Note H — AN ADDRESS TO THE CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

In the preceding pages, I have asserted, that the Protestant Church, is unjust, in taking from the poor their portion of church property, which was left them by our charitable Catholic ancestors; nay, that it is also unjust, to exact tithes from those, who do not belong to the Protestant Church of England. Now this bold assertion against the Protestant Church, certainly requires a little explanation. A law may be considered in two points of view, as a law of the land, and as a law of God. Now as the law of tithes in the Protestant Church, is sanctioned by act of parliament, of course the Protestant Church, is justified in exacting these tithes, for it has the law of the land at its back in this respect. But then, the Protestant law of tithes, considered in a moral point of view, is certainly an unjust law. And why? Because it takes from the poor, what was justly left them by our charitable ancestors, and it exacts money from the Catholics and dissenters, without doing any thing to them in return for this money. Thus you see, that the law of man and the law of God, sometimes contradict each other; and this is often the case, in your scriptural Church as by law established. But is not God always above man? Certainly; and therefore the law of God, ought always to have the preference to the law of man. But this subject of Church tithes, reminds me of the famous Dr. Hook of Leeds, who is often writing against the Roman Catholic Church, but slyly never condescends to answer any of her replies. Now, mark well, I am going to prove, even to a demonstration, from the words of Dr. Hook, that the Roman Catholic Church, is really the true Church of Christ in these realms. Well, you will say, if you can do that, Dr. Hook must be a very strange and inconsistent doctor of our Church. Really, do you know, I was just thinking the same. In the year 1832, the Somerset County Gazette informed the public, that Dr. Hook, in a sermon which he preached before the Queen, uttered the following remarkable words: "Were all connection between church and state, at this very moment to cease, the church (that is, the Protestant Church) would remain precisely as she now is; that is to say, our bishops, though deprived of temporal rank, would still exercise all those spiritual functions which, conferred by higher than human authority, no human authority can take away; still to vacant sees they would consecrate new bishops, still ordain the clergy, still confirm the baptized, still govern the church." Such are the famous words of Dr. Hook, in his sermon before the Queen. Now let us see how nicely, they prove the Roman Catholic Church, to be the true Church of Christ in these realms. Whether this prophecy of Dr. Hook respecting the Protestant Church, would be really verified, were his church to be separated from the state, I will not here enquire; but this I will say, it has been already really verified with regard to the Catholic Church in England. For although at the Reformation, the Catholic Church was deprived of all aid from the state, although she was unjustly spoiled of those temporal riches left by her charitable children, and although the exercise of her faith, subjected her followers to the most severe pains and penalties, (which must be for ever a disgrace to this country), still, Catholicity could not be extinguished in these kingdoms; for her bishops "still continued to exercise all those spiritual functions, which, conferred by higher than human authority, no human authority can take away, still, to vacant sees, they consecrated new bishops, still ordained the clergy, still confirmed the baptized, still governed the church." And hence this Catholic Church, notwithstanding all the stormy trials, which she has undergone in England, exists now, and is exactly the same in spiritual power, as she was before the time of the Reformation. If, therefore, Dr. Hook considers that this would be a mark of the true Church of Christ, were it to be verified with regard to his Protestant Church, we may justly infer, according to the Doctor's principle, that the Roman Catholic Church, is the true Church of Christ in these realms. And why? Because the doctor's principle, has been already really verified, with regard to this church in these kingdoms. Really, I begin to think that the famous Dr. Hook of Leeds, must be some relation to Martin Luther; for Martin, even after he had left the Catholic Church, proves, in the following words, that the Roman Catholic Church, was the true Church of Christ. In his book against the Anabaptists, he makes the following candid confession: "Under Papacy are many good things; yea, everything that is good in Christianity. I say, moreover," continues he, "under Papacy is true christianity even the very kernel of christianity." Here we have two doctors of the Protestant Church, leaving, even after they had strained every nerve to overturn this Catholic Church, we have, I repeat, these two Protestant doctors, leaving in their writings to posterity, one by his line of argumentation, and the other by his own words, the most incontestible proofs that the Roman Catholic Church, is really the true Church of Christ, and that her fabric, is adorned with all the rich treasures of christianity. O how true is the declaration of the wise man! (Prov. xxi. 30,) "there is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the Lord."