He advocated the restoration of the Order of
Deacons, which, he observed, had long been 'quoad the reality,
dead; for he believed that 'some plan of this sort might be the
small end of the wedge, by which Antichrist might hereafter be
burst asunder like the Dragon of Bel's temple'. But the Order of
Deacons was never restored, and Dr. Arnold turned his attention
elsewhere, urging in a weighty pamphlet the desirabitity of
authorising military officers, in congregations where it was
impossible to procure the presence of clergy, to administer the
Eucharist, as well as Baptism. It was with the object of laying
such views as these before the public--'to tell them plainly', as
he said, 'the evils that exist, and lead them, if I can, to their
causes and remedies'--that he started, in 1831, a weekly
newspaper, "The Englishman's Register". The paper was not a
success, in spite of the fact that it set out to improve its
readers morally and, that it preserved, in every article, an
avowedly Christian tone. After a few weeks, and after he had
spent upon it more than ?200, it came to an end.
Altogether, the prospect was decidedly discouraging. After all
his efforts, the absolute identity of Church and State remained
as unrecognised as ever. 'So deep', he was at last obliged to
confess, 'is the distinction between the Church and the State
seated in our laws, our language, and our very notions, that
nothing less than a miraculous interposition of God's Providence
seems capable of eradicating it.
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