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believe that they were pretty indifferent to the measure . ( Hear !) But when public opinion was excited on the subject , it became necessary to act decisively ; and as the Sacramental Test was practically admitted to be untenable , the
bench of Bishops had avowed their willingness to substitute another which should afford adequate protection to the church . At the same time , he looked upon this concession as final , and trusted to the present Government that , in yielding this point , no other was to follow as
a consequence . The Earl of Eldon merely rose to state the comfort and consolation he had received from the sentiments declared by the Right Rev . Prelate , which he did not know how to value sufficiently . He did not wish to retain the Sacramental Test , but he wanted something that would exclude from office not only all who did not profess themselves Christians , but all who were not Protestants .
The Duke of Wellington was against the proposed omission of the words " on the true faith of a Christian , " because the same privileges had never been conceded to the Jews which had been granted to Dissenters . The declaration would not operate as any additional disqualification of the Jews , they being already excluded from civil offices .
, The Marquis of Lansdown said , his Noble Friend had gained his . point in having it admitted that it was not meant to take from the Jews any privileges they at pioseut possessed . Lord Holland ' s amendment was then negatived ; and the Earl of Eldon moved another ,, to insert the words " I am a Protestant ' in the declaration ; which was strenuously opposed by the Earl of
Harrowb y , as needless and irritating . The Bishop of Chester s ;* id he was perfectly satisfied with the bill as it came from another place ; and he earnestly wished the opportunity had been allowed their Lordships of passing it as it had been , presented to them , hi allusion to the charge made against the Bishops , of iudiffereuce to the security of the church , the , Right Reverend Prelate referred to a letter written by the late Lord Keuyou ,
iu which he says , —that * ' so long as the King ' s supremacy was upheld , and the main fabric of the establishment , together with the doctrine , discipline , and government of the Church of England , preserved as a national church , no concessions for the repeal of the Dissenters ' Test could impair its stability or affect the immutability of the articles of uuion . " Lord Ken vow felt it his duty to rescue
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the character of his revered parent from the imputation which seemed to be thrown upon it by the quotation . If the Right Reverend Prelate had read the whole letter , their Lordships would have seen that his venerated ancestor had given an opinion , in which , while he advised that every thing in consistency with the safety of the Established Church should be conceded for the ease of the tender consciences of the Dissenters , no concession of political power should be
made to them . On the present occasion , the great majority of the bench of Bishops had shewn little or no attention or concern for the security of the Established Church or the support of the Constitution . The Right Reverend Prelates , he was sorry to say , had shewn much more regard for the temporalities of the church than for its spiritual welfare . ¦ ?
The Bishop of Landaff denied that the bench to which he belonged had shewn less attentiou to the spiritual welfare of the church than to their own private interests . Lord Ken yon disclaimed any such
imputation on the Right Reverend Prelates . The Duke of Wellington declared himself decidedly hostile to the claims of the Catholics , but he was equally hostile to imposing any additional restriction on them through the medium of this bill .
Their Lordships divided for the amendment , 52 ; against it , 154 . Some minor amendments were proposed aud negatived or agreed to . Lord Bexlky moved an amendment , to exempt Jews from making the declaration .
. The Earl of Win Chelsea wished to know whether it was the intention of the Noble Lord to throw open the office of Lord Chancellor also to the Jews ? ( A laugh ) . Lord Holland answered , that according to the Constitution of the country ,
he knew no reason why even a Jew might not be Lord Chancellor ; but as the words protecting the Church and the Christian religion , " on the true faith of a Christian , " were also in the oath of abjuration , the Noble Earl need not be under any alarm lest a Jew should become Speaker of the House of Lords .
The motion was negatived . Before the bill was finally disposed of , The Duke of Cumberland rose and said—On my return to this country , after a considerable absence from it , I deem it my duty to declare my conscientious opinion upon the measure now before
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Intelligence— Gofporatiofi and- Test Acts . 425
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VOL . II . 2 H
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1828, page 425, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2561/page/65/
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