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The crafty doings of priests.

the existence of the bishops, priests, and the Church system: and when people's eyes were opened to see the real inner life of the Church and its secret object, they destroyed it. The same may be said of the Church of England, for if every thing which is said and done by bishops, church dignitaries, and rich rectors, were put in black and white for all to read it, these officers would be soon expelled by the people; and a new church would be formed, making all livings no less than £200 a year, and none greater than £300 nett per annum. The people are as blind to those men, their secret doings, and motives, as the superstitious Popish Party were to the tricks of the Popish bishops and priests before the Reformation.

When St. Patrick was baptizing Ossian, his assistant young priest, who had owed the convert catechumen a grudge, stuck a three-pronged spear, emblematic of the Trinity, into his foot, and Ossian held it in his hand while his foot bled profusely. "Why, what is up, Ossian?" asked St. Patrick-"why, you are bleeding to death! oh! why did you not pull that spear out of your foot?" "I thought," answered Ossian, "that all this, with even my death, was my blessed lot in your hands, and that it was a part of my baptism." "It was indeed a holy accident," cried the crafty young priest, "for in sticking the spear into the ground to signify that his sins were buried, God so directed it, I see, as to come upon his foot. He has the honour of being a living martyr for the Church, whose seed is his blood, which has sealed his water baptism."

Many poor creatures are ruined by having religion acted on them. This is done for the purpose of

The overthrow of the Church unavoidable.

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taking away their reason, independence, and liberty. Bishops and Church dignitaries contrive to hoodwink the masses, by laying deep schemes which can never be seen through, just as much as the young priest deceived and injured Ossian, and as much as Father Patriarch Simeon and priest Levi injured the bodies of the Shechemites, by the religious rite of circumcision, when they weakened them for slaughter.

Considering that the Bishops do not bring a Bill into Parliament for altering the state of things in the Church; considering there is no Church Reform Society yet formed; and that the Church Defence Institution exists entirely for the purpose of preventing any alteration or reform from being made in the worldly affairs of the Church: any thinking, unprejudiced mind must admit that there is ground for the “ Liberation Society," for making a strong case against the Church; and that there is ground for justifying its action, on the plea that there is no other or better remedy in existence for rooting out of the Church the evils and abuses with which God Almighty has no connection whatever, unless we make him the author of evil. But it was the devil that sowed the tares among the wheat.

If we are to let both grow together, I claim to be excused for distinguishing them from each other, that people may know which of them they should eat. In either case, the tares must be pulled up at last, even if left until the day of judgment. So we had better cut away at the roots in time in order to make the task easy for the delicate, refined angels.

I have now, reader, fully and fearlessly put matters

264 The farewell upon Church Reformation.

before you in their full and true light, in order to show you how much the Church wants Reforming. I have shewn to you how the poor Vicars are treated, and I have acquainted you with the terrible state of affairs in disendowed Churches. You are a party to all that is bad in its worldly affairs unless you try, as I have done, to root the evils out of it. It is reform alone that I advocate, and not disestablishment, or disendowment. What ought to be done is to re-distribute the Church revenues, so as to enable every Vicar and Curate to have his wants. And things should be so altered that a chance should be left for every man to get a higher position by a competitive examination in knowledge and learning, or by being chosen by the people, as I have shewn. I say every minister of religion ought to have £200 a year at least, whether as an endowment, or as a reliable payment from voluntary sources, so long as he continues to be a satisfactory character, by doing nothing contrary to the law of the land.

Thanking every subscriber, especially my good Bishop and Patron, and hoping that the day is not far distant when every man can obtain any position in the Church or State, whether becoming a well-endowed Rector, or being made a magistrate, by his merits, as shewn by a competitive examination in knowledge and learning, I will wish you, for the present, FAREWELL.

FINIS.

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