Interests of the Church of England, 
687 
In the Church of England, in the 
Church of Rome, and in some other 
establishments, a regular system of edu¬ 
cation, of long and deep theological 
study, are necessary preparations for the 
ministry. A strict examination of the 
learning and fitness of a candidate, tes¬ 
timonials from beneficed clergymen of 
his moral and religious character, a re¬ 
peated appeal to the people for objec¬ 
tions to his claims, and a proof that a 
new laborer is wanted in the vineyard 
of the ciiurch, are punctually exacted in 
our Establishment. But an illiterate 
person, unknowing and unknown but by 
a sm^ll number of his equals, may by 
the Act of Toleration demand a licence 
to preach and explain the Scriptures to 
sectaries. 
An attempt was lately made by an ac¬ 
tive and zealous friend of the Church of 
England to bring the subject before par¬ 
liament. His object was, not to diminish 
the privileges, but to increase the dignity, 
of the dissenting ministry; to preserve 
the benefit, but to remedy the abuses, of 
the act; to promote the pure and rea¬ 
sonable service of God, without enforcing 
any particular mode of worship. The 
candor, the moderation, and the defer¬ 
ence, with which the subject was intro¬ 
duced, seemed to secure its admission 
into a committee; but such was the 
alarm excited among all descriptions of 
dissenters, such was the spirit and Jium- 
her of the petitions, which burst upon 
the House, that the motion was rejected 
without a division, to the surprise not 
only of the noble mover, but of many of 
the firmest supporters of a liberal and 
judicious toleration. The principal ar¬ 
gument urged in the addresses, was the 
danger of innovation, the apprehension 
that the slightest alteration in the act 
would lead to the total subversion of it. 
This sophistry has been already exposed 
iTi a former article. The Dissenters 
thus oppose the principles of the reforma¬ 
tion, of the revolution, of every improve¬ 
ment in civil and political, as well as 
religious, establishments. If their rea¬ 
soning has any force, it will for ever 
forbid them to petition for the repeal of 
the Test Act. They must be consistent 
in the application of their principle. 
They deprecate all interference of the 
legislature in their ecclesiasticial con¬ 
cerns. If tin attempt were rnarle to 
subject them to the jurisdiction of the 
Leads of the Church of England, their 
objection would be valid. But no con¬ 
trol over the appomiinent of their mi¬ 
nistry is even in the most Indirect man¬ 
ner suggested. It is the wish of many 
of their most constitutional friends to 
maintain the respectability of their 
ministers. Tins wish is consistent with a 
strict attention to their qualifications ; it 
is founded on the earliest practice of 
Christianity. It is a, principal object of 
St. Paul, in the ordination of Ministers 
of Christ, to check those, who desired to 
be teachers, understanding neither what 
they said, nor whereof they affirmed. He 
exercised the most cautious circum¬ 
spection in the appointment of preach¬ 
ers of the word ; lie selected Timothy, 
whom he calls his own son in the faith j 
because he had learned and been as¬ 
sured of the things relating to the doc¬ 
trine of the gospel, because from a child 
he had known the holy scriptures, and 
had consequently been dedicated to tha 
ministry from his early youth. So appre¬ 
hensive is the great apostle of the dan¬ 
ger of the sudden and indiscriminate ap¬ 
pointment of ministers that he charges 
him to lay hands suddenly on no tnan. 
Our Saviour himself chose his disciples, 
not because, though illiterate, they 
tiiought themselves qualified ; but be¬ 
cause his omniscience had discovered 
their peculiar fitness for the propagation 
of his gospel. And his instructions and 
his example, his words and his works, 
from the time that be first called them to 
that of his ascension, had eminently pre¬ 
pared them for the reception of his holy 
spirit. Ministers of the mysteries of 
God are sent forth as lights to the world ; 
hence the brightness of their understand¬ 
ing, and the clearness of their faith, 
should be made manifest. St Paul di¬ 
rects an examination, not only of the re¬ 
ligious, but of the moral character of the 
candidates. “ Let them,” says lie, 
“ first be proved;—then let tliem use 
the office of a deacon, being foiinri 
blameless.” In order to follow the traces 
of this enlightened founder of ecclesiasti¬ 
cal discipline, it may humbly he suggest¬ 
ed that every description of Christians 
should chuse a committee of the heads of 
their sect, who should have tlie power 
examine every candidate for the minis¬ 
try, and whose report of his moral and 
religious qualifications should intitle hiiu 
to all the clerical powers and ovil privi¬ 
leges allowed by the constitution to minis¬ 
ters of religion. From this regulatioa 
the happiest consequences would flow to 
the pubUc instruction of the people of aii 
denominations In the doctrines of the 
gospel and in the service of God. 
Soto4 
