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safe principles of voluntaryism. A compunctious feeling does appear to have visited Lord Glenelg when he reflected that he, his colleagues, and above all his royal master, were still, in principle, members of the Church of England; and he puts in some words expressive of his desire that that Church may continue to meet with the greatest proportion of public favour; but the measure which he was at the time promoting was so manifestly against her welfare, that we may regard his affected attachment as adding insult to injury. We have not space for the correspondence. It is to be found entire in the appendix to Mr. Burton's work, and admirably commented upon in the body of the book. We cannot envy the feelings either of Sir Richard Bourke or of Lord Glenelg as they read Mr. Justice Burton's calm and temperate, though striking exposure of their traiterous proceedings.

The principle of the measure thus proposed was to extend equal support to "the three grand divisions of Christianity," viz., the "Churches of England, Scotland, and Rome;" in other words, to establish three churches in the colony instead of one. But why were other communions excluded? Members of dissenting congregations pay their proportion of taxes, and therefore come within Sir Richard's money-principle of " "providing the fund from which distribution is made." An unfair use is made of the numbers of the dissenters: so long as the Church of England is to be the object of attack they are ostentatiously paraded, but when the "equitable footing" principle comes to be applied, they are thrown overboard, as not belonging to any of "the grand divisions of Christianity."

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"It was not proposed to extend equal support to any of those denominations of Protestants who dissent from the National Church, although these are equally within the pecuniary principle, since they were part of the colonists who provide the funds from which this distribution is made;' and these had surely a superior claim, upon every constitutional principle, to that of the Church of Rome, if the support of religious institutions were intended to be placed upon what is termed an equitable footing.' Religionists of all denominations are included as 'persons who provide the funds, but derive no support from their religious institutions;' as persons who at the public meeting for a reduction of the expenditure for the support of the Church pray 6 of England,' as swelling the amount of the disproportion of the sums annually granted to the Church of England; but when a new distribution is to be made, it is remarkable that they are not included.”p. 54, 55.

What then is the notable scheme which is dignified by Lord Glenelg with the title of PUBLIC RELIGION, and which Sir

Richard Bourke somewhat humourously describes as "laying the foundations of the Christian religion in the young and rising colony" of New South Wales: in which young and rising colony, be it observed, there existed at the time an archdeacon and fifteen clergy of the Church of England, several ministers of the Church of Scotland, a vicar-general and six Roman Catholic priests, and Dissenting ministers of various denominations! The scheme is simply this: the Church of England is no longer to be recognized as the Established Church, but is, together with the Kirk of Scotland and the Church of Rome, to depend for its support on the voluntary contributions of its members, aided in proportion to their numbers by grants from the Colonial treasury. The parochial arrangement which was contemplated by the founders of the colony, and expressly recognized in the royal charter, is at once superseded, and it is enacted

"That wherever there are one hundred adults (convicts included) who shall sign a paper stating their desire to attend a church or chapel, towards the building of which not less than 2007. shall have been subscribed, the governor shall be empowered to advance from the colonial treasury an annual sum of 100%. for the maintenance of the minister; if two hundred adults, 150l. yearly, and if five hundred, 2001., which it is declared shall be the highest stipend to be issued from the colonial treasury towards the support of any one officiating minister of religion."-p. 56, 57.

The scheme itself is full of contradictions and blunders. In one clause religionists of all denominations are included; in another, a limitation is made to members of " the three grand divisions;" in a third, the will of the governor is to be taken. for law, and he is empowered to alter or add to, or to modify its provisions, as he may think proper. It is evidently framed upon a most accommodating principle, so as to be applicable to any new circumstances of expediency as they may arise, and to fit any new class of sectarians which, springing up on the hot-bed of dissent, may become powerful enough to act upon the Government. We wish to direct attention particularly to that clause which gives "convicts" the privilege of signing the Minister's testimonials. It is a curious provision; and at first sight strikes us as a covert ridicule of the whole affair-as a sly insinuation against religion itself. But there is design, and deep design, in the enactment. At the period when the Act was passed and for some time previously, Roman Catholic influence had been working principally on the colony; the Government offices were being daily filled with members of that Church-the AttorneyGeneral was of that persuasion-and they who watched the signs of the times were aware that Romanism was in the ascendant at

Government-house, and overshadowed Downing-street. The Act itself was passed with an especial object to the advancement of the Roman Catholic Church: but it happened that the members of that Church as yet had no hold on the property or respectability of the colony; they were to be found principally among the convicted felons. “The equitable footing" principle, therefore, would have entirely failed, had free men only been permitted to sign this certificate. Hence the anomaly in modern legislation of giving to persons civilly dead and morally hostile to religion the right of exercising an influence on the most important matter connected with the well-being of a state -the national faith. The absurdity would be self-evident were the principle applied to any other branch of legislation. It is only when statesmen consider all religions equally true or equally false, that they suffer convicted felons to become the medium of providing for the community those religious means which practically they set at nought. We are far from thinking that religion ought not to be brought home to the convict; but it is the duty of the Government to provide it for him-not his duty to sit in judgment upon forms and creeds, and to exercise an influence either for or against the Established Church of the land.

Thus degraded from her position, reduced to the condition of a sect among sects, her ministers from habit, from feeling, from principle, unable to enter the field and canvass convicts for their votes, signatures, and good opinions, a vital blow, it was thought, was struck against the Church of England. But, alas! for the wisdom of the framers of unjust measures! Good sprang out of the evil, and the Church of England, cramped and confined by the previous neglect of Government, immediately manifested gratifying proofs that she was living in the affections of the great majority of the colonists. Aided in her objects by the munificence of the Societies for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, her energies, directed by the zealous and judicious Bishop that Providence had allowed to preside over her in an eventful hour, she was enabled to testify to the world with how great injustice she had been treated by Sir Richard Bourke, when her crying entreaties for labourers in the vineyard of the Lord had been so repeatedly and cruelly disregarded. Churches and congregations appeared in every quarter of the colony, and the cry was the universal cry of the Church-"More Clergymen." In 1833, the clergy amounted to sixteen; in 1839, to thirtythree; since increased to forty-one; and still the want is pressingly felt. "The simple fact that so many as forty-two churches had been subscribed for in various parts of the colony, and that

no less than four additional Churches are absolutely wanted in Sydney itself, for every one of which congregations are prepared, abundantly established the position," that the Church of England had not been fairly treated in the years preceding the passing of the Act.

These are gratifying circumstances; and, so far, causes of "fervent gratitude to Him who thus turned the hearts of men to His service," and the working out of his designs. It should, however, be borne in mind that--

"The good was not unattended with evil, in the more than equal supply of those who are regarded by every sincere Protestant as teaching for doctrines the traditions of men. It were an unwelcome task to give utterance to opinions in disparagement of that measure, if it were the necessary foundation of so much good as has undoubtedly ensued. A little reflection, however, will show that the good might have been produced by other means, whilst the evil is all its own." p.61.

The rapid and sudden advance of Romanism in New South Wales must fill every sincere Protestant with feelings of apprehension and grief; and truly do we wish that it were not our duty to ascribe it all to the soi-disant Protestant Government of our country. We have abundant evidence in Mr. Justice Burton's book of "the palmy'state" to which Sir Richard Bourke has advanced the Church of Rome.

"The principle of the support afforded by the Government to ministers of religion, which depends upon the number of signatures obtained by or on behalf of the particular minister, of persons expressing a desire to attend his church or chapel, is also highly favourable to the Roman Catholic clergy, as it admits of the signatures of convicts for this purpose, and by the subscription of one hundred adult persons, one hundred a year may be obtained from the treasury; by that of two hundred persons, one hundred and fifty pounds a year; and even if there be not so many as one hundred persons, one hundred pounds a year may be obtained for a clergyman. Either sum, it must be admitted, is not so inadequate a stipend for a Roman Catholic clergyman, who is necessarily by his vows without those natural ties which occasion the chief expense of a Protestant household, as it is for a Protestant.

"The clergy of the Church of Rome are, as may be expected, most forward to take advantage of all these circumstances in their favour; and it will not be a matter of surprise, if from among the ignorant, and especially the convicts, many professors of their religion are obtained. The influence of the "Sisters of Charity" over the female convicts confined in the factory (or penitentiary) at Parramatta, and which began to be strongly felt at the time the writer of these observations left the colony, may be expected to end in that result; and that their numerous illegitimate children will be baptized into the Church of

Rome.

"Additional Roman Catholic churches are in progress of erection in

many parts of the colony, at Windsor, at Goulburn, at Yass, at the Tumat River, and on the Banks of the Murrimbidgee. For these purposes their funds are derived from other sources than the donations of their adherents in the colony.

"Very few of these are amongst its landed proprietors; but the Roman Catholic establishment derives, it is believed, no inconsiderable portion of its support from the zealous members of that Church out of the colony, and that not in the United Kingdom alone, but in other parts of the world.”

As a specimen of the qualifications of the popish priests of Australia, the convict-elected voluntaries, we subjoin a letter written by one Father Brady, a brilliant emeralder, to a gentleman who had declined subscribing for a popish chapel. We present it to our readers precisely as it stands in the original, so far as regards orthography and punctuation; but for the sake of illustration we have printed a variety of words in italics, not underscored in the original:

"Penrith June the 9th 1838.

"SIR,-Educated in france & haveing lived with men of good feellings, accustomd. to observe the rules of Society. I was not a little surprised at the strange reception you gave me last Thursday when I done myself the plesure to waite on you for your liberal subscription tow-wards the erection of the R. C. Chapel at Penrith you might have perceived. the great reserve made in answering your unbecoming observations on account of the place and circumstances it was in your own house in presence of your aimable & respectable family I made a sacrifice of my own rather than hurt their feellings were Ĭ to answer you ad rem I always considered it a very unbecoming if not a very presumptious think on the part of a Lay man to expatiate on the Bible in presence of a R C Clergyman who received a special education and a regular mission ad hoc as for the subscription Sollicited in behalf of the R C Servents under your Controol I think 1 have done my duty and an act of Justice and that you have been deficient in both by not Subscribing to the erection of a plac of worship for them.

"I have the Honor to be your obedt. and humble servant
"Jo BRADY RCC"

Let our readers contrast the picture of the Popish Bishop, in his canonicals, surrounded by a train of priests and a band of soldiers, with the unostentatious manner in which the first Protestant Bishop landed in the colony, without pomp or parade, unattended by one single clergyman, and looked upon by the Government with undissembled coldness. Bishop Broughton, at the time he was in England, met with no favour from the Colonial Secretary: his urgent applications for an increase of the Established Church were treated with neglect—and wearied out by fruitless efforts he returned to the colony downcast and dispirited; and confiding alone in the Providence of God he

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