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their strength , the weak were attacked in their weakness ; but the outstretched arm of this Society did not fail to assist and rescue them in the day of their necessity , in the case of the worthy mi * nister at Middlewich , mere emolument
was not obviously his object . Thirty pounds a year was too scanty a pittance to reward the active piety and exertions of such an ornament to any religion as the Rev ; Mr , Robinson ; but he had a recompense awaiting him more glorious than this world ' s glory * pride , or power * or wealth . He laboured for that
recompence which he was sure to receive at the resurrection of the jdsk It was generally in country towns that this demand of rate was made—generally in some wretched borough , generally in some
village hamlet ^ whene a jealousy existed of the established clergyman , because of the erection of a Dissenting edifice j here it was that the wicked demon of oppression stalked abroad—here ie was that he
would lay his imposts *—here it was that he poured forth the full phial of his wrath . Several of these cases , as he had already stated , Were notified to him ; and that to which he more particularly alluded , by the Rev . Mr . Robinson . He ( Mr . Wilks ) was really delighted with
the correspondence of that gentleman ; a correspondence which united to extent of in formation and soundness of views , a warmth and affection of heart , with an humbte oeat , which wcmld reflect credit—the highest credit—on any m-an in this enlightened country . Mi * . Robinson was one af those ministers who received
his education at the school of Rotherham ; an education which * in Its rich fruits and abundant harvest > -would have been an honour to' any school or any university iu this kingdom . That ganttenm «' s flt > ck amounted to 350 persons ; his salary was a&owt 30 / . a year ; atid yet siicta * us the place marked out for extortionate
assessment . -He , however , shall be defended , land his defence is the more be-<* ssary , as Cheshire is a Higti * € hurdh and'Tory fcoiinity . Iti thm comity the language ^ f liberty was rarely heard ; and there aM attempt at * xt (* tion should , an 4 fce hazarded Htflb in saying , vrottM te pa * town . IIP Mn Robmsoit were ah
theatres , as many of those in this me * trcrpolis were ; let them pay and let them pour their Little rills into the great flood of general taxation * Strange , however , to say , these metropolitan churches were hot asked for the rate ; and why ? Be * - cause they had advice at law , because the ready means of resistance to such a charge was at once within their power , and thus tio attempt was made to op » press * The strong Were protected bf
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lowed to fall , all would be prostrated $ but as i Long as he ( Air . Wilfcs ) had * head to think , a heart to feel , or a purse to open *—as long as this Society existed , Mr . Robinson would be defended , and he ( Mr , Wilks ) was persuaded he would be so with success * ( t * wi& applause , )— -Upon the subject of Easter Offerings various cases had come from different places—from Pentir , near Ban-£ or , and from Dudley ; but , as he had
already stated , Dissenters being placed so far in the same situation with others * they could feel no degradation in bearing that impost * It w&s not as Dissfcnterfe that they bore , or were called an to bear , those burdens , but a » Englishmen ; and It was only when those fragments of a once dominatiug papacy were put
down , that they would properly , naturally and wisely cease . The amount of the Easter Offering should not offer a subject of much contention , for it was only twopence a head for each person above the age of sixteen , to be paid by the housekeeper for every such person . He was iufornved of a case in which the
demand made on this head was eightpence , and ten shillings were expended to enforce it ; and h case had come to his knowledge in whrch the costs attending a demand for Easter Offerings had amounted to the almost incredible sum of 50 / . —The next head of remark was
the charge made by parish clerks for their fees . At Steventon , near Bedford , a man of the name of Parslow , a Oissenter , was required to pay two shillings as a fee for the burial of his child , trad the demand was refused , because the child was buried in the Meeting-House Churchward , and because the clerk had
not officiated . Ultimately , however , the parish clerk thought proper not to persevere in his demand , and there the affair would for ev * r res t * He ( Mr * Wilks } now came to a topic on which different opimoi * & prevailed—a topic on which it was n « oes » ary that collect opinions should
prevail i he alluded to the charge of mortuary fees . Perhaps these mortuary fees were amongst the worst of Catholic impositions- —amongst the wofst of * tott system , which made the clergymen of that ' chtttrch tiot oaly obtain all they could from the iHembers of their odm ^
munion while living , bat followed them with eKactiom to the gfavft ^—and all these eiiactioos required for the safety of the so tils of Ihe departed . Living and dead were tributaries to that etarch ! no home was sate from ttoeir inspectionno tbttkb was sacred from their exaction .
He h ^ wi looted ovtr the cattotts on this satbjacfc , ftnd 5 it ddiiig sa he fmirtd tWt iti 13 m , $ t « ien Langbam , Archbiyhoo r > f
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Intellig&ie 6 . ' ~ Protestant Society * Mr . Wittss Speech . ^ 437
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1824, page 437, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2526/page/53/
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