Church Reform: The Only Means to That End, Stated in a Letter to Sir Robert Peel, Bart., First Lord of the Treasury — John Shaqi
Church Reform: The Only Means to That End, Stated in a Letter to Sir Robert Peel, Bart., First Lord of the TreasuryCarlile, Richard
Religion
Church Reform: The Only Means to That End, Stated in a Letter to Sir Robert Peel, Bart., First Lord of the Treasury
Carlile, Richard
Bible -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Church and state -- Church of England; Rationalism
I challenge the proof of any one apparent historical fact, in either Old
or New Testament. I challenge the production of the existing mention
of any one of the supposed facts about the personal or material Jesus
Christ, within one hundred years of the time at which it is said to have
happened, putting the disputed passages of Josephus and Tacitus out of
the question.
I challenge the proof of the existence of the Jews, in any country, as a
distinct nation, before the time of Alexander the Great.
No other contemporaneous history recognizes such an assumed history as
that which I challenge.
And farther, I am prepared to prove that Christianity existed among
Romans, Greeks, Persians, Hindoos, and Celtic Druids, or the northern
nations, before the Christian era.
The present ministration of the Church entirely depends on the necessity
of a clear historical proof of the literal contents of the Old and New
Testaments.
But a spiritual reading of that volume solves every difficulty, and
teaches us how to extract the truth, the system of religion that is
a necessary and sure salvation for the human race, when reduced to
practice, and to see it as a part of the wisdom of all ancient men of
all times and countries.
It is ten years and upwards since I sent a petition to you, Sir, to be
laid before the King, asking for a commission to examine my oppugnancy
to the religion and administration of the existing Church. Will you now
grant that commission? If you will not, you, while you remain in power,
will blunder on in and through growing troubles and difficulties,
until you, or some other person, be compelled to come to my school for
information. It may be a galling pain, a conscience-smitten task to you
to do so; but you have no alternative with honesty and wisdom. It is
not a little of this cry for Church Reform, that has sprung out of my
labours and sufferings. And here am I, though still in prison through
that Church's iniquity, in the proud and triumphant position, clearly
seeing that you can reform nothing in the Church that will satisfy the
people without coming to my ground.
Your pledge is so to reform the Church as to make it meet the respect
and affection of the people. I rejoiced when I read that sentiment; for
I saw and felt, that I alone had proposed a reform equal to that end;
and mine, as well as others, by the glorious power of the printing
press, must come into consideration. I assure you that the
correspondence with the Bishop of London, which I shall append to this
letter, has been sold to the extent of many thousands, and is in great
demand. This is but an enlargement of my second letter to the Bishop. So
that my lamp has been constantly trimmed for your advent as a Reformer
of the Church. It is not what you and others call "the rabble," "the
destructives," "the mob," that I seek. I seek you and the Bishops,
all the learned men in the country, as in application of mind to mind,
learning to learning, and wisdom to wisdom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account