TRICKS OF THE HIGH CHURCH PARTY.
THE High Church party are making prodigious efforts to counter- act the exertions of the Dissenters to effect the separation of Church and State. With this view, meetings have been held in several places; resolutions have been passed, and addresses to the Digni- taries of time Church adopted, expressive of ardent attachment to the Establishment. All this we consider perfectly fair. It is very fitting that the persons who conscientiously believe that the union of Church and State is beneficial to both, should come t)rward at the present time, and avow their sentiments. But we are opposed to deception on this, as on every other subject : and when we find that it is practised by any party, political or religious, we cannot avoid suspecting that there is something rotten in its actual condition.
It is matter of notoriety, that a lay declaration of attachment to the Establishment is actively circulated, for the purpose of obtaining a vast number of signatures. By and by, it will be .•stentatiously paraded; for that the apparent number of loyal harehmen will turn out to be enormous, there can be no doubt, a hen the means that are taken to procure signatures to the decla- ration are considered. A correspondent has sent us a document e. hich throws some light on the practices of the orthodox. It is in the form of a circular, signed by a Mr. JOHN OKEs; and is dated Cambridge, February 7th : the lay declaration was sent along with it. As it is a singular and instructive communication, we subjoin a literal copy. " Sot—have the goodness to send the enclosed declaration round your parish, flat it nnay receive the signatures of all aisle adults who are so disposed, not renfining the application to householders. Those who are s%BsEwr, or are N %U-F: TO WRITE, may iitaltUriZC 141ters to sign fur them. When emu- I have to request you will return it, under cover to the Vice- Chan- ntllor of the University of Cambridge."
This precious epistle gives us an insight into the tactics of the High Church party. When the number of signatures which are and are to be attached to the declarations shall be made public, and brought forward as evidence of the attachment of the people ur England to the Establishment as it is, let us just remember the mode in which many of these signatures were obtained, and iirthe the necessary allowance for the operation of this pious fraud.
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