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to which we earnestly desire to direct the attention of our readers. They certainly exhibit their spirit of conciliation in consistency with their principles, in strong contrast with Roman Catholic bigotry. With regard to the version of the Scriptures from which their lessons were taken, they say,

"We have adopted that version from a well founded belief of its accuracy: still if the objections to our compilation are confined to its having been taken exclusively and verbatim from the Protestant version, and to the possibility thence arising of passages being found in it at variance with the authentic version of the Romish Church, we are disposed, as far as our obligations as ministers of the Established Church, responsible to the supreme authority of the state will permit us, to meet such objections with the utmost candour, and with the largest allowances. You will be pleased to observe, that the point on which we mainly insist is an adequate representation of revealed truth being exhibited to the youthful mind in the way of national instruction-a representation not resting for its basis on the declaration of any particular Church, or set of men, but on the warrant of the written word of God. This, Sir, is the ground taken by the Bishops of the Established Church. Entertaining these sentiments, and deeply impressed with a sense of our responsibility as the guardians of the national religion, and superintendents of national instruction, we suggest to your Board the propriety of obtaining from the Roman Catholic prelates, previous to the reception of any new proposal, an explicit answer as to their willingness or unwillingness to recommend the use of our compilation in the national schools, with such modification as may be agreed upon. But it must be obvious to every unbiassed mind, that until the principles upon which our book is formed have been recognized, it will be a mere waste of time to enter into detailed discussion respecting particular alterations."

A letter bearing date the 14th April, 1827, was forwarded to Dr. Murray, expressing a desire to have an explicit answer upon this point, and enclosing an extract from the communication of the Protestant Bishops, and it drew out an answer which closed the correspondence, and put an end to all ideas which the Commissioners might have entertained, of procuring a work in which all might agree, as the basis of united general instruction. Dr. Murray, in his reply of the 19th, after saying,

"I did hope that you would be saved the trouble of making farther enquiry, as all reasonable ground of doubt appeared to me to be removed by my letter of the 17th of July, and 26th December, last year,"

Adds,

"I will avail myself of this opportunity to express an opinion, which you will not, I am sure, consider at variance with that respect which I sincerely entertain for the Board of Education Inquiry. It is, that the Board has created for itself a very needless difficulty, by requiring as a matter of necessity any scriptural compilation to be used in schools, for the purpose of general instruction."

Here, indeed, the matter is brought to its conclusion, and it appears that the Roman Catholic prelates repented of their concession contained in the minute of 8th January, and were determined to withhold their assent from admitting any thing scriptural, or looking like Scripture, into the schools of general instruction. They have enabled the public in England and Ireland to form a judgment; and that judgment must be, that they fear the Bible-they have an enmity to the Scriptures-they love the darkness better than the light; let them say why?

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It gives us much pleasure to observe that the Commissioners unanimously agreed with the principle laid down by the prelates of the Established Church, "that an adequate representation of revealed truth should be exhibited to the youthful mind in the way of national instruction." They say,

"In this principle we have throughout most fully concurred, and have earnestly laboured to give it effect."

They must consequently have unanimously disapproved of the principle of the Roman Catholic prelates, who at the end were brought to speak out and object to any scriptural compilation being used in schools for the purpose of general instruction. Every day's enquiry will prove more and more that the Roman is an unscriptural Church, and that her supporters must endeavour to keep back every portion of that book, the light of which will expose her errors. We feel assured that in this respect the Church of Rome is unchangeable, and that her prelates and clergy now, are of the same opinion as the Bishops of Bononia, whose advice to Pope Julius III., A.D. 1553, was quoted by a speaker at a late meeting-"That he labour with all his might, that as little as possible of the Gospel, especially in the vulgar tongue, may be read in the cities under his dominion, that that very little which is wont to be read in the mass may be sufficient, and that no mortal man may be permitted to read more of it. For as long," say they, "as men were content with that little, your affairs succeeded according to your wish, which began to decline to the contrary as soon as men took upon them to read more. In brief, this is the book which hath raised the tempests and storms with which we are tossed; and the truth is, if any man shall diligently consider that book, and shall take a view of the things done in our Church, he will see that there is a vast difference between them, and that our doctrine is not only altogether different from that, but, which is more, is often contrary to it."

So far we have found the five Commissioners unanimous ; they have agreed in abandoning any attempt to carry their proposed plans into effect; they have agreed in exonerating the Protestant Church from all blame as to the failure of the experiment, and consequently they have agreed in laying all the blame upon the Roman Catholic prelates, who have receded from the principles they assented to in the conference of the 8th January, 1825; but in the conclusion of the Report, we find the Commissioners divided, and chiefly upon two points-1st, as to their opinion respecting the plan which the Board recommended in their first Report, and 2dly, as to the hope which they indulge as to the probable success of any future plans. Mr. F. Lewis, Mr. Grant, and Mr. Blake say—

"In the interval which has elapsed since the presentation of our first Report, our attention has been closely fixed upon the means of effecting that object; and we have seen nothing which has induced us to change the general opinions we expressed in that Report, although many difficulties have presented themselves to our notice, which threatened to oppose serious obstacles in the way of the detailed execution of our plan."

We are not surprised that these three gentlemen should feel a

parental affection for their child, and should be very unwilling to give it up, and if forced to give it up, should be disposed to throw the blame upon those who opposed it, rather than upon the nature of the plan itself; but really when they have been so overcome by difficulties in limine as to have been obliged to abandon the experiment entirely, then to talk of "difficulties threatening to oppose serious obstacles in the way," is rather lu-. dicrous. Knocking a man in the head, and forcing him to go right about, is rather an Irish way of "threatening to oppose se rious obstacles" in the way of his progress.

They also say,

Although we failed in the attempt to combine religious with literary instruction to the extent originally contemplated by us, we still think that object may, to a limited extent, be effected."

As we proceeded through the Report, we did really wonder at the invincible perseverance of the Commissioners; but our astonishment at these three gentlemen exceeds expression, and we are totally at a loss for the grounds upon which they have formed their opinion. Did not the Roman Catholic Bishops expressly tell them that they had created needless difficulty for themselves by requiring any scriptural compilation to be used in schools for general instruction? What the Roman Catholics seem determined upon is never to allow a combination of religious and literary instruction.

To the other two Commissioners, Mr. L. Foster and Mr. Glasford, we feel deeply indebted for their valuable letter, expressing their dissent from their colleagues. They honestly state that they hold different opinions with regard to the plan originally proposed by the Board.

"The plan for education suggested in our first Report, proceeded upon the assumption of certain conditions, two of which we regarded as essential, and without which we thought, and continue to think, that the remainder of it ought not to be adopted. The first of these was the admission of certain books into the schools of general instruction: and the second, that the whole measure was to receive the concurrence and assistance of the Roman Catholic clergy."

They consider the final Report of the Commissioners as putting an end to all hope of books, and the resolutions of the Roman Catholic prelates, on the 23d January, 1826, as putting an end to all hope of the co-operation of the Roman Catholic cler

gy.

But they further confess with much candour, that these two were not the only difficulties in the way.

"We have observed, during the two last years, indications of public opinion in various quarters, sufficient to satisfy us that neither from the clergy of the Established Church, nor from the Presbyterians, nor from any considerable portion of the laity, could we have obtained that co-operation in the plan which would have been indispensably necessary for its success,"

We are much gratified with the following sentiments on the value of local patronage—

"The importance of an active co-operation on the part of local patrons of schools can scarcely be overrated. We are convinced that without such support no compulsory measure could be attempted with the least hope of permanent advantage."

It was our original objection to the plan proposed in the first Report, that it appeared to us to lay aside local patronage, (vid. vol. 1, p. 150.) and we rejoice to find these two excellent Commissioners sanctioning our view of the case. They make some very important observations upon the principles which should regulate any future experiment. They still recommend united education, freed from any attempts at proselytism, and they protest most justly against any class of persons being forced to teach, or patronize the teaching any creed inconsistent with their

own.

But perhaps the most important practical suggestion they give is as to the evil of intruding any system by which any existing societies which now supply the means of good should be destroyed.

"Any plan for compelling all the varieties of schools to give way to one inflexible form, would, in our opinion be a great mistake. We feel strongly that the unexampled improvement which has taken place within a short period, in the education of the peasantry of Ireland ought to be duly appreciated, before any of the means by which it has been produced shall be destroyed or endangered. We have stated in our second Report that there are at present in Ireland no fewer than 11,823 schools, a greater number, perhaps, than is to be found for the same extent of population in any other country; and though we lament that many of them still supply instruction of a very objectionable nature, we see with the utmost satisfaction the rapid improvement which has been already effected in their character. About twenty years ago the Scriptures, as we are led to believe, were not read in so many as 600 schools in Ireland, while at present, as we have ascertained and stated in our second Report, they have found their way into 6,058 daily schools, independent of 1,945 Sunday schools, in all into about 8,000 schools. This great amelioration in the education of the Irish peasantry is still in progress, and can perhaps now be checked by no means less powerful than such an interference on the part of the State as would be calculated to counteract it. While, therefore, we are ready to promote the trial of any experiment that may suggest new means of usefulness, or which may, perhaps, be more fitted for some districts hitherto less accessible than others, we cannot too strongly express our opinion, that any such experiment ought to be considered only as an accompaniment to those means which experience has approved to be useful, and not as leading to the suppression of any tried instrument of good."

We most cordially thank Messrs. Foster and Glasford for these sentiments, and for having boldly come forward to state them. We trust that not only the character of the persons who have expressed them, but the good sense which they exhibit, will commend them to the attention of the Legislature, and that whilst such manifest improvement is going forward, Government will be cautious of introducing any measures of experiment which may interrupt the movements of the present machinery.

We have now seen the conclusion of the Commission of Education Inquiry, and have learned a lesson from it which may long be useful to us, that is, never to allow ourselves to entertain any fear about the progress of the Lord's work. When the first report of the Commissioners came out, we remember well the forebodings and the fears that were almost universal among those engaged in education. We have seen the end, and whilst no

evil has been done in a practical way, for nothing has been done, a most important and invaluable benefit has been conferred in putting us in possession of such a mass of information as never could have been acquired in any other way. We feel ourselves largely indebted to the Commissioners generally for their industry, ability, and exertion, whilst we feel assured that there are some individuals amongst them to whom we are more particularly indebted. Their reports have furnished more incontestible evidence of the existing nature and genius of the Roman Catholic religion, than any work extant; and we only regret that the information on that interesting subject lies mixed up in such a mass of other matter, as will make it comparatively useless to the greater number of readers. As long as Ireland exists, the Reports of this Commission will form a most valuable accession to the libraries of the Politician and the Divine.

We feel, in conclusion, bound to express our gratitude to that gracious Providence that has brought so much light out of darkness, and has overruled so much threatened evil to the production of so much positive good.

1. A Reply to Dr. Drummond's Essay on the Doctrine of the Trinlty, in a Letter to the Author, by Alexander Carson, A. M.-Dublin, Carson and Knox, pp. 152.

2. Unitarianism Unmasked, or the " Unitarian's Creed," as given in a Pamphlet recently published by William Hamilton Drummond, D. D., proved to be inconsistent with itself, and opposed to Reason, Common Sense, and the plainest Precepts of Scripture; and the Doctor's Belief in the Doctrine of Purgatory, or the total Annihilation of the Soul, plainly shewn from his own Language.-By Philip Dixon Hardy.-Dublin, 1827. pp. 102.

3. A Scriptural Refutation of Unitarianism, in reference to a late Pamphlet by William Hamilton Drummond; with many additional Arguments for the Divinity of our Saviour.-By Daniel Bagot, A. B.-Dublin, 1827. pp. 55.

4. Unitarianism and the Infallible Church Exposed, by a Layman of the Church of England, in a few Remarks on Drummond's Essay on the Trinity, and on the Doctrinal View of E. M. Esq. a Lay Unitarian.-- Dublin, 1827. pp. 63.

From the pamphlets whose titles we have placed at the head of this article, the reader will perceive that the advocates of “the faith once delivered to the Saints," have accepted Dr. Drummond's challenge, and issued in the panoply of truth through the portal of a free press' and it is not the least interesting part of the controversy, that of the four pamphlets written against Dr. Drummond's heresy, three of them are by laymen. We rejoice at this; it is the best sign of an healthy and vigorous Church constitution when laymen interest themselves in such discussions, nor can we fear the spread of the doughty Doctor's opinions, when such laymen as Mr. Hardy and his coadjutors are ready to meet him, notwithstanding his high pretensions, and to prove them to be "false and hollow. We are not surprised that his pamphlet should have been current for some time without an answer. Those who were acquainted with their Bibles, turned with indignation from so weak an attempt at

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