★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
5 Dec 1812 4
Church
II. Topics
Ch.1
§.3 Anti-Reformation
§.4 Post Reformation
4
§.3. Anti-Reformation
1
Under Constantine,
early in 4th century, religion
of Jesus was seated
on the throne. By the
protection of government
this religion was spread
over the rest of the Roman
Empire. As public or private
piety gave funds, the
face of the country became
divided into districts whose
size was determined by
the number of scholars
capable of receiving simultaneous
instruction
— Græcé — parish
church
the name of the assembly
& place of meeting.
p.1.
2
On this most important
as on less important
subjects, when
the doctrines were advanced
by argument,
defence against physical
force excepted, whoever
taught the religion
could perform the other
functions connected
with it — unless
perhaps in so far as
instituting schools
for the instructors
might be necessary.
3
But though these were
all the operations by
which useful morality
could be served — other
operations by which
power & thence money
might be gained by the
instructors — Thus to
the moralizing operations
demoralizing do
were by degrees added or
substituted. The power
was so ample that whether
in a future state
endless happiness or
torment should be the
lot of each individual
was understood to depend
on the will of the
functionary. p.3.
§.3. Anti-Reformation
4
To secure a favourable
decision reward in
vast masses was
poured in to induce
the Holy men to
perform correspondent
service, viz to
engage God to judge
men otherwise than
by their works.
p.3.
5
While the only useful
hands were sparingly
remunerated, others by
whom nothing at all,
or what would have
been done by without
them, was done, were
gorged with opulence.
6
Of These mischievous
functions & the ill
-bestowed reward, more
particular account
belongs to (Ch.2. Duties).
Ch.7. Pay
7
Before the great
change, pure from
other mischievous
additions the only
useful service could
was scarce to be had:
& coin after it was
in many places
not be had coin with
it.
§.4. Post Reformation
1
Anglicé in consequence of
the reformation, the system
was cleared of some
of its useless & mischievous
additaments — seats of idleness
which had been established
under notion of
their being sources of instruction,
were suppressed,
& other sources of instruction
less bad than
the former established in
places before destitute.
p.1
2
But many were the parishes
(besides extra parochial places)
where no provision or no adequate
one for this instruction
deemed so important
was made.
For particulars see next
section. p.1
3.
If the salvation of the many
had been the object,
while a single parish had
been left unprovided for
not a penny would have
been bestowed in maintaining
known idleness,
much less in splendid opulence —
Similar & Useless Offices gorged:
left unprovided
or .
☞ Insert or post-off
this?
Not a penny on
Deans & Canons, useless
Precentors & Minor Canons
— on thrones, palaces, purple,
or fine linen, or so
many Dives', in doing
what would have been
better done without them
& on Archdeacons for helping
them to do nothing.
p.2
4
In the eyes of H. 8 or of Eliz.
(the virtue of Edward 6. being
extinct by death, before his
people could reap advantage
from it) — the welfare of the
ruling few seems to have
possessed little value — The
object was not the welfare
of the people, but their obedience
& this was understood even then
to be as the influence of the ruling
few — that its instruments
are — masses of precious matter
composed of opulence & dignity
— the value of each mass being
as the emolument, inversely
as the labour to be performed
p.3.
|
Identifier: | JB/006/064/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 6.
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
1812-12-05 |
1-6, 1-4 |
||
|
006 |
church of englandism |
||
|
064 |
church |
||
|
001 |
ante-reformation |
||
|
marginal summary sheet |
1 |
||
|
recto |
d4 / e4 |
||
|
walter coulson |
<…> co |
||
|
a. levy |
|||
|
2797 |
|||