"Ye Popish blockheads, mitred Cambridge cries,
Begone; I and my friends alone are wise,
Rich with the spoils of Babylon, 'tis fit
That we should claim monopoly of wit."
Well, among the great diffusion of biblical knowledge, which has been so gloriously spread among the people by your Scriptural Church, as by Law established, I happened one day fortunately to hear, that you Reverends often told the people, that there was a golden and heavenly rule in the Scriptures, viz.:—that they were never to do unto others, what they would not wish others to do unto them. Now we cannot for a moment suppose, that like spiritual guide-posts, you would wish to inculcate this golden rule to others, and not follow it yourselves. Well then, you have been lately trying to arouse the indignation of the people, by informing them in the most dignified manner, that the Pope of Rome has just made a most "extraordinary, and presumptuous movement" on the Protestants of England. Now what shall we say, if it turn out, that you and your Reverend Protestant ancestors, have for a long time been making a "most extraordinary, and presumptuous movement" on the pockets, and on the intellects of Englishmen?
Let us then proceed to examine coolly, and calmly, the above points. I will endeavour, most Reverend Gentlemen, to discuss these points with as much temper, and forbearance as I possibly can. But, you must remember, that you and many of your Reverend body, have been endeavouring to convict, without ceremony, the numerous and respectable Catholic body of England, of the crimes of wishing to extend their popish spiritual and temporal domination over the Protestants of England. For this purpose, your zealous and Reverend body have, with pious industry, raked together the filth of ancient controversy, and poured it without mercy on the heads of Catholics, and on that Church, of which it is my pride to be a minister. Now, Reverend Gentlemen, you, who deal so copiously in hard words, certainly ought not to complain, if you should happen sometimes, to meet with them in return. If you demand respect from others, you ought certainly to respect a more numerous body of Christians, (I mean the Catholic Christian world,) who have no reason to think themselves, your inferiors in talent, learning, or judgment. Well then, let us now proceed to the discussion of the above two points.
Most Reverend Gentlemen, in a book (but mind not the Scripture) called the extraordinary Black Book, published in London in the year 1831, by Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, I find the following statement of the income of the Church of England as by Law established. Of course, I am aware, that certain changes have been made by Government (since the publication of the above book) as to the amount of individual incomes, but the aggregate sum is still absorbed by the Protestant Church, as by Law established. Well then, in the above-mentioned, extraordinary Black Book, I find the various incomes of the Church of England there stated, and would you believe it! they form a sum of money, TO THE TUNE of nine millions, four hundred and fifty-two thousands, five hundred and sixty-five pounds per annum.
Now let us see, how well the Bishops, and Archbishops of the Reformation, have thriven on the above spiritual food. The following is an extract from the probate duty returns, and of course, must be real testimony as to the worth of these poor in spirit children, when they awoke "in that undiscovered country, from whose bourne no traveller returns."
EXTRACT FROM PROBATE OF WILLS.
| £ | |
| Stopford, Bishop of Cork, left his family | 25,000 |
| Percy, Bishop of Dromore | 40,000 |
| Cleaver, Bishop of Ferns | 50,000 |
| Bernard, Bishop of Limerick | 60,000 |
| Knox, Bishop of Killaloe | 100,000 |
| Fowler, Archbishop of Dublin | 150,000 |
| Beresford, Archbishop of Tuam | 250,000 |
| Porter, Bishop of Clogher | 250,000 |
| Hawkins, Bishop of Raphoe | 250,000 |
| Agur, Archbishop of Cashel | 400,000 |
| Bishop Warburton | 500,000 |
Now just add up the above items, and then, you will see that these Protestant Bishops and Archbishops, after maintaining themselves, their wives and families, left behind them, according to the probate duty returns, no less than the enormous sum of two millions and seventy-five thousand pounds sterling. Really, when these mammon-godly souls entered the gates of heaven, with all these paraphernalia of gold, how amazed must the celestial inmates have been! They would wonder whence these golden spirits came, but of this they would be convinced, that they must have come from the land of the living, and had certainly piously reformed the words of the Scripture, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," and really verified the words of my text, "What a marvellous project is faith, and a merry jest withal!"
So far, Reverend Gentlemen, I think the people will begin to conclude, that your Reverend body has, for some time, been making a most "extraordinary and presumptuous movement" on the pockets of Englishmen, and would to heaven! I could stop here. But I must now show the people of England, that your Protestant Church as by Law established, is receiving more money by four hundred and fifty-three thousands, five hundred and sixty-five pounds, than all the other Christian churches in the whole world. The above extraordinary Black Book, gives a scale of the comparative expenses of the Church of England, and of all the other Christian churches in the whole world. Now by this scale, it is shown that the total income of all the Christian churches in the various parts of the world, is eight millions nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand pounds; and the above scale shows, that the income of the Church of England, is nine millions, four hundred and fifty-two thousands, five hundred and sixty-five pounds. Now, if you will just place the smaller of these under the larger number, and subtract the one from the other, you will see that the income of the Protestant Church in England, exceeds the total income of all the other Christian churches in the whole world, by four hundred and fifty-three thousands, five hundred and sixty-five pounds. Oh, mighty England! thou boastest, and justly, that thy majestic fleet rides on the waves, the triumphant mistress of the seas; and thou mayest also as truly, but not so justly, boast, that thy Scriptural Church, as by Law established, rides triumphant on the golden waves of mammon, and that she is really mistress of the world, in point of mammon; she is truly the grand and golden emporium of clerical incomes. Oh, how justly may the ministers of this Church, address her, as their golden calf, in these words of the Scripture, "Where thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; and thy people shall be my people." (Ruth i. 16.) "Yea! and we will kill the fatted calf, and slay the rams, and make merry." (Prov. v. 9.)
But you will reply, we got all this money from you papists. Yes, courteous clerks, to the honour of the Catholic Church be it said, that all this money was left by our charitable ancestors; and I will now judge you from your own mouths. Mind and mark it well, that in the Catholic times of old England, the above sums of money were divided into three parts: one for the maintenance of the clergy, the second for the repair of the churches, and the third for the support of the poor. In those good old Catholic times, there were no church-rates, nor poor-rates. But your god-like church as by law established, thought it more just, or at least convenient, to pocket herself the whole of the above sum, and to leave to the public the charitable office, of providing for the other two purposes. Really, Most Reverend Gentlemen, I candidly appeal to you, if this was not "a most extraordinary and presumptuous movement" of your clerical ancestors on the pockets of the people; and really, must not people of the present day think it "a most extraordinary and presumptuous movement" on the part of you Reverend Gentlemen, to continue these pious frauds, and godly practices of your ancestors? In this, at least, you fully observe the commands of the Scripture, "Remove not the landmark of thy forefathers." Oh ye poor! (whom I sincerely love for the sake of my Saviour,) when I enter your hovels, where sickness, misery, and want meet together, and witness the scenes of distress that are passing there;—when I see a few handfuls of dying embers, that are calculated rather to starve you, than afford you the necessary comforts of warmth;—when I see the bed of wretchedness, on which you cast your wearied limbs;—when I view the tattered clothes, which scarcely cover you decently, much less protect you from the inclemency of the weather;—when I behold your pale and sickly countenances, that bespeak the poorness and scarcity of your food;—when I view your poor little children, begging in vain, with tears of artless innocence, a morsel of bread to satisfy the cravings of hunger;—when I witness scenes of this heart-rending description, (scenes which are not very uncommon now-a-days), the charity of our Catholic ancestors, and the inhumanity of your Church as by law established, rush vividly on my mind, and call to my recollection the words of our Saviour, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess ye the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil, and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in; naked, and you covered me not; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least," (namely the poor), "neither did you do it to me." (St. Matt. xxv. 34 to 45.) Oh how strikingly does the first part of this sacred passage apply to our charitable Catholic ancestors? But shall I apply the second part to you, or your Protestant ancestors? Oh! heaven forbid I should! I say with the great St. Paul, I judge no man; but charity for you, and the poor, induce me to entreat of you, and to ask of God to give you His grace, to commence a real reform in your church property, for the sake of the poor, and to restore to the poor, what your Protestant ancestors so unjustly took from them.