HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION, IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND; SHOWING HOW THAT EVENT HAS IMPOVERISHED AND DEGRADED THE MAIN BODY OF THE PEOPLE IN THOSE COUNTRIES. PUBLISHED BY JOHN DOYLE, 12 LIBERTY-STREET; AND THOMAS DOYLE, MARKET-STREET, PROVIDENCE. R. L 1. We have recently seen a rescript from the King to the Bishops, the object of which was to cause them to call upon their Clergy, to cause collections of money to be made in the several parishes throughout England, for the purpose of promoting what is called the "religious education" of the people. The Bishops, in conveying their instructions on this subject, to their Clergy, direct them to send the money thus collected to a Mr. Joshua Watson, in London, who, it seems, is the Treasurer of this religious education concern, and who is, or lately was, a wine and spirit dealer, in Mincing-lane, Fench-church-street.This same Mr. Watson is also the head man of a society called the "Society for promoting Christian knowledge." The present Bishop of Winchester, in his first charge to the Clergy of his diocese, says, that this society is the "correct expounder of evangelical truth, and firm supporter of the established church; and he accordingly strongly recommends, that the publications put forth by this society be put into the hands of the scholars of those schools, to promote which, the above-mentioned collections were made by royal authority. 2. We shall, further on, have an opportunity of asking what sort of a Clergy this must be, who, while they swallow, in England and Ireland, about eight millions a year, call upon their parishioners for money to be sent to a wine and spirit merchant, that he may cause the children of the country to have a "religious education." But, not to stop, at present, for this purpose, pray observe, my friends, that this society for " promoting Christian knowledge," is continually putting forth publications, the object of which is to make the people of England believe, that the Catholic religion is "idolatrous and damnable;" and that, of course, the one-third part of the whole of our fellow |