120 JOSEPH PRIESTLEY. [LECT. 



Europe, I should answer, No. ... Let experiment be first 

 made of alterations, or, which is the same thing, of Utter establish- 

 ments than the present. Let them be reformed in many essential 

 articles, and then not thrown aside entirely till it be found by 

 experience that no good can be made of them." 



Priestley goes on to suggest four such reforms of a 

 capital nature : 



u 1. Let the Articles of Faith to be subscribed by candidates 

 for the ministry be greatly reduced. In the formulary of the 

 Church of England, might not thirty-eight out of the thirty-nine 

 be very well spared ? It is a reproach to any Christian establish- 

 ment if every man cannot claim the benefit of it who can say 

 that he believes in the religion of Jesus Christ as it is set forth 

 in the New Testament. You say the terms are so general that 

 even Deists would quibble and insinuate themselves. I answer 

 that all the articles which are subscribed at present, by no 

 means exclude Deists who will prevaricate ; and upon this 

 scheme you would at least exclude fewer honest men." 1 



The second reform suggested is the equalisation, 

 in proportion to work done, of the stipends of the 

 clergy ; the third, the exclusion of the bishops from 

 Parliament ; and the fourth, complete toleration, so 

 that every man may enjoy the rights of a citizen, and 

 be qualified to serve his country, whether lie belong 

 to the Established Church or not. 



Opinions such as those I have quoted, respecting 

 the duties and the responsibilities of governors, ^are 

 the commonplaces of modern Liberalism ; and Priest- 

 ley's views on Ecclesiastical Establishments would, I 

 fear, meet with but a cool reception, as altogether too 

 conservative, from a large proportion of the lineal 



i "Utility of Establishments/' in "Essay on First Principles of 

 Government," p. 198, 1771. 



