account it your high privilege that you are indeed members of our Protestant Church in which we minister; and in the name of God desert not that church; stand by her; she has been to you the instrument of blessings to yourselves, your children, all you hold most dear. She has been the ark of God amongst us which has brought down public triumph and honour to our country. (Loud cries of hear, hear.) Remember, however, it is by the growth of individual virtue and religion that national righteousness and honour are made up; and let no individual, however humble, forget that he has in this sense a great, a vital, and important responsibility resting upon him. Would to God that we could lay aside all the less important distinctions, and that as Protestants we could join hand in hand in the support of that which God and our Lord Jesus Christ have so beneficently bestowed upon us. (Loud cheers.) I would apologise for having said so much. I feel, however, that I have but said that which my conscience dictated. I beg leave cordially to second the resolution proposed by the Rev. Mr. M'Ghee. (Loud cheers.)

The Chairman said before he put the question, he wished to say a few words. They had heard from the reverend gentleman the almost incredible increase of the papal Church, and the only mode to prevent that was the establishment of Protestant Associations. They must not attribute to the association a want of strength on account of the weakness of their present chairman; they should not suppose that they had not the moral courage to carry forward the work that they had in hand. They had circulated within the last year 13,000 tracts, and they intended to circulate a report of what had taken place that day. If there could be the smallest doubt on the mind of any man of the truth of what has been said regarding the invitation of the bishops, they would repeat their invitation to attend here at any time they pleased. (Loud cheers.) The resolution was then put and carried by acclamation.

Sir John Cotterell then proposed that the thanks of the meeting be given to Mr. Bellamy, for his spirited conduct in the chair.

Sir Edwin Stanhope having seconded this motion, and it having been carried, the meeting broke up.

In the course of a few days an address to the Roman Catholic laity of Ireland was drawn up, pursuant to the resolution passed at the meeting and adopted by the committee. This address will appear in its place; meantime, the next document in the controversy is the Report of the First Anniversary of the Liverpool Protestant Association.

VOL. II.

2 F

434

GREAT PROTESTANT MEETING

AT LIVERPOOL.

On Tuesday, November 10th, 1836.

THE first anniversary meeting of the Liverpool Protestant Association was held on Tuesday last, at the Amphitheatre. The doors were opened at ten o'clock, and almost immediately afterwards the company began to arrive. The boxes, pit, and galleries were filled with persons of the highest respectability, among whom were a great number of ladies. A temporary platform was elevated on the stage sufficient to afford accommodation to about four hundred more. Upon a moderate calculation we should think there were near five thousand persons present.

Among the gentlemen on the platform were the Rev. C. Gladwin, T. Tattershall, M. Hawtrey, C. Lawrence, J. Jones, J. Bates, J. H. Stewart, J. H. Stafford, E. Spencer, T. Garratt, W. Tyrer, J. Power, R. Wilson, J. B. Winstanley, W. H. Tuer, W. Wannop, R. Davies, Dr. Ralph, J. Lyons, C. Wray, J. Maughiar, H. M'Neile, J. North, D. James, Mr. Alder, F. Barker, A. Knox, W. Rawson, Mr. Lugger, R. Davies, jun., R. Blacow, J. Hodson, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Wright, F. Ould, T. France, Mr. Cheetham, and Mr. Bunbury.

Charles S. Parker, Esq. was unanimously called to the chair. He said, before commencing the business of the meeting, he trusted all would unite in seeking the blessing of God, so that all their proceedings being overruled by his Spirit of wisdom and peace, might tend to promote his glory and the good of his church. He therefore called upon the Rev. Mr. Stewart to offer up a prayer.

The Rev. James Haldane Stewart, incumbent of St. Bride's, then offered up a suitable prayer.

The Chairman then said. At the important meeting held within these walls, from which the Liverpool Protestant Association dates its origin, the only office-bearers appointed were the secretary and a treasurer. To the former the committee have assigned the duty of reading their report, and they have requested the latter to take the

arrange

chair at the anniversary meeting, agreeably to the practice in societies similarly constituted without a permanent president. While with unaffected humility I acknowledge my unworthiness of the honour you have done me by not withholding your sanction from the ment just intimated, I accede to it with the sacrifice of very strong personal feelings. Had this assembly been convened for any secular object, no solicitation could have prevailed upon me to undertake an office, of my incapacity for which I am made powerfully conscious, whether I look back to the talents and station of those who have preceded me in the chair, whether I look around me upon the vast and intelligent assembly of my fellow-townsmen, or whether I look forward to the ability and eloquence of those who are to address you this day. But it being a high privilege to be called upon to maintain the supremacy of the word of God, and to "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints," it would ill become the most feeble and untried soldier of Christ to desert his post. Yet while we do " contend," ever may we be enabled to bear in mind, that we are also charged "to speak the truth in love"-" to speak evil of no man, but to be gentle, assuming all meekness unto all men." I shall now best consult your convenience and the gratification of my own feelings by proceeding to call upon our secretary, Mr. Edwards, to read our

REPORT.

After reciting the two principal resolutions that were passed at the meeting in October, last year, the report proceeded as follows:

"Such is the origin of our association, and your committee, in the review of the year which has since elapsed, desire humbly and cordially to thank God, and to take courage. They desire, also, to present to their constituents, and to the nation, a brief vindication of their design, and description of their operations.

"The living and true God the Maker of heaven and earth, has revealed to men his will concerning men. The Bible contains that revelation. No man is excepted, whatever be his station-high or low. All are commanded to love and speak the truth; to confess Jesus Christ the Lord; to let their light shine before men; and whatsoever they do, in word or deed, to do all to the glory of God. As touching eternity, all are proclaimed on a level. There is no difference, for all have sinned,' As touching human society in this world, the greatest differences are described. The powers that be, are ordained of God. By Him kings reign, and princes decree justice. By Him they are reminded whose ministers they are. By Him they are commanded to rule in his fear, and for the temporal and eternal benefit of his people subjected to their authority. By Him all subjects are commanded to consider whose authority their rulers have, and to be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, esteeming loyalty a Christian duty, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

"Upon these high truths, as they progressively became practically understood, and nationally recognised, the British constitution was erected, and made progress towards perfection; and whatever minor measures of alteration in detail may from time to time be found salutary—with the national recognition of these great truths, that constitution must stand or fall. The great principle is-that the will of God, as revealed in the Bible, is the only sure and safe standard of right and wrong, and, therefore,

constitutes the fundamental basis of all Christian legislation. No rulers, acting on this principle, can arraign their own charter, by propagating falsehood, or exercising tyranny. And no people, acting on this principle, can fail to possess and enjoy both truth and liberty.

"In our own days, the most strenuous efforts have been made, and are still being made, to undermine this principle, and so to overturn all the institutions of this kingdom, which have so long rested upon it. With the most indefatigable zeal, men of various parties are now propagating a theory which assumes that rulers do not, and cannot know, whether there be any such thing as revealed truth; and that, consequently, they should not do any thing so intolerable as act upon a preference, or even express an opinion upon these questions. On the contrary, that their only justifiable course is to occupy the ground of a passive infidelity, and either to give impartial support to all opinions, without reference to their truth or falsehood, or else to give support and countenance to none whatever.

"By this theory the authority of God is set aside. Rulers are no longer His servants, but the servants of their own fancies and experiments, both in legislation and morals. Thus, no fixed standard remains-no immutable principle with reference to which religious instruction can be communicated, or civil liberty maintained.

“By this theory, all we hold most dear as Christians and as Englishmen is assailed; and it is in uncompromising hostility to this theory that our Protestant Association is formed. It is called into existence by imperative self-defence. Its declarationdeliberate and determined—is this: That the authority of God must not be set aside; that there is revealed truth—that both rulers and people may and ought to know itthat both rulers and people are bound to give it practical preference, in the councilchamber, in the senate-house, in the school, in the family, as well as in the closetthat if any of our fellow-countrymen be ignorant of this high principle, and the duties consequent thereon, they should be instructed-if any have forgotten, they should be reminded-if any be hesitating, they should be decided—if any be timid, they should be encouraged-if any be supine, they should be stimulated. So that our rulers may know, and the nation may know, and the whole civilized world may know, that England and the Bible are so linked together, that no infidel philosophy, no carnal compromise, no unnatural coalition between the disciples of liberality and the disciples of intolerance, can dissolve the indissoluble bond. And that when liberalism shall have succeeded in extinguishing the voice of conscience-when Popery shall have succeeded in enthroning the dogmas of her apostacy in the chair of unquestioned infallibility when infidelity shall have succeeded in burning up the last copy of the Bible as a scroll-when atheism shall have succeeded in expelling the living God from his own creation, then, but not before, shall England be deprived of her constitution, the palladium of civil and religious liberty amongst mankind.

"The object, then, of our Protestant Association is not to misrepresent, not to calumniate, as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we do, but to give needful publicity to fundamental truth. In furtherance of this object, 7,614 tracts, controversial and others, have been put into circulation. Of these, 4,614 have been sold. Also a course of controversial sermons was preached in St. Andrew's church, and of these 10,444 copies have been sold. Your committee have much satisfaction in calling the attention of their constituents and friends to the circumstances of so very large a proportion of their publications having been purchased.

"This supplies a strong indication of the desire of the people to procure sound instruction. And if any stronger indication were required, it is abundantly supplied in a fact for which your committee desire to express thankfulness to Almighty God, and cordial congratulations to their fellow-citizens-the fact held forth to the encouragement of the friends of genuine protestantism, and to the admiration and imitation of the United Kingdom, in the history of the Liverpool Church of England schools. Protestant parents among the poor have felt the justice of the appeal of their clerical instructors, and have refused to send their children to schools from whose hours of authoritative teaching the unmutilated word of God is excluded. The children of Roman Catholic parents have naturally enough stepped in to occupy the deserted forms. The enlightened and wealthy friends of scriptural education have nobly responded to the same appeal. Donations amounting to £11,000, and annual subscriptions exceeding £500, proclaim the encouraging assurance that the Protestant poor are not forgotten, and shall not be neglected.

"In conclusion, your committee have real pleasure in recording their conviction, that the apathy which so long prevailed among the friends of our Christian institutions is fast giving way, and a fixed determination manifesting itself throughout the country, to distinguish wisely and practically between reformation and destruction, and resolutely to resist and repel the encroachments of papal tyranny and intolerance."

The Chairman said, he hoped it would have been his pleasing duty to introduce Mr. M'Ghee to the meeting, but he grieved to say, that he had received a letter from that gentleman, announcing his serious indisposition. [The chairman read the letter, in which Mr. M'Ghee stated, "that he was unable to speak or swallow, from an attack in his throat, and should therefore be unable to attend the meeting on Tuesday."] The chairman then introduced the Rev. Mortimer O'Sullivan to the meeting.

The Rev. M. O'Sullivan then stood forward, and was greeted with deafening cheers. When silence was sufficiently restored, he proceeded as follows:-Mr. Chairman, the guilt or innocence of an accused party may often be learned more thoroughly from the arguments employed in his defence, than from the testimony by which the charges against him are supported. An advocate instructed to meet the strength of an accusation candidly and boldly, is a voucher for, at least, the honesty of purpose in which the defence is undertaken; and although the counsel who evades the strength and substance of a charge, and replies only to matters incidental or indifferent, is not thought to have, necessarily, betrayed his cause, he is yet universally esteemed as one not over careful of his client's reputation. That reputation, however, may not have been confided to his protection. His first care was to procure his client's acquittal, and if to free his honour also from suspicion was found incompatible with due regard for the more imperious duty, he is void of blame, because when assailed by contradictory claims, he gave his chief attention to those which he was especially bound to acknowledge.

The indulgence yielded as of right to the advocate in a court of justice, is not granted to him who defends a cause arraigned before public opinion. At that tribunal, reputation is the award, and good fame was never won where the arts and efforts which sought it were proved to be disingenuous. Let an individual who seeks his own renown be convicted of any equivocation, and he is held personally dishonoured. Who will believe that an unscrupulous advocate can promote the interest of what he terms a holy cause, by adopting practices which would be held unworthy and unbecoming, if considered only in reference to himself, and which receive a character of a deeper criminality when ministering to the advancement of what is termed religion?—No! It is not the devices of mammon by which the cause of righteousness