184] 
regular maintenance hitherto al- 
lowed them. 
Alter the fall of the tyrant, the 
convention decreed a variety of 
imitigations in the laws that had 
been ena¢ted against the nonjuring 
clergy. It proclaimed the fullest 
libe:ty of worsbip, and required no 
other than a simple declaration of 
submission to the laws, from those 
clergymen who exercised their pro- 
fessional fur.€tions, together with an 
acknowledgment of the sovereignty 
of the people. But those who sub- 
scribed to these conditions, together 
with their followers, were branded, 
by the nonjuiing clergy and their 
adherents, as guilty of apostacy. 
Much of that spiritual antipathy © 
took place between those dissenting 
parties, which has so long proved 
the disgrace and the bane of re- 
ligion. But the ruling powers, 
faithful to their determination of im- 
partiality, paid no attention to those 
dissentions; and as they had for- 
mally declared, that no particular 
mode of worship should be main- 
tained at the public expence, nor -be 
proteéted exclusively to any other, 
they went no farther than to pre- 
vent those animosities from breaking 
oul tothe disturbance of the peace 
of the community ; and to this end 
enacted penalties to punish and 
repress them. 
As that part of the French clergy 
and nation, which openly professed 
allegiance to g.vernment, by con- 
forming to i's ordinances, and mak- 
ing the declarations prescribed, 
could not fail of being viewed with 
.a favourable eye, it ventured to 
take some steps which were thought 
hazardous, in the opinion of those 
who dreaded the jealousy they 
might occasion. A meeting of 
ANNUAL REGISTER, | 1796. 
some of those bishops, who were: 
called constitutional, from their hav= 
ing taken the civic oaths enjoined 
by the constituent assembly,so styled 
from having framed the first consti- 
tution, was beld in the beginning of 
1795, in order to consult how to re- 
store order and regularity in the 
worship and discipline of the church, 
and to replace it on a footing of sta- 
belity, after the confusions that had 
so violently disturbed its peace. 
They made a declaration, at the 
sume time, which was highly ac- 
ceptable to the friends of harmony 
and universal toleration in religious 
matters. They frankly and ex- 
plicitly avowed their assent to the 
separation of the church from the 
state, acknowledging it to be the 
most effeétual means of eradicating 
those corruptions and scandalous 
praétices that had been produced 
by their union, and so deplorably 
tainted that purity of manners, and 
integrity of life, which ought to ac- 
company theecclesiastical profession. 
Religion, they said, when unconneét- 
ed with politics, would resume that 
influence over mankind, which arises 
frominnocenceand virtue. Thegreat 
and the powerful would respeét it 
the more for demanding from them 
only the proteétion of the state in 
return for its obedience and confor- 
mity to the laws of the land. 
These were declarations very un- 
common in theecclesiastical assem 
blies of modern ages. But numbers 
of the most zealous friends to 
Christianity, applauded them with 
fervent sincerity, as tending to di- 
vest religion of those appendages, 
which made it doubtful whether its 
_asserters and followers were influ- 
enced by conviétion, or by interest ; 
-and to bring it back to the princi- 
ples, 
