THE LETTERS OF THE REV. G. S. FABER,

PRINTED IN THE ST. JAMES'S CHRONICLE.

BY THOMAS ARNOLD, D.D. .

HEAD MASTER OF RUGBY SCHOOL,

AND LATE FELLOW OF ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD.

OXFORD,

PRINTED BY W. BAXTER,

FOR J. PARKER; AND C. AND J. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD,

AND WATERLOO PLACE, LONDON.

1829.

776.

PREFACE.

IN venturing to offer the following pages particularly to the notice of the clergy, my main object has been to correct this prevalent impression, that it may be wrong in a religious point of view to grant the Catholic claims, but it cannot be more than inexpedient to reject them. I have therefore argued the Question on the grounds of right: although I allow, that in the ordinary discussion of it, the topic of right is one which it is on many accounts better to wave; and where the opponents of the Catholics do not make conscience their plea for resisting the

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THE political merits of the Catholic Question have been too often and too ably discussed, and the political authorities in favour of what is called Emancipation are too overwhelming, to render it necessary at this late period to state the grounds of national expediency on which that great measure may be defended. But the most respectable opponents of the Catholics, including, I believe, a large proportion of the Clergy of the Church of England, consider the Question in a higher light; they think that it involves more than political interests that to admit Catholics to become Members of the Legislature would be most injurious to the cause of the Protestant Religion; and that therefore no views of worldly policy should induce a good man to compromise the service of God, and in effect to sacrifice his highest duty for the sake of obtaining a temporal advantage.

This is at once to put the Question on its true grounds for as parties and public bodies are made

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