A Letter to the Hierarchy of the Church of England, Against the Union of Small Benefices, in Favour of the Division of Large Benefices

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1834. Excerpt: ... jices; yet I glory to witness the daily progress of our cause, which is comparable to nothing but the emancipation of the negro slave;--that glorious cause which gained by opposition, which the weakness of its advocates could not delay, while the strength of its opponents hastened its success: --and let me apprise the Unionists that if the college of legislators should do them the honour of adopting their prescriptions, they may rest assured that "Our'" objections will that instant cease, and, like the beaten combatant, we shall re-appear, not as adversaries, but as allies; we shall re-appear, "Jam bene exercitis Pugnare viribus," to adopt the recognized principles of church government, and advocate An Extension Of Their Plan: --despicable as we may be in opposition, we shall rise in their estimation when arrayed on their own side: and shall doubtlessly share in the cheers, and plaudits which they now covet, when we ask by what title rich livings are to be exempted from consolidation, by what prerogative and privilege the Crown, the episcopacy, or chapters claim to retain their patronage, when the legislature has decided that small parishes depend for incumbents only upon episcopal pleasure, and private patrons have to thank only episcopal sufferance for their long recognized rights, and their lengthened freedom from interference. The present ministry may be weak enough to imagine that the desire for the late alteration in our representative system was nothing more than the preference of their party to the party of their predecessors: they may feel impatient of those who take the liberty of selecting a standard of reform different from their own; they may feel indignant against that freedom of judgement which leads men to form their estimates of public char...