A Monthly Journal,

THE subject of those called Church-rates being now, we are glad to say, one to which the public mind is much turned, with an increasing desire for their abolition, it may be interesting to our readers to have before them some details of the origin of this impost. Most of us know that in the early ages of the Christian church the funds provided for its use were from the free offerings of the people. The apostolic records are clear on this point, as also are the ecclesiastical writings of the succeeding centuries. The distribution of these offerings in the time of the apostles, appears to have been chiefly for the maintenance of the widows and the poor, and they were dispensed by the deacons; subsequently it was undertaken by the bishops, the mode of distribution being, however, well defined. Gelasius, bishop of Rome, referring, in the year 470, to the offerings of the people, gives directions on this subject, and expressly inculcates that they should be applied for the bishop and clergy of the diocese, for the poor, and for the repairs of the church fabrics. One of the articles of the council of Orleans, held by direction of Clovis, A.D. 511, recognizes a similar division; it runs thus-"That any benefactions bestowed on the church by a prince of the blood shall be appropriated in repairing the church, supporting the poor clergy, maintaining the poor, and ransoming captives." About a century later we have the testimony of Augustine on this question. Augustine, as most of our readers know, was a zealous man in the church, and was sent by Gregory, bishop of Rome, on the important mission of introducing Christianity among our Saxon forefathers. In the course of his mission he had occasionally to consult the bishop of Rome on subjects of moment; one of these was as to the right distribution of the voluntary offerings of the people. To which the bishop thus replied:-"All emoluments which accrue, are to be divided into four portions; one for the bishop and his family, because of hospitality and entertainments; another for the clergy; a third for the poor; and fourth for the repair of the

churches."

VOL. XVII.

We have been the more desirous to advert to the authorities of Gelasius, the council of Orleans, and Augustine, because of the very precise manner in which the appropriation of a portion of the offerings is referred to as being for the repair of the church buildings; and which proves, beyond all doubt, that no distinct or separate offering or payment was made for that specific object.

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The exercise of temporal power and the acquisition of wealth appear to have been unvarying objects of the clergy under the Papal apostasy. As we have noticed, the contributions in the early ages of the church were entirely voluntary, pure alms," as Wycliffe calls them, and were intended mainly for the support of the poor. From the latter end of the fourth century, a considerable change took place, and all the ministers began to be supported from these funds. This required larger collections. Jerome and Chrysostom, doubtless from pious motives, exhorted the people to give bountifully to the poor, and double honour to those who laboured in the Lord's work; and give it as their opinion, that they ought not to be less liberal than the ancient Jews, who, under the Levitical law, gave a tenth to the priesthood. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, about the year 400, went a step farther, and pleaded that tenths were only a suitable donation; and during the two or three centuries following, such exhortations were accompanied with threats and promises; pardon of sins and future rewards were held out to the willing, and eternal punishments to those who withheld what was called "the Lord's goods," and "the patrimony of the poor." By the reiteration of exhortations of this sort for several centuries, the giving of a tenth was expected, and thus easily paved the way for the change to the compulsory payment of tenths or tithes. This was about the year 788, at the instance and under the imperial authority of Charlemagne. Charlemagne, it is well known, was one of the most powerful and warlike of monarchs. He did much to increase the power of the Romish church, and added vastly to her temporalities by the institution of tithes on the continent of Europe; an example which was followed in England about fifty years later, by Ethelwolf, one of our Saxon kings.

Notwithstanding that the free - will offerings of

THE BRITISH FRIEND.

the people had been thus arbitrarily converted into compulsory payments, their appropriation was, for a long time, similar to what it had been before such conversion, and the expenses for maintaining the fabrics of the church were paid out of the tithes. The "capitularies" of Charlemagne distinctly enforce it; and further proof may be quoted from the laws of King Edmund, of the year 946. determine," says Fox in his Acts and Monuments, "He did enact and "concerning the chastity and pure life of ecclesiastical ministers, and such as were in the orders of the church, with penalties also for those who transgressed the same. Item. For every bishop to see his churches repaired of his own proper charge," &c. Blackstone in his Commentaries states very distinctly that tithes were originally subject to the burden of repairing the church.

The avarice of the Church of Rome did not stop at the imposition of tithes; other schemes for increasing its funds were from time to time devised. Thus the payment of Peter's-pence or Rome-scot was enforced in 793, by Offa, king of Mercia, as an act of penance for the murder of Ethelbert, king of the East Angles, a payment which was continued until the time of Edward II. (1319), and next came the imposition of church-rates.

The imposition of church-rates took place under the authority of Canute about the year 1020. Canute was a Danish monarch who invaded England, and who, by his daring and superior skill in the arts of war, wrested the English throne from the Saxons. In his old age he became thoughtful on the things of eternity, and, like Charlemagne, wished to show his piety by increasing the power and temporalities of the church. "Of this Canute," says Fox, "it is storied that he followed much the superstition of Egelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury; went on a pilgrimage to Rome and there founded an hospital for English pilgrims. He gave the pope precious gifts, and burdened the land with a yearly tribute called Romeshot. In process of time he set forth peculiar laws of his own, among which, divers there be that concern as well causes ecclesiastical, as also temporal." The laws of Canute are contained in two divisions called Seculars, which of late years have been published by the Commissioners on Records; one of these laws relates to the payment of church-bot, or church-rates. "To church-bot all men must lawfully give assistance." Others are, "And it is most proper that soulscot be always paid at the open grave." God's dues be lawfully and willingly paid every year." "And let "And Rome-fee by St. Peter's mass." nances and ceremonies of God, let them be observed "All ordias need in all things requireth."

Canute founded the abbey of Edmundsbury, and in his old age became a monk himself. Of the few rare specimens of Anglo-Saxon poetry now in existence is one referring to Canute and the monks, which is supposed to have been written by himself:

Merry sungen the muneches binnen Ely,

The Cnut Ching reuther by,

Roweth Cnites noer the land,

And here we thes muniches sang.

Merry sang the monks in Ely,

When Canute King was sailing by:
Row, ye knights, near the land,

And let us hear these monks' song.

We see, therefore, that the imposition of churchrates is of about 800 years standing; and if the plea of ancient origin be of any force, that plea can, with much consistency, be applied in support of these rates. But with respect to date of origin, it must be borne in mind that it was not coeval with the introduction of Christianity, but a thousand years from it;

1st Month, 1st, 1859.

and also, that it was imposed during the darkest time of the auspices of a superstitious monarch, acting under the Romish apostasy, and at the instance and under the priestly influences of Rome. Again, if the plea of ancient origin be of any force, what a catalogue of Romish abuses might not be sustained. Many corruptions had crept into the church before the time of during which church-rates were imposed, and the Canute, but it was reserved for the dark period two or three centuries following, that the most revolting practices of the Papacy sprung up: a recital of them all is not needful here; two, however, 'deserve mention-the sale of indulgences, and the horrors of the Inquisition. We may, indeed, well wonder that under the plea of religion, iniquity could have been thus successfully established within the very precincts of the professing church.

is proper that we should notice an important law, In referring to the early history of church-rates it passed in the year 1286, by Edward I., called," Circumspecte Agatis," being the first law on this subject after the Norman Conquest; the words of this statute are, "If prelates do punish for that the church is uncovered or not conveniently decked, the spiritual judge shall have power to take knowledge, notwithstanding object of this statute was to prevent courts of law the king's prohibition." Dr. Lushington says, "The using the power of prohibitions preventing proceedings taking place by ecclesiastical authority to compel repairs of the church, and consequently the legality of the obligation, and the right of the spiritual courts to punish, were established." Previous to the date of this statute there had been much conflict between the king and the clergy; and although he recognized the statute of "Circumspecte Agatis," and also unwarily consented to the new impost of first-fruits, his general policy was opposed to ecclesiastical encroachments. The statute of mortmain was passed in his reign, and in some other respects he restrained the avarice of the clergy.

The usual penalty for the non-payment of churchAgatis," was that of excommunication, a terrible and rates under the authority of the " all-powerful one in those days when religion was but Circumspecte one, and one too of homogeneous Popery. Dissent to Romanism in this country commenced under the powerful influence of Wyckliffe, and during the times of the Lollards there were cases of resistance to the payment of church-rates, one case of this sort about this country by the Reformation did not affect the the year 1470 is on record. The change of religion in hostile to dissent as the religion it had supplanted. laws of church-rates, and early Protestantism was as to pay are recorded, and in the time of Archbishop During the reign of Elizabeth several cases of refusal Laud cases were more numerous; the determined manner, however, in which that intolerant prelate acted in these matters, by placing such dissidents in the high commission court, soon put an end to opposition of this sort from the Puritans. The next, and more formidable opposition, was during the Commonwealth and in the reign of Charles II., an opposition which no ecclesiastical terrors could weaken, and no persecution could suppress. This was from our own Society-a resistance which has been unvaryingly maintained down to the present time. As of our Society for the non-payment of this impost-a early as 1656, imprisonment was inflicted on members penalty which was long continued towards them, and oftentimes with great severity; some suffered years of imprisonment for refusing the payment of most trivial sums; in one case six years' incarceration was endured for a demand of 1s. 4d. only.

In the beginning of the last century the extent of

dissent to the established religion of this country was not in any very large proportion, and even in the early part of the present century, notwithstanding its progress through the labours of Wesley and Whitefield, the number of non-conforming places of worship is stated at 3427 to 9607 belonging to the Episcopalians. During the last fifty years, however, things have greatly altered, and dissent has rolled on with accumulating power and speed. In 1851 the number of places of worship belonging to the Anglican church had risen to 14,077, being an increase of 4470, but in the same period those of the Dissenters had risen to no less than 20,390, showing an extraordinary increase of 16,963. When the Reformation took place, the majority of the people of this country had become dissidents to Popery, and Protestantism was recognized as the religion of the realm. In 1858, the majority of the people dissent from the religion of the state, and that majority is still onward in its course that church-rates can long be maintained under this state of things, is clearly impossible, and not only so, but the signs of the times most unmistakeably indicate, that the days of ecclesiastical domination among the free and intelligent communities of these fair islands are, indeed, numbered, and that the time is fast approaching, when the following prescient view of an able minister of the gospel in our Society, expressed by him about sixty years since, are likely to be realized, viz. :—

"I may here mention, that my mind has been deeply affected under some serious considerations, of the state of things in the world; and particularly in this nation. What a number of men are there, who assume the station of gospel ministers; and, under that pretence, drain and even violently force away, from the proper owners, large sums of money, which they do very little to earn! Even if it were right to preach for hire, and if Christ's true ministers could freely and righteously receive money for their ministry (which they by no means can), yet to see a set of almost idle drones living on the honest labours of the industrious, as great numbers of the upper clergy do, whilst they not only thus oppress many poor laymen, as they choose to call them, but also press down to a very low price and poor living, even many of the low clergy, who do the work for them; as if a minister of Jesus could have his work done, and his ministry performed faithfully in the sight of God, by hiring another to preach for him, and with money extorted from those it properly and honestly belongs to whilst themselves live in luxury and at ease, in their ceiled houses, and but seldom visit their flock; the prospect of these things is deeply affecting.

prevail to effect any unnecessary mitigation of the
close expressions in which they are couched. It is
time these deceivers of men, these dark bodies who
form an eclipse between God and the souls of men,
should hear, and seriously hearken, to the voice of
plain, honest and undisguised truth. And whether
they will hearken, and hear, yea or nay, let them be
assured, God is arising, and will shake and remove
them out of the way; and their dominion shall be re-
membered with abhorrence!"
I.

RECENT INTELLIGENCE FROM DUSSELTHAL. MANY of the readers of The British Friend will remember having perused with interest, various particulars respecting the excellent institution for orphan and destitute children, founded by Count Von der Recke, at Dusselthal, near Dusseldorf, and still carried on in the true spirit of Christian philanthropy. Frequent proofs of the value of this establishment have reached us, not only in reference to the salutary influence of gospel truth on the minds of the pupils, but also to the dissemination of sound scriptural views through the medium of teachers trained at Dusselthal, and now located in other parts of the country.

The following notice has lately been received from M. A. Murray, the English lady who has long devoted her time and talents to the cause of these poor children, labouring diligently to promote their spiritual interests, nursing them in illness, and caring for, and endeavouring to promote their welfare in every way. The letter is dated "Dec. 15th," and is addressed to Lucy Bradshaw:—

"We have had much sickness, and our infirmary is still very full. Death and disease have been much in our large establishment this autumn. First was the loss of the matron, who died of water in the heart; and the more unexpectedly, as she was a remarkably healthy, active woman; but what is the greatest strength when the summons goes forth, and we must depart! Then one of our poor boys died after apparently scarcely twelve hours illness. The suddenness of the event made me dread the terrible possibility of interment alive; and at my own, and the nurse's urgent request, though ridiculed by the doctor, it was postponed long beyond the usual time; anxiously did I watch the cold form from day to day "Oh! most assuredly the land mourns, and God is till it became evident, that the corruptible' was angry because of these things; and in some way or putting on corruption, and that the spirit had reother He will arise and shake the earth, and also this turned to God who gave it. The spiritual state of false heaven-this vain and oppressive ministry, and that poor child we know not exactly; he was in generend the power from the idle, lordly clergy. But ral not a bad boy; we can but hope and pray that the whatever be the means, so that it is in the pure counsel Saviour is his Saviour, and that the ransom has been of God, my very soul breathes to the Almighty, that paid too for him. The disease made such fearful and he may in the way of his own good pleasure, hasten rapid progress, that little could be done in those few the downfall even of Protestant Babylon; rend the short hours; but many a fervent prayer was poured power of the idle, useless clergy, and thus emancipate forth beside his bed in the hope that consciousness the people from the bondage and oppression they might still linger, though sense appeared to have fled. groan under, that the earth may enjoy her Sabbaths Very different was the case of the dear boy whose again. But how these deeply to be pitied, these too earthly remains were laid a few days since in our worthless, too worldly, and too cruel pretenders to the pretty 'Trimmels Gurten.' Poor Michel lingered ministry of the gospel of Christ; or how those civil more than a fortnight in the acute pain of rheumatic rulers, who, to answer the purposes of aggrandizement fever; he was one of our best children, but he well and power, support them, will be able to settle their knew in whose merits alone salvation can be found, accounts in the great day of the Lord, and solemn and how insufficient are other merits. He often resettlement of all things, is a consideration truly quested me to pray with him, and was frequently heard repeating to himself words of Scripture, as those of our Lord, 'My sheep hear my voice, and I

awful.

"If these hints are ever published, let not delicacy

I can see nothing like home yet, not even in the deepest dippings; for though ardency of affection would make me rejoice to be able to say as G. Dillwyn, in a letter to a Friend this way, said, respecting himself, as to Ireland-that "the Spirit of the Lord had sealed his discharge"-yet, my beloved, when I look home, the road is covered with a gloom of thick darkness, from end to end. May my God, and thy God, give thee faith and patience to endure my absence, and every trial, like a woman with fortitude and resignation. My endeared love salutes thee, and the dear babes I left in thy bosom. To the Lord I commit and commend thee; and to Him and to thee I commit them. Pray and watch over them; tutor and restrain them in His fear and in His counsel; and though I can give little encouragement of a sudden return, I wish thee not to think I shall be held here, as David Sands in the east. I expect no such detention, but wish so to clear my mind in this land, as that I may enjoy my family and friends when I return, and not suffer a number of months torment, like a dear friend of mine tells me he did, after his return from New England. I wish, ardently wish, to be with thee once more; but believe, beyond all hesitation, were I now to come to thee in the strength