EDUCATION.

Evening Star, Issue 2887, 21 May 1872, Page 3

EDUCATION.

To ike Editor, Sir, from the earliest times, abhorred and resisted centralization in any form, resisted equally that centralization when it approached under the garb of religion, Whatever the pretensions of the Church of Borne were, they were always kept within very limited practical assertion in England. The Anglo-Saxon Church itself assorted aud maintained a practical independence of Borne; and the laity did not allow the arrogant, pretensions winch churchmen have always made, to be earned to the heights they elsewhere reached. On both points the same spirit of practical Pro testanism was shown in the famous constitutions of Clarendon, passed at a parliament holden in th,e reign of Henry H. Another instance has been already quoted, with another object, but singularly illustra--1 tlve of the present point, showing how, in 1 the 51 Edw. HI., the Commons refused to be bound by any rules which any synod of churchmen might make, unless those rules had their own absolute consent. Some other instances have also been incidentally mentioned, which show the spirit of resistance in England during the time that the religion of the country was doctrinaily, the same as that of Borne, to the Popery which forms a part of the political system system of Koine ; to the arrogant pretensions and usurping encroachments of the temporal Prince, the Pope of Kome. The religious faith of the land was that of Kome. The religious faith of the land was that of Koine, because that was ith,e only mode and shape in which Christianity was formularily known at the lime. But the spirit of the land was Protestant, so far as resisting the centralising aims and influence of the Popish councils was concerned. The nqblc answer given by the Parliament of Merton (a.d. 1233} spoke the true spirit of Protestant freemen ; —“We will not have the good old common law of the land to be made to bow before a new law brought in to suit the purposes of churchmen.” Verily did the laity of those times “let the clergy know that they arc not lords over God’s heritage.” England was never freer than while thus holding to the Bomish faith ; never was the spirit of free institutions better understood, or more thoroughly carried out, practically, than during those times. And this will easily be understood from what has been shewn — namely, that the political part cunningly engrafted on the Romish religious faith never succeeded in getting firm root in England, Yoms, &c., PftgEpOM. Dunediq, May 20.