GOVERNMENT, LAWS, 



that which the right hand doeth ; and who know nothing of 

 Bishop, Priest, Deacon, or Teacher of any description. Yes, 

 since we have the Quakers constantly before our eyes, we may, 

 without deserving to be burnt alive, question the utility of paying 

 any parsons or religious teachers at all. But, the worst of it is, 

 we are apt to confound things ; as we have, by a figure of speech, 

 got to call a. building a church, when a church really means a body 

 of people f ~o~ we afe~&quot;a&quot;pl UTlook upon the priest as being religious, 

 and especially when we call him the reverend : and, it often sadly 

 occurs that no two things can be wider from each other in this 

 quality. Some writer has said, that he would willingly leave to 

 the clergy every thing above the tops of the chimneys ; which, 

 perhaps, was making their possessions rather too ethereal ; but, 

 since our law calls them &quot; spiritual persons &quot; : since they profess 

 that &quot; their kingdom is not of this world,&quot; and, since those of our 

 church have solemnly declared, that they believed themselves to 

 be called to the ministry &quot; by the Holy Ghost : &quot; it is, I think, a 

 little out of character for them to come poking and grunting and 

 grumbling about after our eggs, potatoes, and sucking pigs. 



442. However, upon the general question of the utility or non- 

 utility of paid religious teachers, let men decide for themselves ; 

 but if teachers are to be paid, it seems a clear point, in my mind, 

 that they should be paid upon the American plan : and this, I 

 think, must be obvious to every one, who is able to take a view of 

 the English Clergy. They are appointed by the absolute will of 

 the Boroughmongers. They care nothing for the good will of 

 their congregation or parish. It is as good to them to be hated 

 by their parishioners as to be loved by them. They very fre 

 quently never evenj-their parish more than once in four or five 

 years. They solemnly declare at the altar, that they believe 

 themselves called by the Holy Ghost to take on them the cute of 

 souls : they get possession of a living ; and leave the cure of souls 

 to some curate, to whom they give a tenth part, perhaps, of the 

 income. Many of them have two livings, at thirty miles distance 

 from each other. They live at neither very frequently ; and, 



&quot; when they do they only add to the annoyance which their curate 

 gives. 



443 . As to their general character and conduct ; in what public 

 transaction of pre-eminent scandal have they not taken a part ? 

 Who were found most intimate with Mrs. CLARKE, and most busy 

 in her commission dealing affairs ? Clergymen of the Church 

 of England. This is notorious. Miss TOCKER tells of the two 

 livings given to PARSON GURNEY for his electioneering works in 

 Cornwall. And, indeed all over the country, they have been and 

 are the prime agents of the Boroughmongers. Recently they have 

 been the tools of Sidmouth for gagging the press in the country 

 parts of the kingdom. Powis and Guillim were the prosecutors 

 of Messrs. Pilling and Melor ; and for which if they be not made 

 to answer, the kingdom ought to be destroyed. They are the 



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