Star. — London, England, 1819-11-05 00:00:00

i 3 ti .t , 4 I A .t question of experimentlo a matter of certainty ; that if apathy and indifference were scarcely justifi able inaudinary . times, they are still less so in the present ; lad .that its one particular, at least, the enemies of truth are worthy of imitation, namely, in the active and unremitting industry which they dis play—an industry worthy of a better cause than that of being called into action for the depravation and destruction of mankind. " Your Committee would finally express an ardent wish that all the Members of the Bible Society may be careful to evince more than ever its influence upon their personal characters, so that all around them, may behold the operation of a high and He avenl y principle in the production of those fruits which are inseparable from genuine piety ; and that the enemies of the Bible may be constrained to admit, that there is a Divine reality in that religion which can change the heart and subdue the temper, sanctify the affec tions, and teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, that we may thus be, as it were, living epistles,' which may be' known and read,' even by those who reject the authority of the Apos tolic Records. While, therefore, we desire to ascribe the entire praise to the AUTHOR and GIVER or ALL GOOD, let us anticipate still brighter days. If the cause of the Bible Society be indeed (as we dcubt not) the cause of GOD, who appears to be rendering it eminently instrumental in conveying to the Nations the knowledge of his will, is it not probable that this may be one of the principal means employed in hastening that happy period which forms the subject of Prophecy, when the principles contained in that blessed Book will be universally felt and recognized; and when the influence of such hallowed principles will be at length' seen in their full and sensible ope ration upon the practice and conduct of mankind at large ; when happiness, the inseparable attendant of holiness, will be universally diffused, and when the ruin and desolation of man ' s revolt shall be repaired even on earth by the benign and healing infhpince of the Gospel of Peace ? Oh ! scenes surpassing fable and yet true, • Scenes of accomplish'd bliss! which who can see, Though but in distant prospect, and not feel Ilis soul refresh'd with foretaste of joy? One song employs all nations; and all cry, Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us ! The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shout to each otber, and the mountain tops T. ern distant mountains catch the eying joy ; Till nation, after nation taught the strain, Earth rolls the rapturous ilosannah round!' "—Cowes". Mr. Shelia' !torn vvEnn moved the first Resolution: •• That the Repot; n.r.v read be received and adopted, and tl-at it bs printed under the direction of the Committee." —',Thich was seconded by the Rev. JOHN OWEN, who, in a speech of considerable length, described the great necessity that existed in the present times for a vigorous exertion on the part of the Friends of the Gospel. The second Resolution— " That the wicked and blasphemous publications now un blushingly diffused through the Nation, form, in the opinion of this Meeting, an additional reason for supporting the British and Foreign Bible Society, which, havirg for its simple and exclu silte object the widest possible circulation of the Holy Scrip tures, is precisely adapted to repel, in the most efficient and ade quate manner, such impious attempts, by giving a distinct ho nour and prominence to the inspired Volume, by encircling it with the affection and marked reverence of Christians of every rime, and by thus contributing to pledge the Nation to that holy Book, which infidelity is daring to revile, hut on which all the plinciples of moral and religious order and subordination, and therefore the very foundations of public tranquillity and private virtue and happiness, ultimate:7 rest." —Was seconded by Mr. LUKE HOWARD: in doing which, he read an extract front the Report at a for mer Meeting, by which the Society had pledged them selves to oppose the attacks of infidelity on every occasion. One occasion was now before them, and trusted they would redeem their pledge. Admit till that strong grounds existed for the most active exertion on the part of the Institution, yet he could not but rejoice at thehappy effects which were already manifest from their Associations. Would any one, who had watched their ptoicress, deny that a great good had been attained ? they had already a har vest, and might yet reap an abundant one in this and every part of the world ; and while there was a har vest to be gathered any where, their exertions should be unremitting. It was true, that they had found some chaff mixed with the corn ; but that must be expected ; and it should not damp the ardour of these who were engaged in the holy work. It had bees said, that the publication of some of the blasphemous works alluded to were justifiable, under that liberty which the Press enjoyed in this country. He ad mired the Liberty of the Press as much as any man, but he thought it ought to be under the same re straint as the liberty of the land, or the liberty of the tongue—(Hear.) Its abuse should be always check ed : but how was it to be known when there was an abuse or an excess? Ile would answer, by the ver dict of twelve honest men on their oaths, who would ever mark (what he agreed with Chief Justice Abbott in thinking there should be) the difference between sleeting argument by argument, and the practice of open and virulent abuse.—The Resolution was now put, and carried unanimously. The Rev. J. Cult /menu moved the 3d Resolution, " That the sincere acknowledgments d this Meeting are due to the Bight Honourable the Lord Mayor, for the patronage which he has afforded to the Instieetiee as President ' • and for the handsome manner in whieb he grunted the use of the Egyptian Hall for the Anniversary Meeting.' The Rev. Gentleman, in a long, eloquent, and manly address, supported the object of the Society. He denied that infidelity or scepticism had taken such deep root as was imagined, and added, that all the great and good men in society were in favour of the truths of the Gospel. From the apathy of some, and the too confident security of, others, the funds of the Society had considerably declined. To remedy this, the exertions of all should be united. Those who had hitherto done little, should now do much: those who had done much, should do a great, deal more. They (the Meeting) had not assembled together in order to form a procession, they came, he hoped, to act—to contribute to the support of their religion; and he trusted they would return to their homes, re collecting that they had pledged themselves in sup port of an Institution fraught with so much good to their country and to posterity. He adinired humility as a great moral virtue; but there was a kind of dis eased humility which dried tip the sources of bene volence, and sometimes induced well meaning per sons to imagine that they could do nothing, and they therefore refrained from an arduous undertaking through the fear of not receiving aid from Heave), Li carry them through. To such he would say on do w th h e a p t r is ese in nt y cie ou c r as p ie o lt, we; Only ;beze tr a Y the leu eanlP r and a c tive t ; ; and leave the issue to Paovitectiez : and (added Mr. Curo ningham, in conclusion) may the eternal mercy and blessing of instrumental Go in forwarding descend forwa upon allrdinso greatthse o who a shall work be lOsoud and continued cheers followed the Rev. Gen deman's conclusion.] The Rev. J. LEITCHILD, in seconding the motion, descanted on the immense benefits the Bible Societies had conferred oa the world ; and declared, that they had crowned with a halo of imperishable glory the country that gave them birth. Mr. Permian (the Irish Barrister) was called upon 'by some persons on the platform. He rose, and bowing to the Meeting, by which he was warmly greeted, spoke to the following effect : ~ May it please your Lordship—Ladies and Gen tlemen—Although I have not had the honour of being selected to propose any Resolution, yet, as a native of that country to which your Report alludes, I beg leave to say a few words, as expressive of the opinions of a great body of my countrymen. Indeed, my Lord, when we see the omens which every day produces—when we hear blasphemy openly avowed, when we hear the Scriptures audaciously ridiculed— when, in this Christian Monarchy, the den of the Republican and the Deist yawns for the unwary in your most public thoroughfares—when marts are ostentatiously opened where the moral poison may be purchased, whose subtile venom enters the very soul—when infidelity has become an article of com• merce, and man's perdition may be cheapened at the stall of every pedlar, no friend of society should cone tinue silent. It is no longer a question of political privilege—of sectarian controversy—of theological discussion : it is become a question, whether Chris tianity itself shall stand,' or whether we shall let gu the firm anchor of our faith, and drift without chart. or helm, or compass, into the shoreless ocean of im piety and blood. I despise as much as any man the whine of bigotry—l will go as far as any man for rational liberty ; but I will not depose my GOD to deify the infidel, or tear in pieces the charter of the State, and grope for a Constitution amongst the murky - pigeon-holes of every creedless, lawless, in toxicnted regicide. When I saw the other day, my Lore, the chief Bacchanal of their orgies—the man ' with whom the Apostles were cheats, the Prophets liars, and JESUS an impostor, on his trial in Guild hall, withering hour after hour, with the most hor rid blasphemies, surrounded by the votaries of every sect, and the heads of every faith, the Christian Ai ch bishop, the Jewish Rabbi, the men most eminent for their piety and their learning, whom he had pur posely collected tc hear his infidel ridicule of all they reverenced—when I saw him raise the Holy Bible in one hand, and the Age of Reason in the other—as it were, confronting the ALMIGHTY with a rebel fiend, till the pious Judge grew pale, and the patient Jury interposed, and the self-convicted wretch himself; after having raved away all his original impiety, was reduced himself into a mere machine for the repro duction of the ribald blasphemy of others, I could not help exclaiming-L , Unfortunate man! if all your impracticable madness could be realized, what would you give us ill exchange for our establishments ? what would you substitute for that august tribunal? for whom would you displace that independent Judge and that impartial Jury? Or, would you really burn the Gospel, and erase the Statutes, for the dreadful equivalent of the crucifix and the guillo• tine?' Indeed, if I was asked for a practical pane gyric on our Constitution, I would adduce the very trial of that criminal; and if the legal annals of any country upon earth furnish an instance, not merely of such justice, but of such patience, such forbear ance, such almost culpable indulgence, I will concede , to him the triumph. I hope, too, in what I say I shall not be considered as forsaking that illustrious example; I hope 1 am above an insult on any man in his situation; perhaps, had I the power, I would follow the example farther than I ought; perhaps 1 would even humble him into an evidence of the very spirit he spurned, and as our creed was reviled in his person, and vindicated in his conviction, so I would give it its noblest triumph in his sentence, and merely consign him to the punishment of its mercy. But, indeed, my Lord, the fate of that half infidel, half trading martyr, matters very little in comparison of that of the thousands he has corrupted. He has literally disseminated a moral plague, against which even the nation's quarantine can scarcely avail us. It has poisoned the fresh blood of infancy—it has dis heartened the last hope of age; if his own account of its circulation be correct, hundreds of thousands must be this instant tainted with the infectious venom, whose sting dies not with the destruction of the body. Imagine not, because the pestilence smites not at once, that its fatality is the less certain ; imagine not, because the lower orders are the earliest victims, that the more elevated will not suffer in their turn : the most mortal chillness begins at the extremities ; and you may depend upon it, nothing but time and apa thy are wanting to change this healthful land into a charnel-house, where murder, anarchy, and prostitu tion, and the whole hell-brood of infidelity, will quaff the heart's blood of the consecrated and the noble.— My Lord, I am the more indignant at these designs, because they are. sought to be concealed in the dis guise of liberty. It is the duty of every real friend to liberty to tear her mask from the fiend who has usurped it. No, no; this is not our Island ,Goddess f bearing the mountain-freshness on her cheek, and scattering the valley's bounty from her hand, known by the lights that herald her fair presence, the peace ful virtues that attend her path, and she long blaze of glory that lingers in her train! It is a demon, speaking fair, indeed—tempting our faith with airy hopes and visionary realms; but even within the folding of its mantle hiding the bloody symbol of its purpose. Hear not its sophistry ; guard your child against it; draw round your homes the consecrated circle which it dare not enter : you will find an amu let in the religion of your country : it is the great mound raised by the ALMIGHTY for the protection of Hu manity—it stands between you and the lava of hu man passions; and oh! believe me, if you stand tamely by while it is basely un d erm i ne d, the fiery deluge will roll on, before which, all that you hold dear, or r e . nerable, or sacred, will wither into a s h es . Believe no one who tells you that the friends of freedom are now, or ever were, the enemies of religion. They `know too well, that rebellion against GOD could not prove the basis of government f or man; an d t h at t h e proudest structure impiety can raise is but the Babel menument of impotence, and its pride, mocking the builders with a moment's strength, and then coven ing them with inevitable confusion. Do you want an example? Only look to France; the microscopic vision of your rabble blasphethers has not sight enough to contemplate the mighty minds which com menced her revolution. The wit, the sage, the ora tor, the hem, the whole family of genius, furnished forth treasures, and gave them nobly to the na tion's exigence. They had, indeed, very great pro vocation. They had a glorious cause; they had all that human potency could give them. But they re lied too much on this human potency; they abjured their GOD, and, as a natural consequence, they mur dered their King. They called their polluted deities from the brothel, and the fall of the idol they wor shipped extingui.hed the flame of the altar.— They crowded the scaffold with all their country held of genius or of virtue ; and when the Peerage and the Prelacy were exhausted, the mob-executioner of to day became the mob-victim of to-morrow : no sex was spared—no age re,pected—no suffering pitied ; and all this they did in the sacred name of Liberty, though, in the deluge of human blood, they left not a mountain-top for the Ark of Liberty to rest on ! But PROVIDENCE was neither dead nor sleeping; it muttered not that for a moment their impiety seemed , to proper—that Victory panted after their ensan guined banners—that as their insatiate Eagle soared against the sun, he seemed but to replurne his wings, and to renew his vision : it was only for a moment ; 'and you see at last, that, in the very banquet of their triumph, the ALMIGHTY'S vengeance blazed upon the wall, and their diadem fell from the brow of the idolater. My Lord, I will not abjure the Altar, the Throne, and the Constitution, for the bloody tinsel of his revolutionary pantomime. I prefer my Goa even to the impious democracy of their Pantheon. I will not desert my King, even for the political equa lity of their Pandemonium. I must see some better authority than the Fleet-street Temple, before I forego the principles which I imbibed in my youth, and to which I look forward as the consolation of my age; those all-protecting principles, which at once guard and consecrate and sweeten the social intercourse ; which give life, happiness, and death, hope ; which constitute man's purity, his best protection—placing the infant's cradle and the female's couch beneath the sacred shelter of the national morality. Neither Mr. Paine nor Mr. Palmer, nor all the venom-breathing brood, shall swindle from me the hook where I have learned these precepts, in despite of all their scoff, and scorn, and menacing. I say, of the Sacred Volume they would obliterate, yet it is a book of Facts, as well authenticated as any Heathen history—a book of Miracles, incontestably avouched—a book of Pro phecy, confirmed by past as well as present fulfil ment—a book of Poetry, pure and natural, and elevated even to inspiration—a book of Morals, such as human wisdom never framed for the perfection of human happiness. Sir, I will abide by the precepts, admire the beauty, revere the mysteries, and, as far as in me lies, practice the mandates of this Sacred Volume ; and, should the ridicule of earth and the blasphemy of hell assail me. I shall console myself by the contemplation of those blessed Spirits who, in the same holy cause, have toiled and shone and suf fered in the goodly fellowship of the Saints'—in the 6 noble Army of the Martyrs'—in the society of the great and good and *ise of every Nation : if my sinfulness be not cleansed, and my darkness illu mined, at least my pretensionless submission may , be excused ; if I err with the luminaries I have chosen for my guides. I confess myself captivated by the loveliness of their observations. If you err, it is an heavenly region—if you wander, it is in fields of light—if you aspire, it is at all events a glorious daring ; and rather than sink with infidelity into the dust, I am content to cheat myself with their vision of eternity. It may, indeed, be nothing but de lusion, but then I err with the disciples of philosophy and of virtue—with men who have drunk deep at the fountain of human knowledge, but who dissolved not the pearl of their salvation in the draught : I err with Bacon, the great confidant of Nature, fraught with all the learning of the past, and almost prescient of the future, yet too wise not to know his weakness, and too philosophic not to feel his ignorance ; I err with Milton, rising on an angel's wing to Heaven, and, like the bird of morn, soaring out of light amid the music of his grateful piety ; I err with Locke, whose pure philosophy only taught him to adore its source, whose warm love of genuine liberty was never chilled into rebellion_ with its Author; I err with Newton, whose star-like spirit, shooting athwart the darkness of the sphere, too soon did re-ascend to the home of its nativity ; I err with Franklin, the patriot of the world, the playmate of the lightning, the philosopher of liberty, whose electric touch thrilled through the hemisphere. With men like these, Sir, I shall remain in error, nor shall I desert those errors even for the drunken death-bed of a Paine, or the delirious war-whoop of the sinking fiend who would erect his altar on the ruins of society. In my opinion it is difficult to say, whether their tenets are more ludicrous or more detestable, They will not obey the King,. or the Prince, or the Parliament, or the Constitution—but they will obey Anarchy— They will not believe in the Prophets—in Moses—in Mahomet—in CHRIST; but they believe in Tom Paine. With no Government but confusion—no treed but scepticism, I believe in my soul they would abjure the one if it became legitimate, .and rebel against the other if it was once established. Holding, my Lord, opinions such as these, I should consider myself culpable if, at such a crisis, I did not declare them. A lover of my Country, I yet draw a line be tween Patriotism and Rebellion. A warm friend to Liberty of Conscience, I will not confound toleration with infidelity. With all its ambiguity, I shall die in the doctrines of the Christian Faith ; and, with all its errors, I am contented to live under the glorious safeguards of the British Constitution." The resolution of thanks, &c. to the Lord Mayor, was then passed unanimously, after which His LORDSHIP came forward, and expressed his grateful tense of the honour which had been conferred upon him. He complimented the principal speakers who had preceded him, and said that that heart must indeed be steeled which could be insensible to their eloquent appeals. His Lordship then alluded to the factious parties by which he was -sometimes assailed in the discharge of his public duty ; but expressed his firm determination to continue to discharge that ditty faithfully, regardless of such attacks. The Rev. WITeLI4U Wino (onc of the Missionaries of Serampore, in the East Ind:esi jr is and forcible speech— .. That the thanks of this Meeting be giver t o ,h e p• aourables, and others the Vice-Pfe.adents of • the patronage which they h ave a ff orded to tit I. ,trt:::"n that the Gentlemen specified In tic annexed ti Presidents for the year ensuing." And, in a short speech, described the good which had resulted in many parts of India fn dissemination of the Bible. --- The resolution was seconded by the Rev.J.lb and carried unanimously. The Lord Valor (elect), Alderman Batno t turned tttanks, as did also Alderman Tharm. Captain PA EENIIA m (Royal Nary) !r a y e d . " That Cho Thanks of this Meetin g be s'aen m th t surer, the SeeretarieF, and the Committee, for their ar.l ettions to further the objects of !Ile Soc:ety, and fer teresting Report ; and that the Gentlemen spedEefl flexed list be the Committee for the year ensuing, tv„ l to enlarge their number." il He pi el aced hii 'Lotion wi t h a sl . trt spee c h : sive of his approbati on of tl..e Meeting aid its c, j The Resolution wAs seconded by Sir Di 21 WORTH. and carried un:iiiirrious!y. The Rev. D. WILSON moved the itillowin, lution, which he piviace,l with it short speech: " That the warmest T:ianks of this Meeting night lion. the Lord Mayor, for his &dive. business of the Meeting, and for his atilt Vt.. , 1 in the Chair this day." - . This was seconded by the Rev. i:,.:iTLISK• ~ and carried.—l lis LORD II I P again re,urned tl.l A handsgme collection was mad*• at the Ja :I THE L EN ING SPA LONDON. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, IRI9, Ccxrcnrt,La PLO?.--Holiday at the Stock Eackrze The Anniversary of the Gunpowder Ecc ushered in this morning by the ringing of bells, a display of the British Union Jack nom it ships in the River. The Park and 'fewer guasj as usual, at one o'clock. Every one looks forward to the opening of P: meet with anxious inquiries, and some with po anticipations of the measures to which MiniAers. resort in the present state of the Country. These pretend to be well informed on this subject—ch. perhaps by such statements they are only p out their feelers—assert that something like Irish system will be proposed, respecting the dis! Counties : that is, summary powers tr, be COE to the Lords Lieutenants, on the declaration of Magistrates respecting the state of the Cowl. spectively, to place them unJer !lartial Law. Press, it is also asserted, will expelience some of muzzling—if the Country can b 2 brought ts mit to it—or rattle:, it Ministers can carry the sure in Parliament ; but wan,: car, tiv. nia tend to the tiro. penny press, the. ~ ., . , 2 klv mo: • sedition and blaspilemy. And it is restraints, of some description, wili be putcr.the vilege which belongs to Britois to meet and 4. publicly any matter of grievance—perhaps same description as those in force a fen• years when the sanction of a Magistrate, on the reini' of at least six respectable housekeepers, :as an , dispensable requisite. We have received this morning, a contintuti, American Papers, to the 29th of September. yellow fever continues to rage with great viclen various parts of the United States. The last from Baltimore, mentions forty-five new cases, sixteen deaths of malignant fever. At New Oriel thirty persons are said to have perished on the 2 of August. The fever had spread to the shippi and there seemed to be no limit to its wasting press. The physicians say that the yellow feve this year is the most virulent they have ever seen. Accounts have been received from St. Dods which state, that the fever is also making great vock in that island. The deaths are said to be less than from fifty to sixty a day. The expedition, which sailed from Margari under Admiral BRION and General ENGLISH, Sr Cumana, has completely failed. The; were rep in all their attacks, both by land and sea ; and Admiral, at length, took to flight, with his leaving ENGLISH with his troops, in a state cf ration, on shore, where they were finally attic and routed by the Royalist troops. A letter from St. Thomas's, dated September hinting at the causes of this disastrous termination an eipedition on which such high hopes were bci observes, that—." General ENGLISH, who ha d d superinternslance of the British troops, had never tamed any higher rank than that of Clerk in d Commissariat Department of the Army." tit 'e with the writer in thinking that, under such g dance—guidance of the same sort as lost Portobello nothing but a succession of disasters is to be al cipated. Lord and Lady CASTLEREAGH arrived ycsterd at their house, in St James's-square, from a visit the Marquis and Marchioness of Hcarroen, at Lb seat, Sudburn Hall, Suffolk. The Marquis of BUTE, Lord Lieutenant of County of Bute, has called a Meeting of that Coo to consider of an Address to the Pity:cc rtnaE containing a declaration of loyal attac:imert to Throne and Constitution. The report of Lord COCHRANE having or. the rich convoy from Guyaquil amounting to th millions of dollars, if true, will prove a most fe nate occurrence for those concerned with him. E% the present Lottery, which contains no less EIGHT Prizes of £20,000, Two of which must, drawn in the First Five Minutes NEST TI:150 0, • which it was supposed would bear a cornpa: 'son w Any pussible event, must yield the pre-c:::.":,r.... the above, but tollat ONLY. c one brd Lieu i ces ot held R' os" Lieu :en ,fort De A(' ea read r Chair . ] e s o ble f ou nd cable 1( ntez is N!. to IstltUt ; red pc i on to 3 awfu arquis ring fc concu Ir. it lunty, P r°l OCE Sir .7.1 p1:1c1 t::: C Ile I feel Tli: loppc pr sei Ity di a to the [rzs it t nt, t lera as( Ist ~c 6 4' co ~+ ~~ ~'.