied in helping on or reforming the Church with all the power which their office gave them. If he looked at the New Testament, he saw nothing there to gainsay or invalidate this course of conduct, which the universal consent of nations and the revealed will of God had stamped with approbation. But, on the contrary, an Inspired Apostle declaring that, as I. they who wait on the altar are always partakers with the altar, Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they who preach the gospel Should live of the Gospel." It would never enter into the thoughts of such a man as Constantine, that though each individual Christian :VqS to regard the precept-" let him that is taught In the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things," and so forth, yet that there was some- thing in the office of Emperors and Kings that in- capacitated them from observing this, and even made it wicked for them to observe it. I am afraid that all the fraternity of the Liberation Society would have wasled their eloquence in vain on such a Ruler. And they would have' met with no better success, in succeeding ages, with British Princes or Saxon Kings All would be loth to think that they were under certain disabilities in regard to the promotion of i-ligion and that the touch of Kings, deemed effectual to cure the direst ulcers of the human body, was the certain cause of the foulest corruption and wounds in the body of Christ—THE CHURCH. Kings embracing Christianity would naturally and reasonably, from all precedent.sacred and profane, have Something to do with favouring and endowing religion, Ibelieve King Canute—Knut, or Head, as his name Bo eans, (in opposition to King Log,perliaps) would h ive been hopelessly impervious to this new light. It is only the Gladstones, those glidden or slidden stones, of the present day, who gather no moss of experience 'with the roll of years & ages, to check their downward Course, that plunge into these quagmires of fatuity, or dash headlong into those dark abysses of destruction, from which there is scarce any return, but one of toil and danger, back to civilization and the light of Heaven. There can be no doubt that Kings professing the Christian religion, both in England and elsewhere, did favour and endow and legislate for the Church. The privilege of filling vacant bishoprics formed an Undisputed part of the royal prerogative, until the reign of Edward the Confessor. Before the Conquest, as well in consideration of their piety and prudence, as of their possessions, which gave them an interest and influence in the nation, it was found expedient to annex their body (that is the clergy) to that of the laity, in national councils or Wittenagemots—and thus, Bishops, Abbots, and Priors were aitevwards regularly summoned to Parliament. The Bishops and mitred Abbots, by the title of the Baronies, occupied a bench in the superior house, while two doctors, representing the inferior clergy, took their Seats in the House of Commons. Grant's English Church, Vol I. p. 109-111. I feel certain that a generally endowed Church and a fairly endowed Church cannot long exist, unconnected with, and uncon- trolled by the State. The richer and more influential the Church is the more truly popular and national :she is, the more certain she is to become allied to the State, and controlled by it—to be an Estab- lished Church. A Government might be satisfied to look on, with indifference, at the existence of a few Gersoms or Salems, springing up, frail taber- nacles to the preachers, for a brief space; and 8ooa to fade away and die. But no strong Civil government, certainly no stroDg and effective Monarchy, will long allow such a Church, as that jjf England, to be wholly disestablished and free Sm check or control. It must keep the spirituality 111 some subjection, either by means of law or poverty. If the Church is to be entirely free from the civil power, then, as in its undeveloped state, *t its very commencement, the order may be 1 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your ^rses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two r°ats, neither shoes, nor yet staves for you shall pekPoor; or be robbed and made poor. But when prist's followers were more advanced, and better t,k,u,bt, and more numerous; and when the work r,, Christ on earth was nearly completed, and the hurch was to be commissioned to disciple all the » entles, then the order runs But now, he that a purse, let him take it, and likewise his an he that hath no sword, let him buy one. v'dinary methods of support.and defence must be ^§*rded and kept in view henceforth. The Church 8 to accept all the riches they were offered, and *^aCCef>t Protect^on fr°m w^° beareth not the opd in vain, but is an avenger to execute punish- i"thut on evil doers. No one can safely overlook ] iew,of .Gospel I do not pretend to treat the subject of Church Establishments in a formal or exhaustive manner. I have rather thrown together thoughts which reconcile me, in great measure, to the statu quo of the Church of England, which I think rea- sonable and Scriptural. I know that many excellent men, in the Church, from mistaken views of human nature, whether ay or clerical, and from an ill-founded belief, that an unshackled, uncontrolled, disestablished Church would be much purer, and more influential for good, than an Established one, desire to free the Church from the State not merely in Ireland, but in England also. Others, I fear. there are who, smitten with a lust for power over the souls of men, and allured by visions of a United Christen- dom, in which the Roman Pontiff is to reign supreme, urge on something like the principle of the end justifying the means-the disestablishment of the English Church. But I feel certain that the disestablished English Church will be certainly dis- endowed also, or reduced to a safe poverty. Do not let us runaway with the notion, then, that we shall carry off our riches with us, to work without let or hindrance, how we please and where we please. If we renounce the State as too profane a companion fo, the Church, then the State will lose its self-respect, and become profane, and rob God's Church. And this is, in the old fashioned morals of the prophet Malachi, to rob God himself. I, Will a man rob Gon? Yet ye have robbed me." there- in ? In tithes aud offerings." It is possible, too, thus to inherit a curse, a national one. For "ye are cursed," saith the prophet, with a curse, because of this conduct; for ye have robbed me," in this way, "even this whole Nation." Let us be wiser. I am, Dear Sir, Your faithful servant, PRESBYTER CAMBRESSIS. II1II'