74 THE ENGLISH CHURCH QUESTION CONSIDERED. 



There is, at present, no more demand amongst the people at large for 

 a clergy of abstract attainments than amongst a set of schoolboys, for 

 strict discipline and efficient teaching. Whoever thinks religion 

 should be left to take care of itself, has an undubitable right to ad- 

 vocate the disposal of church property for the general uses of the 

 nation. But one who had rather there should be no district of the 

 country without a religious functionary like a clergyman rather than a 

 dissenting minister, is bound at present to support the cause of endow- 

 ment and supply, against that of subscription and demand. 



And where do we find any number of men of decent education and 

 masculine character who, caring about religion at all, do not prefer 

 the clergyman to the dissenting minister ? We call not in question 

 the religious sincerity or moral worth of dissenting ministers. But 

 we deem their general intellectual inferiority to the established clergy 

 to be beyond dispute. We know many of them would, upon prin- 

 ciple, glory in their comparative guiltlessness of the learning and at- 

 tainments which we hold in esteem. This fully exculpates them 

 from the charge of dishonourable incapability. But we feel ourselves, 

 and observe that others our equals and superiors in intellect also 

 feel the established clergy to be, in spite of the great errors of our 

 present church system, the fittest set of men in existence to supply 

 the religious wants of the present age. And if only the established 

 clergy can, as a religious body, deserve respect for their attainments, 

 we would not risk the destruction of any one cause of their superi- 

 ority. Therefore, we repeat, though bent upon sundry other reforms 

 in the church, we would not have its property diminished by one 

 shilling. Until it be proved to be, in the aggregate, too much for the 

 purpose, we would not have any portion of it withdrawn from appro- 

 priation to the maintenance of a clergy. 



Is it urged to be unfair to the dissenters, as good citizens and sub- 

 jects as other men, to patronise one sect (as the church may now, nu- 

 merically speaking, be deemed) in preference to others ; and that, 

 for this reason, if no other church property for one denomination is 

 intolerable under a professedly impartial government ? The objec- 

 tion looks fair at first, and must not be treated with levity. Unfair 

 preference of one class of subjects to another, substantiated against 

 any government, ought to invalidate its general claim to allegiance. 

 We know that dissenters have had ample reason to complain of po- 

 litical injustice ; that many alterations- in the political character of the 

 established church must yet be effected in their favour ; that every 

 thing like preference of churchmen to dissenters, merely as reli- 

 gionists, must be expelled from the constitution. But church pro- 

 perty does not obstruct this equitable adjustment. It has not the 

 power of standing out against judicious and repeated attacks upon re- 

 maining unhandsome privileges of Churchmen. Government has 

 already been forced to make important concessions to dissenters ; 

 and will, ere long, be forced to make many more. Therefore, we 

 should deem it madness to aim at sacrificing the immense general be- 

 nefits of church property, for the sake of removing only a little 

 sooner whatever political injustice still remains. 



We consider the cause of Dissenters interesting to men of liberal 



