Church-of-Englandism and its Catechism Examined

James E. Crimmins is Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Political Science at Huron University College, and an Adjunct Research Professor in Political Science at The University of Western Ontario. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Wales, where he was born and raised, and his PhD in Political Theory from The University of Western Ontario. He has been the recipient of a Canada Council (SSHRC) post-doctoral fellowship and four other major SSHRC research grants. He served as Dean of Arts and Social Science at Huron, 1994-99. He has published extensively on Bentham and utilitarianism and other aspects of 18th and 19th century political thought.

This splendidly edited volume should facilitate more work in Bentham scholarship, religious studies and intellectual history. This [volume] is another testimony of the high standards of the Bentham Project's editorial work.

• PART I ; The Catechism-a bad Substitute to the Bible-is substituted to it ; 1. Church of England Catechism-this perhaps the First Censorial Commentary ever applied to it ; 2. On Religion in a Christian Free-School, the Bible the only fit Lesson-Book ; 3. No substitute to the Bible should be there taught-the Catechism is made a Substitute to it ; 4. Badness of this Substitute in every respect: I. As to Faithfulness-No Tests of it ; 5. II. Badness in respect of Matter ; 6. III. Badness in respect of Form ; 7. Of the Badness of this Formulary, in respect of Matter, the Framers of it were conscious ; 8. Of the Badness of this Formulary, in respect of Faithfulness, Matter, and Form, the Imposers of it on the Schools are conscious ; 9. The Religion thus taught by the Rulers of the Church of England, is not the Religion of Jesus ; PART II ; Exclusionary system of Instruction-its Establishment-its bad Tendencies ; PART III ; Exclusionary System-Grounds for the Hope that the Approbation of it is not general ; PART IV ; National Society-Grounds for regarding the Exclusionary Acts as Spurious, and its Reports as Purposely deceptious ; 1. Cause and Ground of Suspicion as to Authenticity ; 2. Marks of Authenticity, proper and usual, in Reports of Proceedings of Public Bodies ; 3. Positions and Plan of Proof-Ends pursued by the Institution-Means employed ; 4. I. Proofs of the System of Exclusion ; 5. II. Proofs of the System of Imposition. General Committee-Meetings none ; 6. Proofs of the System of Imposition continued-II. Sub-Committees and their Meetings, none ; 7. Proofs of the System of Imposition continued-III. Acts spurious ; 8. Securities against Spuriousness-Cause of the Omission of them, Necessity and Design-not Inadvertence ; 9. [III.]-Authors, acting and consenting, of the combined Systems of Exclusion and Imposition ; 10. Authors, &c. continued-Dr. Manners Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury ; 11. How to organize a Chaos-Forms of Disorder exemplified in these Reports ; 12. General Committee-Fraud involved in the Title thus given to the Managing Body ; PART V ; Baptism and Sponsorship proper, when instituted-Baptism useless, Sponsorship improper now ; APPENDIX NO I ; Remarks on the Object of the Church of England Religion, as avowed by the Bishop of London ; APPENDIX NO II ; LORD'S SUPPER-not designed by Jesus for general Imitation-its utter Unfitness for that Purpose ; APPENDIX NO III ; Remedies to the [Mischiefs of the] Exclusionary System as applied to Instruction ; APPENDIX NO IV ; Remedy to all Religious and much Political Mischief-Euthanasia of the Church ; 1. Plan of this Paper ; 2. Euthanasia, in Contradistinction to Cacothanasia, what?-Uti possidetis Principle-its Application to this Case ; 3. I. Service ; 4. II. Pay ; 5. Pay continued-Merit, whether producible by Sinecures ; 6. III. Discipline ; 7. State of Discipline, as exhibited by Authority, and elucidated by a Diocesan Secretary ; 8. Ulterior Information from Mr. Wright ; 9. Vices of Excellent Church recapitulated ; 10. Facienda in the way of Reform ; APPENDIX NO V ; Recent Measures of pretended Reform or Improvement-their Inutility and Mischievousness ; Introduction ; 1. I. Giving Increase to the Number of Non-Resident Incumbents ; 2. II. Increasing the Number of Resident Curates. III. To that End, out of the Pockets of Incumbents and Patrons, taking Money, and forcing it into the Pockets of Curates ; 3. IV. For Increasing the Value of English Livings, exacting from the Population of the Three Kingdoms the Annual Sum of 100,000l. ; 4. V. Regulating the [occupations] of Agriculture, in the case of a Parish or other Priest ; 5. VI. Over Incumbents and Curates, lodging despotic power in the hands of Bishops ; 6. VII. Announced, and remaining to be executed. From Christians, and others of all persuasions, money to be exacted, sufficient to render the number of Church-of-England Churches commensurate to the whole population