THE WEALTH OF NATIONS.

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which she thought proper to prescribe to them.- But the au-thority of religion is superior to every other authority. Thefears which it suggests conquer all other fears. When theauthorised teachers of religion propagate through the greatbody of the people doctrines subversive of the authority of thesovereign, it is by violence only, or by the force of a standingarmy, that he can maintain his authority. Even a standingarmy cannot in this case give him any lasting security; be-cause if the soldiers are not foreigners, which can seldom bethe case, but drawn from the great body of the people, whichmust almost always be the case, they are likely to be sooncorrupted by those very doctrines. The revolutions whichthe turbulence of the Greek clergy was continually occasion-ing at Constantinople , as long as the eastern empire sub-sisted; the convulsions which, during the course of severalcenturies, the turbulence of the Homan clergy was continuallyoccasioning in every part of Europe , sufficiently demonstratehow precarious and insecure must always be the situation ofthesovereign who has no propermeansof influencingthe clergyof the established and governing religion of his country.

Articles ot faith, as well as all other spiritual matters, it isevident enough, are not within the proper department of atemporal sovereign, who, though he may be very well qua-lified for protecting, is seldom supposed to be so for instruct-ing the people. With regard to such matters, therefore, hisauthority can seldom be sufficient to counterbalance theunited authority of the clergy of the established church.The public tranquillity, however, and his own security, mayfrequently depend upon the doctrines which they may thinkproper to propagate concerning such matters. As he canseldom directly oppose their decision, therefore, with properweight and authority, it is necessary that he should be ableto influence it; and he can influence it only by the fears andexpectations which he may excite in the greater part of theindividuals of the order. Those fears and expectations mayconsist in the fear of deprivation or other punishment, and inthe expectation of further preferment.

In all Christian churches the benefices of the clergy are asort of freeholds which they enjoy, not during pleasure, butduring life, or good behaviour. If they held them by a moreprecarious tenure, and were liable to bo turned out uponevery slight disobligation either of the sovereign or of hisministers, it would perhaps be impossible for them to main-