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marriages to be entered into by Protes tant Dissenters, and solemnized by the Protestant teachers of their congregations, as good and valid to all intents and purposes-as such contracts would be, if celebrated by the clergy of the Established Church.' This was signed by individuals holding the highest offices in the Irish Protestant Church at that time; but their opinion was different from that of the Honourable Gentleman. This question was not to be put upon the same footing as the question with respect to the Roman Catholics, or the question as to the right of voting at elections; but it was a question of religious toleration; and two modes had been suggested to alter the law upon this subject, which had been objected to. The one was to alter the Liturgy; the other was to permit the Dissenters to be mar ried by their own clergy. With respect to any alteration of the Liturgy, that would be repugnant to the feelings of the clergy of the Established Church, whose opinions on such a subject, the Hon. and Learned Gentleman thought ought to be regarded. The other mode was objected to, because it was truly said, if you let in the Unitarian Dissenter to the privilege of being married by his own clergyman, other Dissenters will expect a similar boon; and it would be impossible for human ability to form a marriage service to please all. In the earliest times, the solemnization of marriage was not conducted in the presence of a priest. That custom was first introduced in Popish times, and com. menced under Pope Innocent I., and he (Dr. L.) considered, it would be no violation of the religious scruples of the Church of England, to allow the mar riage of Dissenters in the way pointed out by this measure. He would ask, could it be consistent with true piety, that a man should be obliged to utter with his mouth at the altar, that which he abhorred in his heart? Nothing could be more disgraceful than the scenes that had taken place at the marriages of Dissenters. Nothing could be more injuri ous to the character of the Established Church, or to the feelings of its minis. ters, than to be compelled to receive the protests of Dissenters to the established forms of marriage. If it were not trespassing upon the patience of the House, he could state four or five instances where protests had been made in the face of the Church, and at the moment when the marriage ceremony had been about to be solemnized. Parties had openly avowed, "We come here by compulsion; and we repeat a form, which, in our conscience, we repudiate and reject. This form is a violation of our conscience, and we sub.

mit to it only, because, without it, we cannot enjoy a civil right, which ought to be common to all." How preposterous was this; when, from this country, we had but to cross the Tweed, and throw ourselves on the mercy of a blacksmith, or a Methodist, and, when we came back, we had a good and valid marriage, giving our children all the benefits of inheritance, legetimacy, &c., the same as if the marriage had taken place according to the most solemn rites of the Church of England! This shewed the Honourable and Learned Gentleman that the true principle of the Constitution was never to compel the Dissenters to submit to a ceremony revolting from their own principles of conscience. He did not approve of the details of this measure, but he should support the second reading of the Bill. He thought it ought not to be made subsidiary to the performance of secret marriages; neither ought it to give just cause of offence to the clergy of the Established Church. Upon the whole, he conceived the Marriage Law generally was a subject of deep importance to the country at large; but he thought it was impossible to adapt the law to the religious persuasion of every man who took separate objections as to form, according to his own conscience; and, between the Protestants and Catho lics, it would be a great advantage to adopt some measure which might have the effect of conciliating the prejudices of all parties.

Mr. PEEL said, that he would willingly concede to the proposition for going into a Committee on the Bill, in order that the Hon. Mover might have an opportunity of obviating the objections to which it was at present liable. He admitted the truth of the distinction taken in favour of marriage, as compared with other ceremonies. It was a natural right, and therefore stood upon stronger grounds, but he should have felt much more gratified if the Unitarians, after an acquiescence of forty or fifty years in the marriage cercmony of the Church of England, were still prepared to continue that acquiescence. There was, as he conceived, great difficulty in determining to what extent the state ought to admit religious scruples. Some time ago, a class of Christians had felt a scruple against the taking of an oath; and who could judge to what extent religious scruples might go when the individual who felt them must be the only judge of them? It was to be wished that the Bill had been so formed as to allow relief to all Dissenters, for then they would have a general principle before them, and would understand the full extent to which the measure was likely to operate. But so far was this from being

the case, that it did not even provide for the religious scruples of all classes of Unitarians. The Honourable and Learned Gentleman had said that some of the Unitarians objected to marriage by a Priest at all. This Bill afforded no relief to the scruples of such persons; as to the reasonableness of such a scruple, it was not a question for that House to decide, though he feared, that if every man was permitted to select the person by whom he should be married as he pleased, the marriage vow would not be regarded with the same sanctity as at present. The Jews and Quakers were exempted from the performance of the Marriage Cere mony, according to the Church of England; but this Bill did not place the Unitarians on the same footing with them. It required that the publication of banns and the registration of Marriages should take place as usual in the Church of England, so that they would still keep all the advantages of marriage in Church, while they excluded the ceremony itself. Besides, anxious as he was to afford relief to such as really entertained conscientious scruples, he feared that the pretext might be made use of to avoid the regulations intended to prevent clandestine marriages. In Jews and Quakers there were certain external demonstrations, appearances, quod nequeo monstrari, which prevented imposition if it should be attempted. But the same was not the case with the Unitarians. He was persuaded that the House would feel the possibility of religious scruples occurring on the part of the Established Clergy, when they were called upon to register the marriages of persons who did not consider marriage a religious ceremony, and who denied the divinity of our Saviour. Why not at once determine that the Church of England should have nothing to do with the registration any more than with the ceremony? Why not call upon the Unitarian Clergyman to forward the registry of the marriage directly to the proper office, without requiring any other interference? He respected the scruples of the Hon. Gentle man who opposed the motion (Mr. Robertson), but he did not apprehend the same danger to the Church of England. (A laugh.) But he would not oppose the second reading of the Bill, as he wished it to go into a Committee, in order that they might understand the full extent of the principle which they were called upon to legislate.

Lord G. CAVENDISH agreed that it would be right to adopt some means of guarding against clandestine marriages, after which the measure was such as that House, in these enlightened times, ought to protect. So far from weakening the

bond of marriage, it would strengthen it, both in a religious point of view, and as a civil contract.

HOUSE OF LORDS. THURSDAY, APRIL 21. Conduct of Dissenters with regard to Catholic Claims.

The Earl of LIVERPOOL presented a petition against the Catholic Claims from certain Dissenters (as we understood) of Margate.

Lord KING thought it somewhat strange that the Dissenters should stand forward as they had done, against the Catholics, and in support of an Establishment that had never evinced any very kindly feeling towards them. He remembered a great ornament of the Right Reverend Bench saying, that the Catholics were far nearer and dearer to them than the Dissenters. He read au extract from a placard which his Lordship alleged to have been posted up in Nottingham, for the purpose of inflaming the minds of the people against the Catholics. In one part of the placard were these words: "What do these Papists want? Does any one prevent them from worshiping their Gods and Godesses, and all their Saints, and all their Devils?"-This, observed the Noble Lord, shewed the efforts that were now making to excite the public mind upon a question of the highest importance, though it was alleged that no such efforts were made.

Lord HOLLAND presented a petition from the Protestants of the town and neighbourhood of Lewes, in favour of farther concessions to the Roman Catholics. He could not say under what particular denomination of Protestants the petitioners came. He certainly agreed with his Noble Friend in the surprise he had expressed at Nonconformists coming forward to petition against the Catholic Claims; and considered it very unfair on such petitions being presented, to consider an opinion expressed by a few individuals as that of a whole sect. There were several sects called Dissenters, which were not included in any of the divisions of the three great denominations of Dissenters, from whom he had not heard that any petition had yet been received. He had formerly had the honour, and he did think it a very great honour, to present a petition from the three denominations in favour of the Catholic Claims. They might change their mind, but it was too much to infer the opinion of whole bodies from petitions signed by a small number of individuals.

The Bishop of CHESTER held in his

hand a petition against the Catholic Claims, and it was singular that it came from a congregation of one of those denominations to which the Noble Lord had just alluded-namely, the ministers, deacons and congregation of Jewry-Street chapel. As each congregation of the sect to which the petitioners belonged was independent of the rest, he must acknowledge that the opinions of the whole body could not be inferred from what was expressed by one congregation. But the petitioners not only deprecated the removal of the present restrictions on the Roman Catholics, but wished those under which they were themselves placed to remain. They expressed their perfect acquiescence in the present state of things. They desired no change, because they believed that in proportion as the Church of England was made strong, in so much was the interest of the great body of the Protestants secured. He was aware that there might be a difference of opinion among Dissenters on this question, but he firmly believed that great numbers concurred with the petitioners, not only because they believed that they were indebted for their own security to the Church of England, but also because it was their persuasion that with it they enjoyed more freedom than they would under any other system. It was with great satisfaction he presented this petition to their lordships.

Earl GROSVENOR asked what was the number of signatures to the petition?

The Bishop of CHESTER said it was signed by the whole congregation, which was not very numerous.

Lord CALTHORPE observed, that many of the warmest friends of the Church of England supported the Catholic claims on the very ground stated in the petition,namely, the wish of securing the church itself. Believing as he did, that the Dissenters of England had rendered most essential service to the cause of Protestantism, and to civil and religious liberty

believing that they had produced a beneficial re-action on the Church of Englaud, and had greatly contributed to the revival of true religion in this country, he could not but be glad to hear them spoken so favourably of from that bench where not very long since they had been treated in a very different manner. He did not mean this observation to apply to the Right, Rev. Prelate who spoke last, who from his liberality and candour could never be supposed to adopt such a course. He rejoiced however, to see this spirit of cordiality towards the Dissenters; but he could not believe that the great body of that important class of the people were against farther concessions to the Catholics.

The Bishop of CHESTER disclaimed, in the name of his brethren and himself, the compliment of the noble lord. At no time had it been the habit of the bench to which he belonged to speak disrespectfully of Dissenters. If there were an overflow of cordiality towards that body, it was a return due to the fairness and candour which had been experienced. On such an occasion could the clergy of the Church of England be expected to do otherwise than to hold out the right hand of fellowship to their brethren?

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* Two of these publications were in our last list, but we here insert their titles more fully.

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