which is by no means impossible-perhaps he will be inclined to think that it is not very prudent for professional and other gentlemen of influence, when delivering speeches at popular meetings, to indulge in observations which cannot but tend to encourage those who make it their business to "speak evil of dignities." In conclusion, I shall briefly advert to another point, upon which much stress has been laid by the churchrate abolitionists. It has been said, that if Churchmen think the Dissenting abolitionists wish to destroy the Church, then the Established Church must stand upon its church-rates, or temporalities. And this has been followed up by the question, "If the Established Church can be destroyed, how can it be the Church of Christ, when the New Testament says 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against it?"" My answer to this is, the Church of England, in its spiritual nature, as a branch of the true Church of Christ, does not stand upon church-rates, or temporalities. No; it is built upon the "foundation of the prophets and the apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Episcopal Church can exist, and does exist, without being connected with the State, in Scotland, America, and elsewhere; and I must not be understood as considering the Church in England as the mere creature of the State, but as the sanctifier of the State. The Church of Christ cannot be destroyed by any efforts of man; but the visible part of the Church on earth-that which is established in this world-may be mutilated, weakened, or destroyed; as were the seven Churches of Christ established in Asia, as recorded in the Revelations.

If it be the will of Christ that the Gospel should be preached to the people, "how shall they hear without a preacher?" If there must be preachers, these preachers must be men; if they must be men, they must live, while on earth, as other men live; they must have food, and raiment, and places of abode; and these things, in the present state of society, cannot be obtained without money: therefore the visible Church, whether it be the Church of England or any Dissenting Church, cannot continue on the earth without temporalities, unless, as was the case with Elijah, there

should be a special interposition of Heaven in its behalf. So also with regard to church buildings; these temples on the earth, which are "built with hands," cannot be built or repaired without labour and materials, which are not to be obtained without money: therefore the church buildings cannot be kept up without money. It will thus be seen that the objection is most absurd; for although we know that the spiritual Church of Christ cannot be destroyed, being, like the Divinity from whence it emanated, immutable; yet the visible body of the Church on earth may be weakened, removed out of its place, or even destroyed. If the money were withheld, the buildings would go to decay, and God could not be worshipped in these sacred places set apart for his honour and service; and if the revenues belonging to the clergy were to be withheld, they could not obtain food, and therefore they would not be able to preach the Gospel. Again, by persecution, the Bible may be shut up, the clergy may be driven from their churches, from their homes, and from their country, and some of them may be put to death; and so the means of the visible Church may be contracted or destroyed, and the people be deprived of religious instruction and religious consolation. This state of things happened to the visible Church in old times in our land and elsewhere. But where, under Divine Providence, visible Churches have been established and endowed, it is the duty of the State, and also of the members and friends of the Church, to watch and be vigilant, lest troubles should again arise, and the Lord's candlestick should, through our supineness or corruptions, be once more removed from the nation. The Almighty put it into the hearts of our forefathers to endow the visible Church in England with tithes and church-rates, that it may be kept up for ever; and it is to our peril if we suffer "these ancient landmarks, which our fathers have set up," to be pillaged or destroyed. The preservation of the visible Church-the Church of Christ, and the Church of the Constitution in these realms-has descended to us as a sacred trust, and we are bound to protect the revenues bequeathed to it, and to use all the means which right

fully belong to it for its preservation. It will not help the opponents of the Church, then, to set up this idle and groundless objection. The visible Church, if we neglect it, may be removed, or have its efficiency impaired; and therefore, when the enemies of our Zion are entrenched around it, every true son of the Church will be on the watch to protect it from spoliation. Let the sons of the Church, both lay and clerical, be only true to their duty-let them circulate information, and meet their opponents in the free spirit of Englishmen and Christians, not coming out against them "with a sword and a spear, but in the strength of the army of the God of battle," and we have nothing to fear. The Church of England will continue, as it ever has been, the Church of the Constitution, of which it now is the light, and life, and soul; the Church of England will continue, as it has been since the Reformation, a standing monument of God's favour to this nation— the bulwark of our civil and religious freedom-the shield alike of Churchman and Dissenter: a common blessing to all. Old England, my beloved country, in which I glory, will remain, under the protecting wing of Providence, the "CRADLE of LIBERTY, rocked by the hand of Heaven;" and with its Apostolical Church, its limited Monarchy, and its triple Constitution, it will pass on to the end of time, the light of the surrounding nations, the wonder and admiration of the world. Oh!

66

Nought shall make us rue,

If England to herself be only TRUE."

Well, indeed, may the people of this land, of all ranks and denominations, adopt the language of the prophet, and say, with grateful hearts, "He hath not dealt thus with any nation.'

Resting my defence of the great national cause I have the privilege and happiness to advocate “ on the broad principle of religious peace, and on the ground of national justice" on the book of God, and on the Protestant Constitution of England,

I have the honour to be, brother citizens,

Yours, with great respect,

SAMUEL CAREY RICHARDS.

CORRESPONDENCE

BETWEEN

THE REV. E. C. HARINGTON AND THE REV. H. ACTON.

THE REV. H. Acton, in the course of his speech, observed that Christianity was first introduced into this kingdom in the time of Gregory, through the mission of St. Austin; and he supposed that Church property did not exist prior to the time of Austin.

"The Rev. E. C. Harington: Yes; five centuries before that period (expressions of surprise from the abolitionists).

"The Rev. H. Acton: Does the reverend gentleman mean to make the assertion, that the Church possessed property before St. Austin's time?

"The Rev. E. C. Harington (distinctly, and with strong emphasis): YES; and I am ready to prove it (loud cheers)."

To the Editor of the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette.

SIR, Mr. Acton having asserted to-day, at the meeting on the church-rate question, that Christianity was first introduced into this island by St. Augustine, the monk, and having challenged me, with an air of triumph, to substantiate my assertion, that not only had Christianity been introduced into Britain in the first century, but that the British Church possessed property five centuries prior to the arrival of St. Austin-I beg to submit the following historical facts to his consideration, and to solicit for a moment the attention of those gentlemen who so ignorantly laughed at my assertion as novel and unfounded. I have the authority of Spelman and Dugdale-the former in his Concil., the latter in his Monast. Angl.-for asserting that a church was erected and endowed at the close of the first century, a sketch of which may be seen in the "Icon Primæ

Ecclesiæ" of Staveley. The learned Bishop Godwin, together with Usher and Spelman, will support me in asserting that a church was consecrated at Winchester by Damianus, and endowed by King Lucius with ample privileges and revenues, in the second century. The writings of Gildas, Bede, Stillingfleet, and Inett will satisfy the reader that the Diocletian persecution, in the third century, was directed against the property as well as the persons of the bishops and clergy. The presence of the several Bishops of London, York, and Colchester, at the Council of Arles, in the fourth century, as a deputation from the British Church, seems to imply the existence of Church revenues. The suppression of Pelagianism in this island, in the fifth century, is a sufficient proof of the continuance of the British Church. The establishment of many monasteries and churches by David, Bishop of Llandaff, in the sixth century, will, I think, lead us to a similar conclusion; whilst the rejection of St. Austin's assumed authority over the British Church, by a large body of British bishops and clergy, in the seventh century, and the subsequent massacre of twelve hundred priests at Caerleon, probably under the sanction of St. Austin, will be sufficient to correct the assertion that Christianity was not known in this island prior to St. Austin's arrival. I will only add, that the dictates of prudence should suggest to those gentlemen, whose historical knowledge seems rather confined, to withhold, in future, all expressions of approbation or dissent, when subjects of this nature are introduced to their notice.

March 30, 1837.

I am, Sir,

E. C. HARINGTON,

Incumbent of St. David's.

To the Editor of the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette.

SIR,-I was pleased to see, in your last Gazette, that Mr. Harington had resorted to your columns, to do himself that justice which was not easily to be had at the close of the meeting on Thursday. In reply to his letter, I will now, with your permission, explain what I understand to have passed between us at the Guildhall.