1754. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &. 251 all become the fame people, and naturalization of Jews, ought to be would look upon themselves in no repealed. We know how artfully other light than as fubjects of Great- that part of the aft was introduced: Britain. This must fhew the impruWe know that it was paffed by fur dence, and even the ridiculoufnels, prize, or rather, I may fay, by of our adopting the doctrine, that ftealth; for nothing relating to the all Jews born here are to be deem d A Jews ever appeared in the votes, natural-born fubjects; for their latest nor does now appear in the title pofterity, whilst they continue Jews, of the act *. But even that aft will continue to be, and will con- alone, if it ftands, may in time fider themselves as a people quite dif- bring upon us an inundation of Jews, tinct and separate from the ancient all claiming, and declared by act people of this ifland; and an in- of parliament, to be natural-born creafe of their number will not, I B fubjects of Great Britain, which, in am fure, be an inducement for any my opinion, might be of the most of them to embrace the Chriftian dangerous confequence. I fhall grant, religion: On the contrary, it will that fuch Jews as have already gone have an oppofite effect: The fashion thither, or have been at fome exin this country at prefent feems to pence in preparing to go thither, be, to profefs our being free thinkers; in purfuance of that act, have in and I do not know but that in the Cfome measure the publick faith ennext age the fashion may be, to gaged for their naturalization; but profefs our being Jews; for nothing. it is to them only that the publick is more liable to change, nothing faith can be fuppofed to be any. can be lefs governed by reafon, way engaged; and therefore I think than what we call fashion, and it that at may and ought to be regenerally starts from one extreme ftrained to fuch Jews as are now there, to the other, confequently, might D and fuch as fhall go thither in a ftart from Libertinifm to Judaifm, year or two after the reftraining act which I look upon as the two oppofite fhall pass. Such a reftraint would extremes, becaufe of all enthufiafts no way invalidate the late act with the Jews have fhewn themselves the regard to foreign proteftants; but moft obftinate. on the contrary would ftrengthen it, and would be a new encouragement for others to go and fettle in our plantations; for whatever fome of our modern English proteftants may think, I am convinced, that there is not a foreign proteftant in Europe or America, who does not take it amifs to find Jews put upon the fame footing with them by our legislature. And it cannot be faid, that we never repealed or altered any law, under which private men might have acquired a right, or were intended at leaft to acquire a right; for in the very I iz first I hope, my lords, I have now given a good reason for my being againft inferting any claufe, or any words in an act of parliament, that. may feem to countenance the modern opinion of a Jew's becoming a natural-born fubject, to all intents and purpofes, by being born in this kingdom, and even tho' he fhould obftinately perfift in the profeffion of the Jewish religion. I am fo far from thinking that this opinion ought to be established, that I think the Américan act, fo far as relates to the E F See our Mag. for last year, p. 523, obferv. 4. N. B. It is faid, that in 1740, when the American bill was brought in, extending at firft to foreign proteftants only, the Jews applied to the then prime minifier to have it extended to them, but that his anfwer was, No, gentlemen, if fuch a thing fhould be propofed by me or any of my people, the gentlemen in the oppofition would oppofe it, and make it a bandle for raifing a clamour against me; but if you can prevail with them to propofe it, I will either not oppofe it or fo faintly that it shall be agreed to. This artful advice they followed, and so got the bill passed as it now ftands, 252 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. June A first year of his late majefty's reign with the act: If it was made ufe of only by the Jacobites as a hobgoblin for frightning the people, and railing difcontents against our prefent government, then every man that joined in the clamour was either a Jacobite or a fool, in which cafe we must fuppofe, either that there is much greater number of Jacobites in the kingdom than I hope there is, or that the people of this country are more generally fools than I ever took them to be. But the truth is, that people even of the best The people will therefore, in my opinion, my lords, be in the right, if they infift likewife upon the repeal of the American act fo far as relates D to fuch jews as have not gone, or are not now preparing to go to America; and we have no occafion to be afraid that this will prevent them from going there for the future; for where there is money to be got by trade, we may affure ourfelves E there will be fome Jews, and where there is the most money to be got, there will be the greateft refort of that people, if they can live with any tolerable fecurity. But if our people either at home or in America fhould once begin to fufpect, that the Jews are forming schemes for becoming their masters, their fecurity will then be precarious in America as well as here, let the government take what measures it will for their protection; for I fhould be forry to think that none but Ja G cobites and fools had joined in the prefent clamour against the act which is now to be repealed: I fay Jacobites and fools; for if there was no real ground for being difpleafed F a fenfe and moft undoubted affection to our prefent happy establishment, were afraid of the inundation of Jews that would be brought upon us by that act, and the doctrine thereby established; and this, joined to their other caufes of difcontent, made the clamour fo violent and fo uni werfal; for whatever the noble lord who spoke laft may think, I am forry to fay, that this Jews act is not the only weapon the Jacobites have against the prefent government: The prefent load of debt which the nation labours under, and which every year drains it of fuch a monstrous fum of money, for paying the intereft due to the publick creditors who live beyond fea, is a weapon that will, I fear, grow every year more keen: The multitude of taxes' which the people groan under, and which fo evidently contributes to the decay of our trade and manufactures, is another weapon that will likewife, I fear, grow every day more keen : The terrors of a numerous ftanding army, and the many oppreffions and infults the people are thereby ex-' pofed to, is a third: And the incroachments daily made by uncontrouled bribery and corruption, upon the freedom of elections, is a fourth, that receives a new whetting upon the choice of every new parliament. I could mention feveral others, but fhall only add, that if this bill paffes in its prefent form, it will be a fifth; because it will be a new con firmation 1754. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 253 firmation of that modern doctrine, that every Jew born in the British My Lords, SHALL admit that the clamour dominions is, to all intents and pur.raifed against the act paffed laft pofes, a natural-born fubject, and intitled to all the rights and privileges of an Englishman, which doctrine is, in my opinion,. of much A more dangerous confequence than the act which is by this bill to be repealed, and I am fully convinced, that every fenfible man in the kingdom will join with me in opinion. B For this reafon, I hope your lordfhips will take time to confider of this bill, before you pass it into a law. As it is now fo early in the feffion, there is furely no occafion for any hurry. Before it be paffed, I think, the opinion of the judges ought to be afked upon the question, whether a Jew, continuing to pro- C fels the Jewish religion, becomes, to all intents and purpofes, a naturalborn fubject of Great Britain by being born in any part of the British dominions? For if this question fhould be answered in the affirmative, I fhall be for leaving out the ex-D ception or provifo now contained in the bill, and adding a claufe for difabling any Jew, while he continues to profefs the Jewish religion, to purchafe or hold any eftate in lands, tenements, or hereditaments, above a leafehold for a certain number of years; or to vote at an election of any magiftrate, officer, or member of parliament; and I may propofe this with the greater confidence, as we have a precedent for the first part of it among our ancient ftatutes, if there be any truth in F what our hiftorians have told us of it; for as to the fecond part of what I propofe, there was not at that time, nor ever, I believe, till very lately, fo much as a thought, that a Jew could have a right to vote at any election. The next that spoke in this Debate quas M. Agrippa, whofe Speech was in Subftance thus. E- of G feffion in favour of the Jews, has been pretty univerfal, but as to the caufe of that clamour I happen to be of a different opinion from every lord who has yet fpoke upon the fubject: I am far from thinking that this caufe was of fuch a ferious nature as any of their lordships feem to think: On the contrary, I believe, the clamour was chiefly if not entirely owing to the act's happening unluckily to get a wrong title; for if inftead of calling it an act for permitting the Jews to be naturalized, it had been intitled an act to prevent the profanation of the holy facrament of the Lord's Supper, I believe, no objection would have been made to the act, but on the contrary every man would have applauded our zeal for the honour of the religion we profefs; and this would, I think, have been as proper a title as the other; for furely it is a profanation of that awful ceremony of our religion to admit a Jew to partake in it, before we are well affured of his having embraced the Chriftian faith; and that fuch a thing may happen we are well afE fured, because it did actually happen in king William's time, when three Jews were naturalized by parliament, who before and after profeffed themselves openly of the Jewish' religion, and yet we muft fuppofe, that they were admitted to partake in that facrament before any bill could be offered for their naturalization. I shall not say that they were guilty of any profanation, because they could not think that there was any thing holy or religious in the ceremony; but in him who adminiftered the facrament to them it was a very great profanation, and a crime of fuch a heinous nature, that the repetition of it ought to be prevented by fome means or other. G For 254 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. June For this purpose, my lords, the act paffed laft feflion would certainly be the most effectual; but fince the people do not like it, I am quite eafy about its being repealed, and equally indifferent how far that repeal may be extended. You may A repeal the whole if you pleafe, or you may repeal only a part: I fhall not give myfelf the trouble to differ with any of your lordships upon this bead, because I do not think religion any way concerned in the question. If religion were really concerned, IB am fure, the legiflature would not vary, nor ever alter what they have eftablifhed, for the fake of pleafing a few humourfome people. But the word religion is often applied to things in which religion has not the leaft concern; and in fuch things the legislature may and often do vary according to the humour of the C D times. Of this the occafional conformity bill and the fchifm bill are recent examples. Both the contending parties pretended that religion was intimately concerned, and each infifted that it was upon his fide of the question. One fide contended, and fome of them perhaps really believed, that the church was in the utmost danger, and that it would be impoffible to preserve our established religion, if both thefe bills were not E agreed to; and the other contended, in which many of them too, I believe, were ferious, that the paffing of either of thefe bills would introduce popery and put an end to the proteftant religion. Yet both these bills were patled without any bad confequence to the proteftant religion; and both have been long fince repealed without any danger, but with, I believe, a very great advantage to our eftablished church. F Upon all fuch occafions, my lords, both fides are apt to grow too warm, G but when they have time to confider feriously and deliberately the nature and confequences of the difpute, both úides generally, upon cool reflection, become ashamed of the part they have acted in it; and the very fame thing I am confident would happen, even tho' the act paffed last feffion fhould ftand unrepealed. The chrisinto any danger by a naturalization tian religion can never be brought of Jews: 1 fhould not think my. felf a true Chriftian, if I but fuppofed that my religion ftood upon do I think that Christianity can fuffer, fuch a precarious foundation. Nor or that our church can be brought into any danger, by a total repeal of that act; for fuppofe that Jews born here should be capable of purchafing advowfons, which is a queftion I fhall not take upon me to decide, and fhould be thereby intitled to prefent to a benefice, the church could not thereby be brought into any danger; for the Jew patron muft prefent a clerk properly qualified, not only as to his religion and learning, but as to his life, morals, and character, because the bishop has a power to examine him as to his religion and learning, and to require fufficient teftimonials as to his life, morals, and characevery one of these heads, he may ter; and if he is not fully fatisfied upon reject the clerk fo prefented; and would be more apt to reject him fented by a Chriftian; from whence if presented by a Jew, than if prewe may fuppofe, that no clergyman but fuch as could stand the most strict would be ever prefented by a Jew, fcrutiny, and that therefore fuch cures as were in the gift of Jews would be at least as well fupplied as any other in the kingdom. That the care of having proper and well qualified clergymen prefented to, and established in every church benefice, is by our ecclefiaftical conftitution chiefly intrufted cefe, is evident from this, my lords, to the bishop of each refpective diothat a minor, an infant, is by our law allowed to prefent without the confent of his guardian. Surely 1754. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. it cannot be fuppofed, that a boy of 8 or to, or even of 15 or 16, can judge whether a clerk be properly qualified, either as to his morals, learning or religion; but of all this the judgment is left to the bifhop, and fince the minor or infant cannot A injure himself, because no advantage can be made of a prefentation to a benefice already become void, therefore the law allows him to prefent without the confent of his guardian. It is therefore evident, that the intereft of religion can no way fuffer B by a Jew's having a right to prefent to a church benefice; and that the Christian religion allows of prefentations made by those that are not Chriftians is plain from what is now practifed within the dominions of the grand feignior; for in that empire, especially in the European part of it, there are many Chriftian bishops, and a great many more Chriftian churches than Mahometan mosques : The bishops indeed are allowed, I believe, to prefent to most of the churches within their respective dio- D cefes; but the fultan himself, or his minifters, appoints all the bifhops, and the Chriftians feldom complain of unfit or unqualified perfons being appointed. On the contrary, they are generally better qualified than the bishops appointed by the Roman pontiff. C E Thus your lordships may fee, that I must be very indifferent whether you repeal the late act in whole, or in part only, or whether you repeal it at all or no. But as to the act for the naturalizing of fuch Jews as fhall go and fettle in our plantations or colonies in America, the question is of quite another nature. I really doubt whether you can repeal it; for it is of a stronger nature than any common act of parliament: It is a fort of pactum conventum between G the publick and the Jews that are be intitled to the benefit of When the publick offers terms to private men by act of parliament, or may it. 255 and the latter accept of those terms, And, my lords, as to the inundation of Jews, which the noble duke feems to think we are threatned with from that act, experience may convince us, that there is not the leaft ground for any fuch apprehenfion; for tho' it be 14 years fince that act was paffed, it will be found upon inquiry that very few Jews have as yet come home to claim the benefit of it. As little do I fear the terrible confequences |