398 On the Royel Bounty to the 
difcipline of their church, and, at the fame 
time, an inward devoticn, equally re- 
moved from the bigotry of enthufafm, 
and what may as juftly be called the bigo- 
try of delim. No; not forall or any of 
thefe purpofes is the Prefbyterian provin- 
cial fynod convened, but folely to confider 
ef the maaner in which a large grant from 
government to theclergy fhall be received, 
a great augmentation of the repeatedly 
augmented royal é bounty, or; as it has been 
whee over with a bafe-bred Latin, the 
REGIUM DONUM. 
A fyned fo frequent and full, favoured 
with attendance fo: Si berew even of the 
clergy from Dublin pofting down with 
their vvled, not ruling, elders, to fup- 
port the politico- reli ges agent of go- 
vernment, foon perhaps to be trenflated 
tnto the dignity of lord commiffioner ; 
fuch a fynod condefcends not to enter into 
a ee whether a clergy, by ancient 
rule and practice the Ripendiari ies of the 
people, fhould now become the ftipendiaries, 
of the crown (as human nature and expe- 
rience inftruct us muft be the cafe, in the 
exact ratio of the fum total of the roval 
bounty to the fum total of the popular frie - 
pend); but the fole quefion that agitates 
the body and fpirit of the aflembled church 
‘is, whether it be altogether confiftent with 
_ the Prefbyterian parity, after having thank- 
fully/received the fum granted, to fuffer 
themfelves to be difpofcd into clafles or 
grades, which are to thare more or Jefs in 
this penbonary eltablifhment according to 
their refpeQive merits, not in theeyes of their 
Great Matter, but in the appreciation of 
government, and thus to fee their church, 
originally built upon the equality of paf- 
tors, converted into a hierarchy of, diffe a 
orders, under the pay and patronage of the 
crown. 
Management and influence are certainly 
much more efficacious inftruments in ftate 
policy than penal-laws and perfecution. 
it is indeed moft true, that the indepen- 
dency of the,ecclefiaftical upon the civil 
power was the qld Pr efbyterian principle, 
adopted at the reformation, and inflexibly 
adhered to- th rough. all thei fufferings, 
both by paftors and people. ‘Fhe genius 
ef their church policy feems now in a fair 
way of fuffering fuch a total change as to 
become fubitan tially, though not for mally, 
2 fecondary and fupplemental /fate religion. 
The morofe feverity of clergy. fuch as 
Abernethy and Duchal, alloyed from time 
to time, with daieiahal dofes. of regium 
dowuns, will at Jength acquire all the mal- 
leablenefs and-defired ductility of a com- 
pound metal. 
an fate uilelf is fo far changed, that, 
Irife Prefbyterian Clergy. [Dec. 2, 
alchough bound in legal wedlock to.one 
mode ot-religion, it feems now willing to 
make a number of Jeft-handed marriages. 
The grave and holy fynod of Ulfter, at 
leaft the moft fanétimonious portion of it, 
not unwillingly gives countenance to a 
courtfhip whole aim is to make Prefbyte- 
rianifm a concubine of the Caftle. Thus 
there is forming a ze~w alliance of church 
and. ftate, which, like that with the hierar- 
chy, will ftrenghthen the influence of the 
crown, by an added buttrefs of ecclefiafti- 
cal eftablifiment, hitherto (upported by the 
voluntary oblations cf the people. After 
confolidating the civil ftrength of the em- 
pire by purchafing the; borough proprie- 
tors in Freland, meafures are now taken to 
purchafe that religious order of men who 
are fuppofed (I de truft, without founda- 
tion) to have the excclifice management of 
our fouls. 
Thus the ake and fouls of the peoples 
their political properties, and their religi- 
ous priv rileses's ; their temporal bleffings, 
and their foiritual confolations ; the faith 
of their fathers, and the once proud inde« 
pencence of their paftors ; are to be melted 
down, and fynodically affimilated with the 
prelacy of the eftablifhed church, and the 
prelacy of the Catholic chureh, for the 
fupport of the order of things at prefent 
eftablifhed in thefe united kingdoms. 
If I recolleét aright, any unufual con- 
junction of the heavenly bedies is, in the 
Janguage of aftronomy, called a fynod of 
the flars ; but, in truth, there are in the 
ways cf men occurrences {till more won- 
dertul, fuch flrange conjunétions of both 
public bodies and profeffing individuals as 
cannot be forefeen by any common calcula- 
tion ; fuch indeed as, in my mind, either 
aufpicate or forebode the fpecdy coming of a 
time, when men, in their voyage through 
life, fhall pay lefs regard to thofe lights of 
the earth, but fhall look at once to Him, 
the great mdker of heaven and earth, 
without the mtervention of fuch fallacious 
guides and fuch fallible mediators. 
It mutt be confefied, that this terreftrial 
conftellation of Prefbyterian pattors, called 
2 fynod, is, in the fir inftance, a mok 
convenient mode of bringing their whole 
church compendioufly into the very palm 
of government. The co- soe power 
of the laity, in the fhape of ruling elders, - 
will find their want of Jeifure, opportunity 
and capacity for intrigue, can but ill refitt 
the perfevering affiduity of the clergy in 
the accomplifhment of this grand bufinefs. 
However they may be outvoted at prefent 
in the affembly at large, the committee of 
fynod, appointed to tuperintend the weal 
of the church in the intervals of meeting, 
EK, 
