himself defirous of fhewing all due refpect to fo ferious a fubject, but he perceived a fort of contradiction in the petition, which rendered it an unfit fubject of future deliberation for the house. Indeed, it was not entirely a new propofition, to alter the religion of a country, it had been done here in the reign of Edward VI. If a change of religion takes place in the governing powers, it authorizes fuch an alteration; but he observed, that there was a feeming contradiction in the inferior number coming to the majority to folicit a material alteration in religion *. He. had heard it pretty generally faid, that it was the original intention of the subscribers, to object to certain articles of the thirty-nine, and to certain parts of the litany, but not being able to agree among themselves upon the particular parts to be expunged, they had brought the house, as well as themselves, into a very embarraffed fituation. These gentlemen apply to become members of an ecclefiaftical community, namely, the church of England, and in the fame breath, they defire the foundation, on which that constitution is built, to be removed. He declared himself as warm a friend to toleration as any one within those walls, but he confidered toleration as a relative term, fignifying a community which had a national church, and tolerated inferior fects. Every one should certainly believe and profefs that, which in his own mind, appears beft and most acceptable to the Supreme Being: but these petitioners, he said, seemed to wear the garb of private fectaries. If they have a mind, under the fanction of toleration, to teach what they please, allow them so to do, *There were about two hundred and forty names to the petition. It was reckoned that two hundred clergymen had figned it. The clergy of the church of England were calculated to amount to twenty thou fand, by a member of the house of Commons on another occasion. but but let them not, under the garb of the church of England, teach such doctrines. Such a conduct would be abfurd, if it was followed by any particular fect, how much more so to be adopted by the established church! No reformer, he infifted, whose name has been tranfmitted down to us with any honour and approbation, ever framed fo wild an idea, as that of putting all religious creeds upon a level. The first question is, Do you believe the holy scriptures? The fecond is, In what fenfe do you understand them? If all the founders of religious fyftems, fays he, were alive at the fame time, I am perfuaded they would compose as numerous an army, as that with which Alexander fubdued the Persian empire, yet every one of them would derive his tenets from the fcriptures: but the wisdom of all countries has rather chosen to trust to explanations, derived from the mature labour and confideration of a venerable and pioushierarchy, than to the crude fancies and notions of every affuming dogmatizer, who defires to make himself famous for the fingularity of his fentiments: on this account, fyftems and creeds have prevailed all over christendom. Where is the great hardship to persons, who from scruples of their own, which they may be very much in the right to indulge, if they are fincere, for them to take to other virtuous employments, if they cannot accept of church-preferments on the terms upon which they are now to be taken? But at the fame time he allowed, that there might be many hard cafes; but where are the general laws, fays he, that can guard against inconveniencies to individuals? He concluded with saying, that he thought the peace of mankind a fortieth article, which he valued and prized as much as the whole thirty-nine; and though there have been been many difputes about the civil adminiftration of this country, yet respecting its ecclefiaftical affairs, we have, fince the acceffion of the houfe of Hanover, enjoyed more peace, than any other age, or any other country can boast; he therefore begged the houfe to confider, how far it might be prudent to agitate this matter, and how far the corrofives of religious controverfy, thrown in, when other heats have prevailed too much, may be likely to produce fatal confequences. It is inconfiftent, it is dangerous, to bring fuch a bufinefs before parliament: for though a free country' máy alter any law, for law is the creature of the legislature, and can be altered, yet there are laws fo fundamental, that they cannot be altered without thaking the bafis of the state. Mr. Wedderburne (folicitor general) was alfo of opinion, that to fubfcribe a belief of fome certain articles of faith, was neceflary for the clergy in any establishment; the church of Geneva, one of the most liberal establishments in Europe, he faid, impofed fuch forms on their clergy: the objection to granting the petition, because it would violate the act of union, he however fhewed to be ill founded, as it had been in fuch a fenfe violated both with refpect to England and to Scotland, the legislature having exerted a power of altering church-government fince the union, by the act against occafional conformity in England; and that which deftroyed elective patronages in Scotland, by the latter of which the people at large were deprived of the right of electing their paftor's. It was obferved by Mr. Burke, that the church of Eng land fubfifted before the thirty-nine articles were framed, and confequently the thirty-nine articles could not be effential to the existence of the church of England: the artìcles of the church at first confifted of forty-two, why then might might they not be farther reduced, as good fenfe and liberal fentiments gained ground? But what, fays he, are we to understand by the holy fcriptures, which thefe gentlemen' defire to make a profeffion of their belief in? This appears to be a very indeterminate idea. The Romish canón admits of the books of the apocrypha; the canon of Luther excludes fome parts of the pentateuch, and the whole epiftle to the Hebrews; and fome ancient fathers have rejected the book of Revelation. Mankind are as little likely to be of one mind on this point, as on any other. Sir George Saville obferved, that we, protestants, derive that appellation from the firft adherents to those principles which we profefs, having protefted against forms prescribed by human authority'? And fhall we maintain the neceffity of prescribing modes of faith, when our principles reject the idea of any fuch power belonging to human beings? Mr. Thomas Pitt reprefented the hard cafe of the clergy, compelled by the conftitution to give a formal affent to points of faith which they cannot poffibly believe; and asked, what would that houfe, or any honeft man fay, if a judge, who by his cath is bound to adminifter juftice conformably to the law of the land, fhould be obliged at the fame time to interpret that law, plainly contrary to its true spirit and meaning? The houfe in general feemed to be of opinion, that the profeffors of law and phyfic being bound in matter of fubfeription, was of Imall concernment to the public; but it was expreffed as a with on all fides of the house, that the universities would grant them relief in that refpect, as well as to young students at the time of matriculation. Lord Lord George Germain infifted on the latter being a heavy. grievance; for a youth at college to be required to fign his affent to, or belief of the thirty-nine articles, earlier than the age of fixteen, when it was not to be supposed that he could understand them, or had formed any sentiments about them, and a confiderable time before the meaning of the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy was thought likely to be intelligible, and confequently were not adminiftered. He informed the house, that the univerfity of Cambridge had been applied to for a repeal of this ftatute, the practice being founded on a by-law of their community, might be laid afide at pleasure but notwithstanding the power being vefted in them, they evaded compliance with the request, pleading, that, as a standing rule, they ought not to difpense with it. : The fame speaker undertook to defend the character of the petitioners from the imputation which had been thrown out against them, that they renounced their principles, when, by fubfcribing the articles they accepted of church benefices. He faid he lived in a county, where many of the neighbouring clergy had figned the petition, whom he knew to be worthy, confcientious, and pious men ; many had affented to the articles with that forced conftruction which was put upon them, by those who could not believe the truth of fome of them. The fentiments which many entertained at the time when they gave their affent to those articles, had been by farther reflection changed, and their confcientious fcruples being awakened by fuch a different view of things, rendered the ftep they were now taking highly laudable, and acquitted them of all imputation of diffimula-. tion in their former conformity. |