IRISH STATE-CLERGY.

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other no instruction to the mass of the Irish people. Of course, it is the business of the popish priesthood not to instruct the people; and they do that part of their business most effectually.

The established protestant church in Ireland derives immense revenues from the whole population of the country, without distinction of sects, in the shape of tithes and other sources of income; but, avowedly, confines its instruction to a very small portion of the people. The author entertains but little hope of proselyting Irish papists, while the existing discouragements of the law continue to support the system of the Roman church. Let a wise system of policy abolish all political distinctions among the different religious sects in Ireland, and let the national clergy preach the Gospel faithfully, and no fear need be entertained but that real, evangelical protestantism, will make rapid and effectual headway in that hitherto benighted country.

The writer remarks, that in England there is no national clergyman without some congregation; but in Ireland, many of the established clergy have no congregation whatever; whence a character, merely secular, is impressed upon them, and they are, in effect, little else than decent country gentlemen, acting as justices of the peace, attending upon quarter-sessions, and county meetings, and living, in fact, like decorous laymen. Nay, it is stated, that sometimes these protestant clergymen "accumulate the incongruous honours, the splendid arrayment, the scarlet and the gold, and the glittering steel of a yeomanry captain." We really think that this is pushing the church-militant a little too far.

It is superfluous to ask, if such a clerical system, proceeding thus, is likely to aid the cause of the protestant church, or evangelize papists?

The writer states, that not only no relation subsists between the popish population and the established clergy, but that even the protestant peasantry have little or no intercourse with them, as pastors; so alien from all clerical qualities and attributes are these ec

clesiastical soldiers and magistrates. In some of the most popish parts of Ireland families of protestant peasants are scattered. These, though they may punctually attend the church, and though they may, all their lives long, profess an abhorrence of popery, yet in sickness, in the hour of death, when they look for that consolation, which the prejudices, antipathies, and tialities of this world can no longer bestow, they look only to the popish priest. He is sent for, and the dying man, rather than be without all spiritual aid-for expecting any attendance from the protestant incumbent is out of the question-renounces the religion which, perhaps, he yet prefers, and dies a papist.

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If such be the effect of the absence of every thing clerical in the character of the protestant clergy, what is to be expected, in the way of spiritual good, from the labours of the popish priesthood?

"The religion of the catholic priest is a religion of forms; it is overlaid with ritual and ceremonial observances, with various stated and indispensable matters of sacred routine and forms of prayer. Of these, every day brings its peculiar business and burden, its proper addition to the general mass. These occupy a large portion of time. It is true, they may be slurred over, they may be irreverendly and rapidly disposed of, and from the necessity of the case, this often occurs; but still they are a wonderful incumbrance. They lie heavily upon the man, whose armour should fit him tight; who should be loaded with no unnecessary weight, and embarrassed with no unwieldy apparatus, when he goes forth to the active controversy, and the doubtful combat of both worlds."

With a formal protestant clergy, and a popish priesthood combined, do we marvel at the state of Ireland ?at the abundance of crime, and violence, in a land yet showing the scars of civil war; poor, overtithed, overtaxed, and overrented; and oppressed with burdens; drained by absentees; without religious instruction or moral culture; without industry; and swarming with a most improvident, headlong population? The fol

IRISH CHARACTER.

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lowing powerful description occurs in the able and interesting pamphlet above cited.

"The Irish people can combine many fine qualities of heart and head with dissoluteness and depravity, with fraud and deceit, with an habitual disregard for truth, and frequent violation of the sacred sanction of an oath. Their religion is the observance of a few idle ceremonies, and terror of the priest. Their allegiance is terror of the law. But they have a law and a religion, which is neither of the priest, nor of the constitution and which restrained in its exercise, is strongly enough seated in their hearts, to bid defiance to both. The leading doctrine of this code, like that of the Koran, is, that God is good. That it is right to enjoy the good things of this world, which he has made for the use of all, and which are the common property of mankind; that if prevented by arbitrary laws and regulations, it is right to evade them; that the soil is equally the patrimony of all, and belongs of right, if to any, to those only who till it; that property in the crops is acquired by those whose labour produces them; that the spontaneous product of the earth, which God makes to grow without cultivation, as timber, is free to all. That temptation, like every thing else, is of the appointment of God; that it is natural to man to yield to it, and therefore he will not punish him; that God is not severe, but must intend that they should enjoy what he puts in their way, and that eternal punishment would be disproportioned to any offence that could be committed in this life. Nothing but the strong arm of the state restrains the deluge of calamity, which these notions are calculated to let in upon society. That arm, indeed, stays the mountain-torrent, but sufficient of these wild waters find their way into the vale of society, to render all in this region unsafe and uncomfortable.

The outrages of the Irish peasantry in the years 1821 and 1822, for the avowed purpose of abolishing tithe, tax, and rent, read a very forcible practical com

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POPERY AND PROTESTANTISM.

mentary upon the foregoing description of their character and conduct.

It is quite vain to endeavour to infuse into these misguided people clearer notions of religious truth, of moral obligation, and of social order, by penal statutes, and by martial law. These have been sufficiently tried, both as to duration and to severity.

The only remedy to be found for the deep and deadly evils of Ireland is to be found in the general circulation of the Bible, and in the evangelical preaching of the protestant clergy.

In the reign of Elizabeth, the Irish protestant parishes were twenty-five hundred, and their clergy nearly three thousand, out of a population not amounting to two millions. In 1822, the protestant parishes were eleven hundred, and their clergy thirteen hundred, out of a population reaching seven millions. Then, the papists were scarcely two, now they are fully four to one protestant. Could these terrible results have happened, if the Irish national clergy had averaged a faithful discharge of their duties, as evangelical teachers and pastors?

In a pamphlet on "the state of the nation, at the commencement of the year 1822, considered under the four departments of finance, foreign relations, home department, colonies and board of trade," supposed to be written by one of the cabinet-ministers, Mr. Robinson, president of the board of trade, a sufficiently deplorable picture is drawn of the actual condition of Ireland. Some of the evils which afflict that country, namely, absenteeship, disproportionate rents, defective industry, uneducated poor, illicit distillation, superabundant population, want of employment, &c. are enumerated, and lamented; but are also declared to be, for the most part, beyond the power of the British government to remedy, or even to mitigate.

In Mr. Simpson's "Plea for Religion and the Sacred Writings," there is, doubtless, too much minute intemperance of detail, and too much desultory declamation,

yet the book contains a vast body of alarming truth, and sound remark, upon the prevailing formalism and general carelessness of the clergy of the Anglican church.

Whatever we may think of the discretion, we cannot doubt the sincerity of a man, who, at an advanced period of life, resigned his Church preferment, and cast himself upon the bounty of Providence for a morsel of bread, because he could not conscientiously remain any longer in the establishment. No real Christian can forget his obligations to the author of "A plea for the deity of Jesus, and the doctrine of the Trinity;" book presenting the greatest weight of cumulative evidence in favour of the very foundation principles of our most holy faith, that has ever yet been brought to bear upon religious subjects.

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I cannot refrain from citing a few passages from his "Plea for Religion," in order to show in what spirit the good old man wrote his valedictory to the Church.

My judgment has not been biassed by interest, by connexion, by inclination, or by any human consideration whatever. I have thought much upon the subject; read on both sides of the question whatever has fallen in my way; conversed with various persons for the sake of information; suffered the matter to rest upon my mind for some years undetermined; have never made my fears, suspicion and dissatisfaction known to any man; and when I bring near to myself the thought of quitting one of the most commodious Churches in the kingdom, erected on purpose for my own ministrations; leaving interred by it many a precious deposit, who, I trust, will be my joy and crown in the great day of the Lord Jesus, besides a mother, a wife, two children, and a sister; and giving up various kind friends, whom I love as my own soul, together with a large body of people, that, if it were possible, would have plucked out their own eyes, and have given them to me-what shall I say?

"All that is affectionate within me recoils. I am torn with conflicting passions; and am ready to say