The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-05 00:00:00

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION. Yesterday the third anniversary of this association, called forth as a bulwark of Protestantism, was held in the Amphitheatre, Great Charlotte-street. Im mense as have been the gatherings at the meetings of this association on former occasions, and great as has been the enthusiasm, never were the meetings more crowded, nor was the enthusiasm so high, as clia , racterised the meeting of yesterday. The spacious interior of the . Amphitheatre was crowded in every part where it was possible for people to stick 1 them selves. The arrangements were very similar to those of the -4.....05-meeerrrgs. The hack - pail of the stage was oc cupied by a raised platform, tier above tier, which ac commodated about 300 ladies. In the front of the stage were about 60 clergymen, amongst whom we recognised nearly the whole of the local clergy and many of the clergy of the neighbouring towns. We ascertained the names of the following clergymen, though numbers we could not ascertain :—The Rev. Dr. Tattershall, R. P. Buddicom, H. M'Neile, T. D. Gregg, R. M'Ghee, D. Anderson, F. Barker, T. Bold, John Jones, J. H. Stewart, T. G. Driffield, F. Ould, Dr. Ralph, R. Myddleton, R. Phillips, W. Williams, Robt. Davies, Richd. Davies, J. E. Bates, D. James, W. Rawson, Cyrus 'Marron, J. H. Stafford, J. North, E. Oldfield, C. W. Richards, W. Gibson, W. Carus, P. Crawford, A. Knox, John Powell, G. Stokes, T. Gardner, C. W. Lawrence, &c. :The pit, boxes, and galleries were crowded to the greatest density; the pit and boxes being chiefly occupied by ladies, with a great number of gentlemen, heads of the most re spectable families in the town. The galleries were filled by a dense mass of human beings, chiefly men of the middle ranks of life. On the whole, we should think, at a moderate computation, not less than from 4000 to 5000 persons were present. The general character of the meeting was that of great attention and decorum. The excitement of obtaining places having subsided—and we may instance that so great was the anxiety to obtain seats and places, that we saw great numbers of ladies crowding round the doors I, and into the Amphitheatre so early as nine o'clock in the morning—the excitement ,saving subsided, at eleven o'clock, the hour of meeting, The Rev. Dr. TA TTERSH A 1.. I was moved into the chair. The C HA I RM AN then came forwards amidst great cheering and said, my christian friends—We have a divine direction which teaches that in every thing, by prayer and supplica tion, with thanksgiving, we should make our requests known unto God. And if this is a direction suitable on all occa sions, assuredly it is not less than ordinarily suitable on an occasion in which we are assembled together for the promo tion of true Godliness. I therefore shall beg my rev. elder brother, the Rev. Mr. Buddicom to open this meeting with a prayer to Almighty God to ask a blessing, upon this meeting. 'I he Rev. Mr BUDDICOM then, in a brief and appropriate prayer, invoked a blessing on the proceedings of the meeting, and that its object, by the means used, might be attained, and the purity of Protestantism made apparent, whilst the impurity and the apostacy of the Church of Rome might also be made manifest. 'The CHAIRMAN again rose. He said, my Christian friends; we have but this moment risen from our knees in addressing Almighty God in prayer for a blessing upon this meeting. 1 do humbly and earnestly desire and further pray, that every part of the proeeedings of this day may be of a nature and character suitable to this first and important religious exercise in which we have been engaged. If I say that I am happy to obey the call made upon me, first of all by the committee, and next by this meeting to take the chair on this occasion; I can, indeed, say so with great cordiality, that it is only because I conceive myself to be fulfilling an imperative duty ; if it were otherwise, it would be far more agreeable in every respect to my own feelings to have been permitted to be only a listener on the occasion, and to be in a far less prominent position than you have placed me in. But having experienced your kindness already, I shall eiadea- Your to fulfil the duties of the situation in which 1 am- now placed; and in doing so, I desire to rest first upon the aid of the good spirit of God, without which we can do nothing aright, and to rely next upon your own kindness—upon your own good feeling, which 1 have already experienced ' • so that • I have every reason to expect that my dut ies will be very little of a different nature to your own—that of listening with delight to the statements which shall be made to us (Cheers.) It will be expected from me, I believe, to say some very few words—and they shall be very few —on the nature of the object which has called u s rtogether, and on the design of this present meeting. It ,r is almost sufficient to answer both the one and the other of these questions, if I merely announce the name of the asso k ciation, whose friends and subscribers we are—the Protes tant Association. (Cheers.) An association formed for the sup port of Protestantism, and it may be perhaps well if I should give what I conceive to be a definite of Protestantism, on behalf of which this association is formed, and for the sup port of which this meeting is assembled. Protestantism then is nothing but another name for primitive Christianity. (Cheers.) It is called Protestatism, but why called Pro testantism? Simply because, in the lapse of ages, primitive Christianity had became defiled and incrusted as it were with matter, which was foreign to its own substance—which was alien to its own spirit, and which was injurious to its efficacy; and primitive Christianity—could only be restored to its,beauty by removing from it—and by protesting against those extraneous encrustations. (Cheers.) In defence of Protestantism we have associated ourselves therefore toge ther; and why are we so jealous for the interest of Protest antism—why - do we think it to be a matter worthy to be sup ported by means such as this? My christian friends we have a twofold reason for it: the first reason is exclusively of a spiritual nature. We desire the support of Protestantism — that is of primitive christianity, because that in it are invol ved the spiritual interests of ourselves and of our fellow men ; that is christianity. For what is Protestantism? Primi tive christianity or Protestantism is nothing else than the charter of God's mercy to man; it is nothing else than the exhibition of a glorious planiby which Almighty God has been pleased to provide for the salvation of our fellow sinners. Well then, this is the object and the design of primitive christianity—and will not that object be more fully furthered and secured by the instruments that God has provided for the purpose of its being presented and employed in all its sim plicity, rather than by having if I may so speak, its edge blunted by rust; and moreover will not the salvation of man be more effectually secured when the Gospel of Jesus Christ —the great plan of human redemption, is exhibited in all its simplicity, as a redemption once made and completely made for the sins of men, in all its fullness and sufficiency, as having been wrought out by none other than the incarnate son of God, in all its tender meekness and graciousness, in being offered freely to all who desire to accept of it in all its completeness; in arousing sinners under condemnation, to the favour of God here, and to the participation of his throne hereafter. But if for this spiritual reason primitive christianity ought to engage our affections, we have also al temporal reason. for man, it I may so speak, by the introduction into Christianity of doctrines and state ments that belong not to its nature, which belong not to its substance, is introduced into relations in which he ought not to stand. He is placed, as it were, in an intricate, in a false and in an embarrassing position, and it is a matter, as I ap prehend, of strict necessity in the consequence, that he must be less loyal as a subject—that he must be less useful as a member of society—that he must be less happy as a man, than if he were set free from the thraldom of Popish super stition (cheers.) That is what we assemble together for, and in so doing we are, as I conceive, vindicating the au thority of divine revelation. Where shall we find primitive Christianity? You answer me in a moment—in the Bible. According to the words of Chillingworth—" the Bible only is the religion of the Protestant," and we may adopt that language, which has been adopted in other connections, and which I am sure will express the meaning of Chillingworth ; "the religion of the Protestant is the Bible, and nothing but the Bible (cheers) as given by inspiration of God, and as profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction and right eousness, that the Mani of God may be perfect to all good works." If any other source—if any other rule of faith were necessary than the Bible, God would not have given that in order that the Man of God might be perfect. It is sot consistent with the wisdom of God to use inadequate in struments for what he designs to do (hear). I will not de tain you longer than to observe, that we come here professing to be the subscribers and friends sf the Protestant Associa tion. It may be possible that there are individuals present who do not, in the strict sense of the term, consider them selves to stand in that relation to the Protestant Association. We are happy that they have the opportunity—we rejoice in it—of listening to such statements as shall be made. I think it my duty to observe that it is more than probable that what may be stated may be not precisely suitable to their own feelings; but I must put them in remembrance of this, that they come here of their own accord—that they voluntarily place themselves within the hearing •of those statements which cannot reach them, I again observe, except through their own deliberate choice (hear). I am sure, therefore, I may call upon the propriety, upon the good sense and good feeling of every individual present, that the proceedings of this meeting may be conducted with the most perfect order and propriety. I shall now beg leave to call upon the Secretary of the Association to read the report for the last year (cheers). MOSES EDWA R DS, ESQ. the Secretary of the Association, then came forward, and after apologising for a weak voice, begged to tender the report to the Rev. 11. M`Neile to read (cheers). The Rev. H. McNarLE was received with very loud cheers. He said—lt will Sir, be perfectly understood that I do not intrude myself for the purpose of addressing this meeting at this period of the day I shall, if time be al lowed, address a few words to you before the termination of the meeting. At present I merely respond to the call of the secretary to lend him my voice in reading this report (cheers.) He then proceeded to read the following report.— " REPORT, &c." • " In making this their third annual report, your committee have the gratification of communicating to you, that trivial as their labors may seem to those who ate uninterested in the cause of national Protestantism, the results anticipated by them at the institution of this association have never been more progressively realised than during the last twelve months. "These results they recognise in the increasing interest now taken on every side, in the critical and alarming posi tion of our Protestant institutions : and also in the more just estimate which begins to prevail of the true character and designs of the Papal system, in proportion as the real princi ples and practices of that system have become known. " Your committee feel well warranted in attributing these results, in a vety great degree, to the dissemination of the important documents and facts brought forward by this and similar associations throughout the kingdom. They desire also to thank God, and their dear reverend brethren his servants, for the Christian zeal, ability, and eloquence, by which those facts and documents have been rendered both notorious and interesting to the country. "Your committee feel that urgent cause existed and still exists for such labors. Warmly attached to the free institu tions of their beloved country, they are cordially desirous that she may continue free, and would therefore exert their best energies to warn her of her danger from the ruining aggressions of a continental usurper. His aggressions come not in the form of open invasion, if they did, they would be comparatively harmless. They come under the far more dangerous disguise of pretended friendship. They are car ried on by men professing themselves subjects of the crown of England, white in heart their supreme allegiance is to a foreign potentate. "The liberties of England, both civil and religious are in danger. The basis of all true liberty is a definite and known acknowledged code of laws : definite, excluding all opportu nity for caprice or tyranny in the ruler; and known and ac knowledged, excluding all excuse for resistance or insubor dination among the people. Such is the statute book of England—defined, known and acknowledged, the basis of our civil liberty. Such is the law of God, defined, knowu and acknowledged, the basis of our religious liberty. "In opposition to both, and claiming a control over both, a foreign potentate is exercising in England and over Englishnen,!an undefined, irresponsible, and arbitrary autho rity, " Undefined authority_ is the open door for a tyrant; and submission twit'isthe , :blind prostration of a slave. The Bishop of Ir9m! Si spell 0,1-X4U He claims authority which whichprias'pev beeredefiVeili. ..He claims it as vicar here on ;41 1 itesif ,our 14 4:4ll4lSaisci tir4esus Christ, The indefinite %, ::_' - -r•-,,. L ..r_ „...t.. .. c::::,, i/ : 4• 7. -'r - 7, - - 4- ' '33 :. N a''', extent of this claim wears an aspect of the most unmeasured absolution. He delegates to Bishops and Priests, an unde fined measure of this undefined whole: reserving an ultimate opeal to himself; and nut confining himself to bis own •;ese, or even his own kingdom, he dares to usurp authority in other realms, and to employ his delegates to bring and to keep under his supreme control, the subjects of other monarchs. In days of ignorance his claim was basely and slavishly submitted to here in England. In better. days of advancing instruction, his claim was disallowed. England threw off the yoke. The usurper, however, though defeated, was not reformed.' He continued to exercise his tyranny in other lands. He still claimed it over England; but her scriptural institutions, her national protests, her solemn abjuration of the tyrant, her circulated Bible, her preached gospel , her beneficial Prayer Books, her established church, rendered any attempt on his part more than madness. Yielding to the necessity of the time, be remained quiescent: changed in conduct, but unchanged in heart; suspending his_ _de mand, but not Waiving his claim; quiescent, like an old and practised tiger in a jungle, watching for a favourable moment when his unsuspecting prey would be off their guard. " Yes, the claim of the Italian usurper is unchanged and unchangeable. ffe cannot abate one jot of it without con fessing that he is not the vicar of Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is, in truth, an inalienable mark, stamped upon his forehead, in the word blasphemy. " Again he is urging it in England, but not as yet by vio lence. He is urging it by professing to disclaim it. He is endeavouring to regain his power by protesting that he does not desire it. To this end, his mitred delegates in this em pire have been solemnly upon oath disclaiming, before the parliament and people of Great Britain, the perfidious, and persecuting, and enslaving doctrines of their system, alleging that such doctrines were wholly obsolete, while, at the same time, they have been sedulously and successfully propagating those very doctrines among their own deluded followers. A remarkable combination has characterised their course, namely, public disavowal open oatli, walking hand in hand with secret propagation by authority. " By such dissiniulation they have succeeded in hood winking unsuspecting Englishmen. Your committee cannot but recognise in this delusion the natural consequence of the apathy into which Englishmen had very g enerally fallen, with regard to their holy religion. Care less about God, forgetful of his sovereignty over nations, and buoyed np in the pride of self benevolence—discontented with existing in stitutions, and enjoyments, and privileges, and wild in the expectation of most extravagant improvements from the strength and ingenuity of human wisdom, they failed to per ceive or feel that political improvements in temporal matters contain no atonement for national sins, and that in the midst of the brilliant and intoxicating career of such improvements there was an accumulating load of offence ag ainst God. Useful knowledge, physical science, mechanical discovery— these, considered as properties of the nation, became the ob jects of the nation's idolatry. The distinguishing peculi arities of vital religion were discountenanced as enthusiasm. While, for the attainment of superficial unanimity among men, national encouragement was held out to what is super stitious in itself, and, is its demoralising consequences, fatal to national prosperity. "A faithful and effectual testimony against this delusion has been raised and propagated by our Protestant Associa tions. Your committee have much pleasure in announcing that such testimonies are multiplying in the kingdom. In the spring of this year a Protestant Association was formed at Bath, under circumstances which elicited the retaliation of a Romish Priest, and led to as complete a conclusion, a discomfiture of fraud and falsehood, as has ever been fur nished by the annals of controversy. The whole of the pro ceedings have been printed in a pamphlet, entitled Popery Illustrated.' By the result of the Bath Protestant meeting, on March 13, 1838, in controversy of Dr. Brown, Principal of Downside College, with Sir W. S. - R. Cockburn, Bart., Major Grafton, and the Rev. R. G. M'Ghee.' Last week a similar association was formed at Manches ter, under the superintendance of the true Protestant, and faithful minister of Christ, the Rev. Hugh Stowell. " That the operations of these associations may he carried on vigorously and perseveringly, that meetings such as the present may be held, that appropriate tracts may be printed and circulated, that needful journeys may be made and ser mons preached, it is absolutely indispensable that the friends of Protestantism should contribute to the funds: and your committee would earnestly invite their numerous and warm supporters in this town and neighbourhood, not only to swell the collection to be made at the doors, but also to enroll their names on the list of annual subscribers." The Rev. T. D. GREGG then came forward to move the first resolution, which was as follows :—" That, being fully persuaded that Popery is a system of gross apostacy from God, defacing Christianity by idolatry and superstition, and the crimes that are consequent upon these,—being also con vinced that this Popish apostacy is spreading its poison among the people of England, and rearing itself into power to invade and overturn the best and dearest interests of the Protestants of this empire,—this meeting considers it the bounden duty of all who value the sacred blessings of Scrip tural truth and Protestant liberty, to co-operate by every legitimate means, in their several stations, not only to oppose the further progress of Popery, but to deliver, if it should please God to bless their exertions, our Roman Catholic fellow-subjects and our country from the power of this anti- Christian yoke." Having read the resolution, Mr. Gregg proceeded:—Mr. Chairman, and dear friends, I consider it a very high privilege to be allowed to address so large and influential a body of Englishmen as I see before me. As one of the humblest of the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, I feel that my individual weight and opinions are as a mere nothing. Yet it has pleased the Lord, in the exercise of his sovereign grace, to confer a certain degree of influence on those opinions of mine, in consequence of circumstances of which you are all aware. To Him be all the glory. And instrumentally I must say that I owe to England what I consider to be a very great deal of the energy that influences me in this great cause, and the determination that I humbly feel within myself, to devote myself, as far as the Lord may give me opportunity, to the great work proposed in this reso lution—namely, the overthrow of Popery. (Hear.) You are aware that I am an Irishman; and I tell you the truth, that I was a long .while a Protestant before 1 felt anything more than a very strong conviction of the soundness of my principles. We do nor, in Ireland, see Protestantism in its practical excellence. Irish Protestantism is a sort of miti gated thing. I grant it is a strong—a very strong thing; and the Irish Protestants are most decidedly against. Po pery : but it is in consequence rather of a conviction of the truth of their principles, and that which 1 like wise attribute to God—the transmission of wholesome and valuable prejudices from father to son, than from a visi ble exhibition of the excellence of Protestantism. Prac tically speaking, it is with Protestantism in Ireland as it was with true religion in the time of the Jews. The Jews were mixed up with the Canaanites, and in proportion the prac tical influence of their own religion was let down. So it is with Ireland. Protestantism has not yet put on its beautiful garment ; it does not present itself to the eye of an indivi dual who regards practical religion as important, as recom mending it strongly to the approval of all -.vim become ac quainted with tt. The Poor Irish Protestant is firm against Popery, while his practice partakes of the instruction of Popery. For a long while the Protestant reiigion in Ireland was not spiritual in its character. There was a proverb abounding in the country, that "The Papist had a bad reli gion, but the Protestant had no religion at all." This was something like the case. We complain of Protestant ser vants nut being so good as Popish servants, with a variety of other similar complaints. A very natural reason may be given for it. Superstition is an influence, but neglected re ligion is no influence at ail. Therefore, while I was very greatly puzzled, 1 really felt at a loss when I found they were not so practical, as I would have desired to find them. I said within myself, "After all, if our religion be not practi cal—if it do not produce results superior to those performed by Popery, we should be rather quiet about it, I think." Well, I came over to England, and I tell you truly, that for a long while I was puzzled with new difficulties. There is a great deal on the surface of English society, especially is certain localities, calculated to make an Irish clergyman ra ther hesitate. In Ireland we meet with a great deal of respect. It is " Plase your riverence" on all hands. (a laugh.) I sin coming to England ; I expected to find the people as ready to do us honour as the people of Ireland. But 1 found you a sturdy race. (Laughter and cheers.) An Englishman stands bolt upright before every man who does not give him a downright reason for exercising any influence over him. (A laugh.) For a while what I considered the rudeness and want of submission, and sundry other unpopish attributes of your Yorksbireman, made me rather bard-Hearted against Protestantism. (A laugh.) But when I saw Englishmen stand upon their feet and drew in something of their spirit, my mind changed. I perceived in the lowest orders an inquiring disposition. I found every man taking me to the scriptures, and G iving me his reasons from the Bible. Every man , though he might neglect going to church, imagined he had a good reason for it, and read his Bible at home. I found that reading the Bible made them rational, thinking, independent, honourable, free, decided, and, in fact, invested them with such attributes as, when I became acquainted with them, did really cause me to glorify God, and to say within myself, " I have found it out! Here is the grand point. his to Protestantism that England owes these qualities, and it is to those qualities that England is indebted for her amazing superiority." (Loud cheers.) They talk of Ireland being ground down to tyranny. They talk of 7,000,000 of people having been kept down for 700 years. I believe it is that Mr. O'Connell is so famous for harping upon, by English tyranny. I defy all the ty rants in the world to grind down to the earth seven millions, or two millions, or one million of men, as the Irish Papists are ground' down, if they had the qualities that Englishmen have. (Cheers.) It is to their qualities, derived from their religion, that Englishmen owe their liberties. (Hear.) Give me a nation with the qualities of Englishmen and Pro testants, and they may laugh to scorn the power of all the tyrants in the world. They will stand erect in the attitude of liberty, and civilisation, and national glory, notwithstand ing every obstacle that may be opposed to them. (Cheers.) Why, I tell you, I defy the whole world to grind down me, — (much applause,) —me, a thing grown upon a dunghill, as it. were, comparatively. Why? Because here I have the seandard of my salvation, and the Lord my God—(The con clusion of the sentence was drowned by applause.) What! a single Englishman ground down, who has the Bible in his hand, and the spirit of God for his guide ! Impossible. It is a thing out of the question. Capital, and- railroads, and mail-coaches, and gas, and other inventions and im provements, are these the cause of the advantages of this country!! No. If I were to put an Englishman, without a penny in his pocket, in a desert, he would fill his pockets with money—(a laugh)—and that of a most admirable qua lity, because he would do it in honesty and integrity, and by the exercise of those powers which the Lord confers on all who determine to be independent. But give me leave to ask you this :—would this be likely to be the case with Eng land if I opened one of her hooks of devotion, for example, and found, held out as a pattern for the imitation of her sub jects, a saint, a holy saint, a wonder of piety. He died at Rome, and how do you think he lived ! Excuse me for being very plain. I am in the habit of being plain. He lived a lousy beggarman. (Loud cheers and laughter.) The most filthy object in the whole city of Rome, covered With rags, and so overrun with vermin, that the priest in the confessional who gives us an account of his extraordinary piety and amazing merit, was obliged to put a partition be tween himself and his penitent, and always to get on the lee side of him, or the weather side, I do not know which. (Laughter.) If Englishmen were so blind, so besotted, and so ridiculous as to imagine that this is excellence, under any form. I ask you, in the name of God, would they be the people they are? (Cheers.) I beg to tell you that these things occur in Ireland. I will undertake to show you a thousand saints like this, who, were they in the city of Rome, would no doubt, be canonised. (Hear and a laugh.) If you will go along the roads in the south of Ireland, you will find — turn th themselves—comingpoor, priests kn wretched w i c t r at u well—holesfr o e r s w r a u r n d n ig out annnd which clamorously o t f they holes ey ca n in ds eeditches . jug your alms, evidencing, as they fancy , by their prayers ,r are and ex c S e t e . d D it o , t tsa o tltietivleiryginaand othe r - 'eminent Deities ur t c h ih i t s s ir s ne y fis s u t u e let l eml A u n sot d g a ly ini p e ious and admirable Papists, through systemroo people g e the result liver producing e su u l t n o fd fi f te a on s u k ,r, concernin g e.deglrtaidsep l aihi plain common sense that it must. (Cheers.) This being the case let us be decided as one man against this system. 'That you may be decided against it, let me address a few thou"hts from the almost only authority 1 ever quote on the subject of Popery. First, I will give you a brief description of what Popery is for the word of God. Remember I do not stand here as an isolated individual. I stand here as a mem ber of our holy church. I do not give you notions of my own When I come to speak of the book of Revelations , it is to my mind, as it must be to the mind of every thinking individual, a source of great satisfaction to know that I do not entertain a single idea, respecting this book, which is not at the same time entertained by our holy church. (Hear.) So that if you approve the opinions and arguments as such, which we are addressing to your common sense, they may find their way still more readily to your convictions, when you know that they are such as you have already, by impli- cation, sanctioned, as members of the Protestant church. Furthermore, I tell you that these opinions are brought be fore the world in their strongest, and most striking, and most convincing form, by persons at whose feet 1 have been glad to sit—those admirable defenders of our holy church—Eng lishmen who are the very light of the world. I mention with honour, for example, that great living divine, the exemplary Mr. Faber, and likewise the eminent and excellent Joseph Mede. I pray God, in his infinite mercy, to deprive you of that high-mindedness which is too common amongst us, which leads people to say, like Father Maguire, any runaway opponent— (laughter and cheers)—" there is nothing certain in the book of Revelations—no one understands it." I thank God, I believe I could find five hundred old Englishwomen, who would be able to teach Mr. Maguire the book of Reve lations. (Laughter.) lam going to give you extracts from this holy book. 1 was beginning with a prayer, and it is this—that God, in his wisdom, may humble you to become diligent students of this book. For, in proportion as you do prayerfully read and understand it -you will Teel yourselves" animated with a peculiar degree of love fur the truth as it is in Jesus, and become a blessing to your families and con nexions. God has promised his special blessing upon it; and it it be only read by the light of those invaluable guides, Faber and Mede, every one may understand it; and Popery will never be overthrown till the great mass of the people do understand it. (Cheers.) God has condescended to become a painter for us. He has painted Popery ; and here is the pic ture he draws:--' Come hither,and I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore, that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Lo he" carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of voices of blasphemy, having seven beads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed iu purple and scarlet colour, and decked with Gold, and pre cious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand , full of ebb:lnflations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOAIINA TIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus : and when I saw her I wondered with great admira tion." Mark, I assert, and our holy church asserts, that this is a picture of the church of Rome. Can anything be more awful? It is admirable, and I bless God for it. When I was going to the late discussion, people said to me, " Sir, your arguments from the book of Revelations will not tell." I said, " I know better than you—they will tell. When God has given me arguments I believe that he is wiser than you, and I will go in simplicity according to what he tells me, and not according to your advice. It is with the vulgar that I have todo—with tinkers and tailors; and they can understand a picture, when they cannot understand a theory." And is not this a living picture, speaking to every soul? Is not the church described as the bride of Christ ? It is the constant language of Scripture. When the bride, the Lord's wife, is faithful to her husband, she is represented as a beauteous woman, dotted with the sun and moon, and crowned with twelve stars. When the bride, the church, becomes unfaith ful, what can be more appropriate imagery, in describing her, than that of a faithless, foul, abominable woman " I beheld the whore drunk with the blood of the saints,"—persecuting them to the death. She was a faithless spouse to b Christ : she went after other hus bands, whom she admired, and bowed down to, and served, more than her lawful husband. He requires the whole heart. "My Son, give me the heart." And he will not be satisfied with half alseart. " She sits on a scarlet coloured beast, having seven heads and ten horns " A pre cise image of the Roman empire. Rome had seven forms of government, and she was ultimately divided into ten powers —weapons of attack—ten kingdoms. It is remarkably plain. But while it commends itself to our reason, by its plainness, we like to have assurance doubly sure in such . a case as this. And here we are not left in doubt; God gives us a sober ex planation of his imagery : "The woman thou sawest in that great city, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth.' What city but Rome ? What city reigned over the kings 01 the earth? And who affects, in modern times, to reign over the kings of the earth but papal Rome ? Not one God ex plains the whole matter. Having given us a picture of the apostacy, he gives its attributes elsewhere: " forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from meats." What form of of apostacy does this but the Roinishapostacy ? In sober ness, is not this satisfactory ? Does not this commend itself to your reason ? I put it to you, seriously to ask yourselves, looking round the whole world, if anything else can be found, answering to the description of the great whore, who puts a hook on the nose and a bridle in the mouth of the nations? There is evidently none. (Hear.) Turn now to Deuter onomy, the 28th chapter. Hear what is denounced as the consequence of apostacy from God: "Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy hand, the increase of thy trine and the flocks of thy sheep. - Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou guest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and re buke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly, because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou bast forsaken me. The Lord shall snake the pestilence cleave unto thee, until be have consumed thee from off the land whither thou guest to possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an ex treme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. And thy heaven that is over thee shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee until thou be destroyed. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labour, shall a nation which thou know est not eat np, and thou shall be only oppressed and crushed alway." Are nut these the words of the living God, before whom we stand and whom we serve ? If I were to engage a writer to give a description of Ireland, it could not be more exact. Is it not the same with every Popish country in the world ! Is it not the case with Italy ? Are not the lower orders there ground down, and oppressed, 'and reduced to bondage, as in Ireland? Are they not the same degraded class of beings? Is it not the same in Spain ? Is it not the case that there is in that country, in the present day, neither security for property nor order of government, or anything else. In Portugal—in every country where Popery predo minates, does it not create an aristocracy which is not of the people, putting it into the power of that aristocracy to plun der the people, so that the lower orders are ground to the earth through their darkness, their ignorance, and their fatu ity, while the others are lifted into the position of plunderers and robbers. (Applause.) When this is the case in every Popish country in the universe, should it not decide us as to what is the truth of the case? Was it not so in England her self in Popish times ? Englishmen were not then free. Mag na Chaste was wrested from the King, as I proved in the late discussion, in spite of the Pope. The Pope anathematized it. He commanded it to be given up. Were not the lower orders then in a state of bondage ? Their name implies it. They were called villeins. But look at them now, I tell you that the lower orders of England are fit to be the aristocracy of other lands. (Loud cheering.) Therefore, in God's name, be sober, and practical, and recognise where the truth is; recognise the origin of your privileges and liberties, and as your forefathers won them for you, be determined to keep them for yourselves. All I ask is this,—do not let us be extinguished in Ireland. Do not allow your voices, or those of your fellow-countrymen, or that of the government, to countenance the priests of Belial and Antichrist, the plun derers and enemies of the liberties of the people.—(Cheers.) Be determined to allow no such thing. If Protestantism be the glory of your land, and the source of all your privileges, assist us in fighting the battles of true religion, and give us your countenance that we may have victory on our side. (Loud cheers.) Go back to the imagery I have brought before you. 1 will make a new image. Imagine seven millions of men, women, and children, bowed down into the dust of the earth —seven millions are commonly given as the amount of the Popish population of Ireland--imagine them on their knees, and their faces in the dust, and a priest elevating before them the host, a bit of pastry, and the seven millions lifting up their bands and eyes, and saying, Deliver me, for thou art my God !"—imagine the God of heaven, angels, and arch angels, looking down on the scene,—and can there be other than a curse upon the land where such a system is practised? —( Hear, hear, and cheers.) Does not God control circum stances ? He does. Let us attempt to do any thing the Lord will not have us to do, and he will knock the legs from under us, as it were: we shall be met and obstructed on the right hand and on the left, and where we want to succeed we shall not be able. Why ? • Because the Lord orders circum stances so as to defeat us. The Lord is a God that hideth himself, and he controls circumstances so that his finger can not be seen, and thereby he blinds the eyes of his adversaries. I remember old Cobbett.—(A laugh.) He was a fine old fellow, considered as a man, but unworthy of his position considered as a Christian. Old Cobbett said that it was im possible Ireland could be the victim of Popery, and be under a curse, because there land was fertile, and because corn, and pige, and oxen, and sheep were exported to England,—God could not be the cause of it. Poor old man ! I wish he bad had the wisdom of John Bunyan the tinker.—(A laugh.) Ile would have seen that the Lord can give a land rich harvests, and cause them to be eaten by the enemy ; that he can give prosperity in one sense, and withdraw it in another. At the same time he keeps back the working of his finger, so that the cause is not discovered by those who will not bow in simplicity before his holy truth. By thus controlling cir cumstances, he makes everything done for Ireland turn into dust and ashes, and a curse. Go to the Protestant parts of Ireland—go to Belfast. for instance, and you would almost imagine yourself in England. (Cheers.) I was in Belfast the other day for the first timer I was delighted, and I said within myself, "Blessed be God, our evils are not Irish, but Popish." (Cheers.) Protestantism, and Protestantism alone, can take Ireland from her excessive misery, and lift her into her true position among the nations. (Loud cheers.) It must be so, from a consideration of the respective results of Protestantism and Popery, and of the picture God has drawn. The difference between Protestantism and Popery may be reduced to a single item: salvation by faith in Christ alone, without the works of the law, which is the Protestant doctrine,--and salvation by faith in Christ, with the works of the law, which is the Popish doctrine. There is the sim ple principle that divides us. Considered in the light of nature it seems a mere trifle, and Popery looks to have the best of it. It appears wiser, and more favourable to virtue, to preach salvation by faith and works, than salvation by faith alone. But the preaching of salvation by faith alone, exceptis excipiendis, with a proper exception, is that which alone is suitable for appealing to the human heart. The man who makes Jesus Christ alone his foundation, abjuring all dependence' on his own works, God will look on him with favour, will send his Spirit to make him virtuous, in conse quence of taking that simple truth. But God will in jea lousy keep away his grace from him who depends on his own works; he will give him up to blindness, darkness, and stupidity of mind, so that he will take the grossest absurdities for proved truths. This is the simple principle that divides us. It is not easy to see the difference. But there is be tween faith and works, and faith alone, the same difference that there is between the window alone, and the window and the window-shutter. Suppose a man to say, " I get light by the window alone;" and another to say, " I get light by the window and the shutter, when closed,"—it is obvious he would never get light at all. Observe, then, what an im mense evil may arise from a false addition. (Hear, hear.) Popery wi I give up anything but this, because it is as the window-shutter to the window, and enables them to succeed in keeping the people in darkness. This is the separating principle. And what do we mean by principles ? Beginnings. If you compare beginnings, you never can see what their proper results will be. Let me illustrate this by a lesson in nature. Seeds are prin ciples—beginnings. Look at them: compare them. You will say, "Is not this seed just as good as this? This is bigger than that." But plant them, and the lesser will bring forth the glorious oak, while the greater may bring forth the mere stunted herb. So, in looking at principles or begin nings, one does not see what they lead to. Eggs are prin ciples. Take two eggs: regard them in the abstract. You will say, "O they are equally white and equally big." Get them hatched, and one will yield a good wholesome hen, the other a fiery flying serpent. So with our principles. And here was the advantage I had in the late discussion—in the great discussion, as I may venture to call it. I adopted such a line of conduct as enabled me to see the eggs hatched. (Laughter.) I determined I would not contend about prin ciples. Mr. Maguire said, "O, let us dispute about doc trines." I replied, "No, I shall dispute about churches. Your church is the church of the devil, and leads the people to hell (Cheers.) Our church is the church of God, and leads the people to heaven. (Cheers.) Let us look at the results of the two churches." So I had the advantage of hav ing eggs batched. I ask, in the presence of theLordbefore whom w e s t an d , w hat sort of religion is that which enabled me to bri ng f orwar d o ne of its saints, — how do you think he was employed ? A useful man—the admiration of the world ! He was stuck upon the top of a pillar, with a chain round his leg, naked; and he had to wind up the food which was brought to him from the ground to his resting place, if so it could be called. And this valuable member of society, —(a laugh)—this marvellously diligent man,—it was very well that he belonged to the corporation of batchelois,— (Cheers and laughter.) I can tell you that this sort of holi ness would not answer—with Englishmen, or, at least, with their wives and children. (A laugh.) This holy saint, stuck on, the top of a pillar, got a great ulcer in his foot and he was so amazingly holy that be would not get it cured till it became full of maggots. (,Laughter.) Soberly and seriously, this is given in the Popish breviary, which the priests are obliged to read uuder penalty of mortal sin. (Hear and laughter.) I said, " What would be thought of Father Maguire stuck on- the top of a pillar, with a hole in his foot and maggots in the hole! (Shouts of laughter.) Your friends about you will, I said, think you better employed fighting against me on this platform.". (Much cheering.) Mark, Popery is revealed to us by God as an abomi nation, its practical results are devilish and abominable, and it is a holy thing to oppose it even unto the death. (Loud applause.) Not by fighting with carnal weapons, but by giving testimony against it, and if needs, as the result of our testimony . , being torn limb from limb by the papists__,(Res, iie — vfed — applause.) Allow me to occupy your attention a little longer. I must tell you that lam a very practical man of business • and really I like, when I see an association formed, to know what it is going to do. Because there are so many associations in the present day, meeting together and doing nothing—simply spouting clubs—it is essential that we Should have before us a definite line of view, and a definite point to be aimed at. What, then, should we do? We should root out Popery from the United Kingdom. (Loud cheers.) Is this practicable? I say it is practicable. But how ? I shall tell you one plan. By Christian legislation. If our legislature, our government, were truly Christian, and would enact laws truly Christian, would not this have a tendency to uproot Popery? (Cheers, and cries of "Yes!") I would not propose persecution in any form or shape ; but Chiistian legislation, having a tangible and useful object. Popery is a system of darkness. It prevails by keeping light from the minds of the people. It does this most effectually by the machinations of the priests. They wo'nt let their people come here. if a papist were known to come here his priest would take and flog him, or get angry ; and when the priest went into the man's house the people would whisper, and say, "The priest is very angry, because Paddy went to such a place," isnd they would fly in all directions, so that they might not touch the skirts of the angry priest, imagining that some thing like death would happen to them if,they did,through some electric effect proceeding from the priest. (Laughter.) They effectually excluded from men organs of information, such as newspapers, anything that would enlighten the people's minds. I was told by a friend, some time since, that he had thrown a few tracts iu the way of some little children —these they are instructed to regard as something evil—and one of them at length, after crossing a tract, took it to its parents, the parents showed it to the priest, and the priest tore it up, saying it was not fit for them to read. (Hear.) The people were getting light by the system of education in progress. The schools were decidedly scriptural—the na tional schools: the priests did all they could to keep away the Popish children, but they went in despite of the priests. They could get no other education, and England, in a spirit worthy of a Protestant people, would give them no education but what was scriptural. They had an opportunity of read ing the Revelations, as well as other books: they might have seen the term " scarlet whore," and it might have struck them to inquire what this could mean. The priests saw that such education was likely to undermine their influence, and therefore, by-means of the itomish members of parliament, they got it done away with. (Hear.) They have succeeded in getting schools established which keep back the dangerous passages of the Bible, so as not to touch their particular er rors. (Hear.) These are among the various plans by which the priests keep light from the people. But could not a Chris tian government, by Christian legislation, break through these barriers. (" Yes !" and cheers.) How did England become Protestant? Was she dragooned into it? No : she was enlightened into it. (Cheers.) The reformers took pains to enlighten the minds of the people, and to prepare therri to embrace the truth. That truly great and determined man, Cromwell, vicegerent or viceregent to Henry the Eighth, found he could not stir a single step till he had en lightened the minds of the people. There was therefore preaching at Paul's Cross, and preachers were sent through the land, and idols, and images, and cheats, and frauds were exposed before crowds of people. (Hear.) Thus it was that England became Protestant. And could not Christian legislation be conducted on the same principles? Go back to the time when Christian legis lature was carried on in England. The Bible was translated by government; the parliament sanctioned that translation ; and that very same parliament published homilies, and in various ways 'diffused intelligence among the people. Could not the same be done for Ireland? (Hear, hear.) English men are not to be caught by flash. I put the question to your own judgments. (A. laugh.) lam the last man to ad vise persecution; but when I find a community of owls lodged in my chimney, I am too much of a sportsman, though not so great a one as Mr. Maguire—(a laugh)—to take and shoot them; but it is a very fine thing to let the light in upon them. (Applause.) Let light in upon Irish owls, the Popish priests, stud their poor, unhappy victims, and let Irishmen stand forth in the attitude of placemen. But this can only be done by Christian legislation, and how can we expect Christian legislation when there are Papists in parlia ment? (Rapturous applause.) We cannot. I rejoice to see the gentlemen of the press here ; I trust it will go abroad, that when I merely made an allusion to Papists being in par liament, the spirit of which was, that they ought not to be there, it elicited a shout of applause from this vast meeting : I tell you the Papists must be turned out of parliament. (Loud and prolonged cheering.) I thank you for that cheer. My brethren, they shall be turned out. (lienewed applause) 1 have stood before many assemblies of Englishmen, and, 1 bless God, have seen Papists beaten down who came to beat us down; but I never saw enthusiasm so much excited as it has now been, when I said we should have a Christian par. liament. It is nonsense to think it can be otherwise. 1.1 there were a society for promoting virtue, among any class. would it be legitimate to have prostitutes in it? (Hear.) li a society were set on foot. for promoting honesty, would it be legitimate to have pickpockets in it? (Hear.) if, then, there is to be a society for enacting holy laws—and I presume you think your laws holy and Christian—should you have idolators and apostates in it ? No, no.) L thank you for this meeting. .It will teach wisdom to the Duke of Wellington, and a fine old fellow he is. (Cheers.) But he had not so much wisdom as the farmers and masons, and the great mass of the English people. They told hiM he was going to do a most flagrant act, in breakiug in upon the constitution, which our forefathers had established and cemented with their blood. (Applause.) I will not con clude without endeavouring to make the public opinion of England tell on one of the causes of our grievances in Ire land—the conduct of our Protestant Irish landlords. They who should know better, are very commonly found support ing Popery, giving money to build and repair chapels. Co lonel Conollv one of our Protestant wiseacres, gave no less a sum than ZW, the other day, to repair a Popish chapel, or mass-house, a synagogue of Satan, while he'retused to sub scribe for repairing his own church, which was in a falling state, or building a new one. (Hisses.) I thank you for that hiss, and I hope it will be wafted across the waters, and penetrate to Colonel Conolly's ears. If Protestants stand undecided, and halt between two opinions, Popery will continue to spread on every side, and the grievous conse quences will be multiplied to a fearful extent. (Much cheering.) The Rev. Dr. RA Lpii, in rising to second the resolution, said it was couched in strong language, but language which, he believed, on inquiry conducted on scriptural principlea, would be found no stronger than truth. .(Hear.) It was language as familiar as household words to our early refor mers—language _which leavened their writings, and which pervaded also those creeds and confessions, which had been han,ded down to us as the binding rules of the church in after years. If the language, therefore, were too strong for them selves, it was because they had altered, and not because truth was altered. (Cheers.) It would not be difficult to explain, did he feel at liberty to do so, how this difference in sentiment bad come about—how it was that, in merging all peculiarities of creed, man had come to be indifferent about truth. (Hear.) But Christians were not the creatures of times and circumstances. The record by which they were guided was independent of these ; and moored fast as they were to that record, they were prepared to ride out every storm. (Cheers.) The simple outcry he had proposed to himself, as a very humble link in the line of speakers on that occasion, was just to ask a candid and patient hearing of their statements. It was not enough to invalidate their ar guments that they had been ridiculed by individuals deeply committed to party. It was for them to test those arguments by the simple word of God, and to abide by its decision. (Hear.) And he would further ask, that they would carry into practical life the convictions their minds were then im pressed with. It was one of the unfortunate necessities of these times, that as soon as they mingled in social life, they fnooutnfda fait pl ay themselves among m Hewanted s o t d h e e ep y ed dt( theirs party, e that truth had- 1n to let truth have fair play, And if they should be persuadedby the evidence laid before them, that Popery did exercise so destructive in in influence over mankind as they were told it did, they ought to do everything in their power to deprive it of that influence which it exerted in this kingdom. The Protestant Asso ciation he had always considered as going in the forefront of those many efforts now making to form a strong line of de marcation between light and darkness : on this account lie had always given it his unhesitating support; it delighted, p re ut him to perceive the enthhsiasui of that meeting—a m ee ti ng , s y u r r o w se tiin propor tion te so large ,in its numbers, so determined with one heart and tided soul to stand by the truths of the word of God, to whatever obloquy it might expose them in the peculiar times in which they to o e t r h e e cdail ffi ledcutliotelsivbey. which(Che ers.) they we performance of it. (Hear.) And duty, of the nature of that which they had undertaken, was indeed encompassed with considerable difficulties. But they trusted to the power of truth, which was great, and must prevail. They could not .but be satisfied that, wherever they moved, triere was altered tone in society around them on those important sub jects. (Hear.) With these few remarks, made merely to give place to a speaker from a distance, he seconded,. with great pleasure the resolution proposed by Mr. Gregg.. 7 The Rev. ROBERT JAMES WPHEE then came forwards, and was received with great applause. He spoke as follows: —Mr. Chairman ; in considering how I might first improve that privilege with which I have the honour to be entrusted in addressing this vast assembly, I have thought it best to select that topic which I thought, under the blessing of God, might be most calculated to awaken my protestant brethren to a sense of that double duty which presses upon them as Christians and as men. The first and most important duty that presses upon protestants, and most especially upon those who hold the sacred ministry in that church which God has graciously established in these realms, appears to me to . be this—to use our best exertions, following the faithful exam ple of our reformers, to whom we are indebted for the bless ings and privileges we enjoy, to rescue our poor Roman catholic countrymen from the awful collar of the popish apostacy. (Hear.) The next and most important duty ap pears to be, to use the utmost vigilance to endeavour to arrest the progress, the rapid strides that that papacy is making by secret machinations to corrupt our population, and by open, insolent audacity to usurp a cruel despotism over, our liber ties, our properties, and our lives; to undermine all the in stitutions in our country for the maintenanance of that sacred cause of the truth of our God, for which our forefathers were content to be led to the stake, and to expire upon the field. And, therefore, the topic which I have selected to address you on this day, as a continuation of the subject on which I had the pleasure to address you at our last anniversary, and that is, the doctrina' and practical perjury of the church of R o me—(hear)—wch the church of Rome bears upon her brow, a mark which God has stamped upon the apostacy of speaking lies in hypocrisy, having her conscience seared with a hot iron. What can more effectually awaken the ministers of Christ to endeavour to deliver the people from the yoke than the solemn conviction of this, and knowing that that apostacy is in everlasting opposition to the word of truth, and bears on its brow nothing of the stamp of the word of ever lasting truth, but the impress of the father of lies? What can lead us more to endeavour to arrest the progress of popery, in our own country, against our own liberties and against our own religion than to know and to be convinced that we have to deal with the agent of a foreign tyrant who is endeavouring by every means in his power to overturn all our institutions—whom no contracts can bind, no oaths, no sense of moral obligation; who appears in every sense, indeed, to be like the unjust judge, to have no fear of God and no regard for man? I shall, therefore, without further preface, recall your attention to the subject on which I had the honour of last addressing you. You will re member, within a short period of our history—ten short years ago—say in the year of our Lord 1828, how all the Protestants of this empire were divided into two classes on the subject of grants of political power to Roman Catholics. One party objected to it; and amongst other things, one great point of their objection was this, that the Romisb Church had no regard for oaths. Their advocates contended that this was illiberal, uncharitable, unchristian. Their op ponents quoted canons and councils unrepealed, and they appealed to the page of history. This was met by the state ment that some of those canons were obsolete; those com ments belonged to the dark ages, and as to history] we were told by a noble and learned lord, " those who appealed to history on the subject, read history like an old altnatack.' The Romanist!, themselves, clamorous for power, and for what they called their rights, were examined before the com missioners of education, before both Houses of Parliament, as to certain canons—as to certain councils, in which it was contended the danger to. Protestant institutions lay: but they denied, they renounced, they spoke, they swore through them all; they evaded every council, they denied every canon, they escaped from every bull, and the conscience was this, that neither statesmen, commoners, laymen, nor churchmen,, were able to bring the facts home to the bishops of the Church of Rome; and therefore, whether be lieved or disbelieved, the consequence you all know was this, that popery was admited to political power, and the only safeguard on that power to prevent it overturning the Pro testant institution of this country was a papal oath. Now to the consideration of that oath I would . call your attention es peciallythis day. If 1 demonstrate to you that that oath, or that the principle rather of the Church of Rome annihilates all moral obligations between man and his fellow-creature; -if-I show yau that this political oath which was adopted by our parliament for the security of the Protestants of this em pire, that that oath is null and void, on the consequence of every Roman Catholic who takes it; if I show you that it has been frequently violated by priests, bishops, and lay men, by shameless acts of open perjury—if I show you these things, you can have no hesitation in passing that resolution I shall have the. honour of submitting to you, as follows . "That it appears to this meeting that the principles of the Romish church, as inculcated in her admitted standards of public instruction 9n her priests, and through them on the people, open a door for the violation of all oaths, and all the bonds of moral obligation, when it is the interest of the Papacy that they .should be violated. That the oath de sired by the British parliament to secure in Romish mem bers of the senate, loyalty to the British sovereign; safety to the British constitution ; protection to Protestant property, and to the christian religion, as by law established in these realms, is demonstrated on the most undoubted evidences to be null and void; to have no obligation on the consci ences of those who take it : and, therefore, to be utterly worthless in principle; that it has been already violated by the basest acts of secret perjury, and that this meeting con sider that the permission, the toleration of this crime by parliament is a dishonour to the British senate, and a disgrace to any free and Christian nation." Now there never was a more important practical resolution 'propounded to any public meeting than this. I have said you wills pass that resolution if 1 demonstrate to you the principles on which it is founded. I shall therefore humbly endeavour to go through the series of propositions which I trust will appeal not only to the understanding of those who are the most reflecting amongst you, but will come home to the plain common sense of every child in this assembly. Now you will perceive this resolution is divided into three parts; the first .is, "that it appears to this meeting that the prin ciples of the church of Rome as inculcated in her admitted standards of public instruction, on her priests, and through them on the people, open a door for the violation of all oaths , and all the bonds of moral obligation where it is the interest of the papacy that they should be violated." Now in speak ing of, this resolution; I shall avail myself of the resolution which you passed at the last meeting when I had the honour to address You. I shall avail myself of your authority, and you will all - ow me to read that resolution to you. The reso lution passed at our last annual meeting was this :- - " Resolved, that it is demonstrated to this meeting, from the facts and documents laid before them, that :he principles on the subjeCt of oiths and perjury inculcated on the can didates for the office of Roman Catholic priests, in the col lege of Maynooth, in their standards of instruction, and the principles on the same subjects enjoined by the Roman Ca tholic bishops on their priests in their standards for directing the consciences of the people, are of such a character that they are calculated to violate the sacred principles of true religion, to subvert all the foundations of moral obligation, to rend asunder the bonds of all social compacts, and to the frame of civil and political society." This resolution was passed at our last meeting without ene dissentient voice. It is unnecessary for me to enter upon the subject of the documents on which this resolution was founded. Those who were present heard them : and those who were not present at this meeting, I beg leave to refer them to these documents iNthis book. Permit me to remind you that not only your resolution, but the documents on which it was founded, remain to this day unconttadicted in Liverpool. All the worst principles of the papacy on this subject, as inculcated in the college of Maynooth, were laid before you. No priest, no Romish bishop has been found to stand before the British public, to call in question those do cuments, or to contradict them ; therefore when I refer you to your own resolution, you wil feel that I refer to a reso lution which was passed on solid grounds. There was one person who made some remarks in an anonymous letter in the press concerning them; but those remarks were anony mous, and were not worth answering. Another writer took some of my documents from a garbled report in the Mercury and the Timer, and borrowed my authentic documents in the authorised report of the Standard and the Mail, to prove that I had garbled the documents. (Laughter.) That was not worth answering. Allow me to say one word to those gen tlemen. (" Yes.") I hope the reporters of the Mercury and the Times are present. (A cry of " yes.") Then gen tlemen, permit me to request that you will carry my mes sage to your employers. (Cheers and laughter.) Tell them that if they presume to bring against me, falsely as -they right well know, the charge of perjury —if they presume to hold me up to public scorn —if they presume to revile me, and speak all manner of evil against nie falsely, I warn them, before this vast assembly, that I shall take advice, the best advice in all England—but it shall he the advice that my master gave me. (Cheers.) Do you know what it is ? Tell them I shall rejoice and be exceeding glad.—(Great cheering) And give me leave to return their contumely, and slander with this Christian wish, that if it shall ever be their lot to be held up to public con tempt, and soon they may be enabled without a blanch or a blush tolook an enemy; or a world in the face (hear) from the consciousness that they have no reproach to cast upon them selves in the preSenee of Almighty God.—(Loud applause.) You will then :reeollect with respect to the documents—those uncontradieted documents in this report, that the following facts were proved:' It was proved from Bailey, the class book at Maynouth, from Dens the conference book for the priests by which they are to guide the consciences of the poor Ro manCatholies of Ireland, from Thomas Aquinas, one of their best writers on ethics at Maynooth, that the prohibition of the superior, a Pope,llishop, or Priest, can prevent any oath from. imposing any obligation on the conscience of any man who takes it. It was proved that this same. superior can an nul any obligation by dispensation: It was proved that any thine :a superioranay please to consider wise, useful, or ne , cessarv, for the interests of the church, that was a sufficient cause for his dispensing with any oath. It was proved that in every oath taken by a Roman 'Catholic, he must have this mental reservaion, "saving the right and authority of any superior.". The conscience of the man bound under this sla vish yoke is not bound to the man to whom he takes the oath —his conscience is not bound to the God to whom he swears, his conscience is bound to the tyrant of his soul, who is to de termine whether he is to keep his oath or not. Now I shall merely add to the testimony on this subject one document or two from the most authoritative sources. I have to request your kind forbearance for intruding on you with these docu ments,'but recollect that'Your resolution cannot go forth as it ought to go forth, founded on every sound principle, that every man who goes to his house and recollects he has voted for that resolution, can lay his hand on his breast and say,— " I have voted for truth to-day."—l say you cannot say that unless the facts and documents, however tedious, be laid be fore you. on which the resolution are founded. I will, there fore, read to you from this book, which is a most important volume. This is the Canon Law of Reiffenstual, the standard of Maynooth, a book acknowledged by Dr. Murray to be of high repute in his church, and from which we shall see just now he took an appendix which is now set up for the Canon Law in Ireland. In this book it is stated— " Reiffenstual in the second book of his decretals, title 2-1, says as follows — "No. 50. It is demanded what conditions are considered to be tacitly inherent in a promissory oath. " No. 51. In every promissory oath, however absolutely made, certain tacit conditions are understood." The second is "saving the right and authority of my supe riors." He must secretly understand in his mind, what ever I promise in this oath, 1 cannot promise at all un less as my priest or bishop chooses to allow me: I must have the right and authority of my superior." Now ob serve, these are not the private opinions of Dens, as Dr. Murray''said ; for Mark, it is taken from the canon law. This Condition is taken from the Veniento, the Book of Canon Law, in which it is said, " So the aforesaid oath could not exculpate You, the right of your superior being excepted." 'The oath the man had taken could not excuse him from the -authority of the Pope, because when he took the oath , he ought to have in his -mild the authority of the Pope as his superiors. , To this, again, is a chapter ea te, which is another Chapter taken from the'canon law, wherein it is taught, " an oath is unlatiful; , :and not to be kept, that cannot be kept saving the honour-of 'the apostolic chair." So that no oath whatsoever, taken by any Roman Catholic in England, who has any religion, or any reverence to his Pope, can bind a man, unless the honour of the apostolic chair is reserved; and if it goes against the interest of the Pope, the oath is null and void. You will see the importance of these principles when I come toapply them to the resolutions in question. In the same .chapter it is said, " A man is not to be called a trans gresses of his vow who does not fulfil that which he has vowed under the authority of the apostolic chair." In the contro versyto which my dear and reverend brother alluded—to the report at Bath--an Irish priest found fault with my transla `tion. He said. I ought to have translated it—" adverse to fulfil." In the canon law that.could be it; but in this place the spirit is—" that the man does not fulfil his vows;" be cause if a just cause exists, the Pope is able to dispense any vow or any oath that a man may take. Now, I shall not trespass upon you by reading the canons on which this is founded. You have the canons quoted, and I assert that they are the authority given here. In the authorised report 1 shall give the dames of the canons, so that if they should be called'in question' by any person in Liverpool, 1 shall be able to show you that no person was enabled to answer them, and you knoW that they were mentioned. It is proved that the principles of the Romish church open a door for the vio lation of all oaths, and for the violation of the bonds of moral obligatiOn; when it is the interest of the Papacy that they should be violated. I shall now .consider the second part of the resolution. "That the oath devised by the British Parliament to secure, in Romish members of the senate, loyalty to the British so vereign, safety . to the British constitution, protection to Pro testant property, and to the Christian religion as by law es tablished-in these realms, is demonstrated on the most un doubted evidence, to be null and void, to have ao obligation on the consciences of those who take it, and therefore to be utterly worthless in principle." Now before I come to prove that matter of fact allow me to call your attention to prove one principle. Here is this same canonist, and here is this same question proposed in this canonist, which you see bears directly on the point. " It is demanded, in the third place, whether and how far an obligation is imposed by an oath of keeping the statutes, capitulations, or customs of any church or community when any things are contained in them which are unlawful, or which verge to the prejudice of the Church or dignity to which the person who takes the oath is promoted? " We answer Ist, a general oath of observing the statutes, capitulations, or custom of any church or community obliges only to observe things lawful, possible, and not pre judicial to the liberty of the Church, such is the common opinion, and it is expressly decided, cap. I, h. t. in. 6. By declaring that those oaths which are accustomed to be taken by-powers, rulers and lay officials in the beginning of their office, and which sometimes contain certain things unlawful and prejudicial to ecclesiastiCal immunity ought to be ob served only as to those things that are- lawful, since, as to other things they cannot be observed without an offence against the divine Majesty, and an oath cannot be the bond of iniquity, because that- -which is useful ought not to be vitiated by that which is not useful according to Rule 38, Jur. in 6 ; hence oaths of this sort only impose an obligation as to points that are lawful." Now there is one principle taken from this canonist. Ile then refers us to the canon law; and really this subject is of such immense importance you must permit me to read the canon. Consider, it contains the principle on which oaths are 'nullified, on which the protection of all you value in England and all you value most in Ireland, on which, I sa y , the protection of these depends, so far as Papal power or Penal authority can extend over us. This is the law ; " It happens to be observed in some churches, that neither their prelates, when they first come to those churches, are admitted, dor -canonical persons, when new canonical persons are received there, are otherwise received in them, unless they swear inviolably to observe the statutes and customs of those Churches, written and unwritten. Among laymen, also, in many states, canzps, and countries, in assuming their stations of power, ride, and office, s a disease of custom bath crept in, that theSe powers, rulers, and officials, are by no means ad mitted to their places of power, rule, and office, unless they shall have ,first sworn that they will keep the statutes included in thine places. But because in thbse statutes and customs afore said, sonteltinus,some things are found unlawful or impossible. or obstructing .the liberty of the church—lest under such a `general in-Ode-of swearing,, an occasion of sinning might be affoided to those who thus swear, since an oath was not in- stituted to be the bond of iniquity, wishing by this general constitution to oppose the dangers of souls, we command that oaths of this sort shall not be taken by any persons, knowing that there are contained in the aforesaid customs and statutes any things unlawful, impossible, or obstructive of the liberty of the church, and such oaths to be made, or having been made with that intention, that any things unlawful, impos sible, or obstructing the liberty of the church, should be ob served. (since even they cannot be taken with such an inten tion, without an offence against the Divine Majesty) we de cree that in things of this sort, unlawful, impossible, or ob structive to the liberty of the church, they are not to be kept. But rather for the safety of their souls, if it shall have hap pened that, under the aforesaid, or any similar form, any persons have ignorantly sworn the aforesaid things unlawful, impossible, or obstructive to the liberty of the church, the intention of the swearers ought to be referred only to the ob servance of things that are lawful, possible, and not obstruc tive of the liberty of the church. " We declare, also, that oaths in general of this sort, of whatever kind they be, and in whatever form of words set forth, or to be set forth, are only to be extended to things lawful, possible, and not obstructive of ecclesiastical liberty, and that those who swear them are not bound to any thing else by taking au oath of this sort," There is the canon law of the church of Rome for you as quoted in the standard of Maynooth. Now we shall see how tar this practically applies to the oath in question. And if I show you that this principle is applied to the very oath taken by the members of parliament at this moment, and if I show you that that oath is declared by his authority to be null and void; and if in force—then Englishmen and Protestants of this empire will learn what security they are to have in the oaths of Popish Bishops and Popish members of parliament. (Cheers.) Nqw, for the purpose of illustrating this subject to you, 1 shall bring before you a document, which although it has been adverted to, and I believe in some way given in some of the public papers, it has not been brought forward in any public meeting such as this in this country; and it is a document which ought to be known to every Protestant in the united empire : and it will be interesting to you—it ought to be interesting to every one in the town of Liverpool, be cause this parliamentary document was brought forward by a faithful advocate and defender of the Protestant religion and scriptural education in this country, the Bishop of Exeter (cheers); and it was brought forward, if I am rightly in formed, oa the occasion of presenting a petition from the town of Liverpool to the House of Lords. "Copy of any despatch from the Governor or Acting Lieutenant Governor of the Island of Malta, to his late Ma jesty's Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, re specting the appointment of the Bishop of Malta to be a member of the council of government of that island; and also of any despatch announcing the refusal of the said Bishop to, take the oath required by law to be taken by him on the acceptance of such appointment, and his resignation of the same; together with any documents r eceived from the said Bishop on such his refusal and resignation." Now mark, here is the very print iu question. The Bishop of Malta was to be appointed to a certain situation in his Majesty's government in the island Malta; that was, to be come a member of his Majesty's council in the time of our late monarch. Before he was admitted to the office of a councillor—one of seven in the island of Malta, he was called on to take an oath to the King of England. That is the same oath taken by members of parliament; it was taken out of the act and sent over to him to take. Here is the parlia mentary return printed for the House of Lords on the motion of the Bishop of Exeter. "The Ist document in this is a despatch from the Earl of Aberdeen, to the Lieutenant Governor of Malta, Sir F. C. Ponsonby, dated April Ist, 1835, directing him to appoint a council fur the Island, consisting of seven persons, of whom the Romish Bishop was to be one.' 'No 2. Is a letter from the acting Lieutenant Governor, Col. Cardew, to Lord Glenelg, dated October 28th, in which he informs him, that he was obliged to put off the installation of the council, as the Bishop bad refused to take the oath, till he knew the Pope's pleasure. In this despatch the oath is inclosed, which is the identical oath now taken by the Ro mish members of parliament ,from Act 10, Geo. 4, Cap. 7. I need not read this oath, as I shall advert to it just now. "No. 2. Is the copy of a despatch from Lord Glenelg, to the Governor of Malta, acknowledging this letter, desiring him to fix another day for the installation of the council; that if the Bishop should attend he was to be sworn, but, if not, the council was to be installed without him. But his Lordship adds, 'I will not give up the hope that the expected communication from Rome may at no distant period remove the existing difficulty. Whenever that time may arrive, and the Bishop be prepared to take the oath, you will cause him to be sworn in as a member of the conncil, and he will take that place at the board which it was originally intended he should fill. In the mean time the council will proceed in the exercise of its functions, as it is perfectly competent for it to do, notwithstanding the absence of so distinguished a member. —I am, &c., &c., (Signed) GLENELG.' "No. 4. - Is a letter from Col. Cardew to Lord Glenelg, dated 27th February, 1836, in which he informs his Lordship that the answer from the Pope to the Bishop had arrived, and he encloses that answer. The answer is here in the original Italian, with the translation of which I shall read some ex tracts. It begins as follows:—" Most illustrious and rever end Sir,. it is with real regret that I have been obliged to delay until the present moment a reply to the contents of your Lordship's letter of the 21st May last, and the subsequent ones of the 23d Sept. and 31st of October, namely, upon the lawfulness of the oath required of you as one of the mem bers intended to form the Council created by his Britannic Majesty to assist the government of these possessions. Having expressed your unwillingness to do anything, or to take any part in that affair, without first being informed of the opinion of his Holiness upon the subject." " I must here observe that the translation does not convey the sense of the original Italian, for it is not the opinion of his Holiness upon the subject, but it is L'oracolo del sus Sanlita, the oracle of his Holiness, the opinion of the Pope is an oracle upon the subject. The letter then states that the Bishop's application had been submitted by the Pope to the holy congregation, and it was their opinion that the Bishop should not accept a seat in the Council. I shall not detain you by reading the whole of the document, and their reasons on the subject, but I shall give it to ble inserted in the authorised report. As regards the oath the letter pro ceeds :—" In this view you will see an obstacle to your be coming a member of the aforesaid Council, and will find a still stronger one as regards the oath which for such purpose is required of you. The form of the oath transmitted to me in your letter of the 21st of May having therefore been examined ; and having received on this subject the requisite information, it is found that the said form is not approvable by the holy see, and that it has never been approved of. "Now let me call you to mark this fact, that this oath, taken by the Romish members of the British parliament, and devised as the only security. against their efforts to over turn all that is dear to the protestants of this empire, is now declared by this direct authority and communication from the pope himself, not only never to have been approved of, but that it is not to be approved of by him. (Hear, hear.) So that you have, as you have seen by all the principles of the Romish church, laid before you at our last meeting, and to-day, that since in every oath the Roman catholic must re serve the right of his superior in his conscience, thst the pro hibition of the superior, prevents, or takes away the obli gation of any oath from the conscience of a Roman catholic: and you have here the u nquestionable testimony that this oath is disallowed by the authority of the Pope himself. It is therefore clear "as Might, that vou decide according to the evidence of indisputable fact, when you shall' pass the reso lution that this oath is null and void; that it has no obligation on the conscience of any man who submits that conscience to the authority of the Pope of Rome. (Loud cheeers.) The Bishop said, he appears to have been a conscientious man; "he did not choose to take an oath which he thought he could not take lawfully without inquiring the pleasure of hit master the. Pope. He addressed a letter to the govern ment, requesting that his attendance might'be dispensed with for the moment. "Tile next - document in these despatches is a letter from the Bishop of Malta himself to the chief Secretary of the Island, requesting permission to resign his seat at the coun cil, in consequence of the communication he had received froth the Pope. And this document concludes with the ex tract of a despatch from Lord Glenelg to the officer adminis tering the government at Malta, acknowledging the receipt of the answer sent from Rome, sent to the Bishop of Malta, together with the Bishop's request; and his lordship con cludes his letter thus:— ' I have now to acquaint you that I have had the honour to lay before his Majesty the Bishop's resignation, which his Majesty was graciously pleased to accept. It is, however, a matter of deep regret to me that the Bishop should have found himself under the necessity of adopting such a course ; and more especially because the same motives which have influenced his decision in this instance will apply with equal force to every other ecclesiastic in the island who may belong to the communion of the Romish church.'" Now you know, this is an official Parliamentary document. Then comes the form of the oath. I need not read to you the oath, as I shall have occasion to refer to it just now. The next is a copy of the despatch of my Lord Glenelg, dated Downing-street, September, 1835. In this, Lord Glenelg desires the government to appoint the council with out the bishop. The bishop does not choose to attend: Lord Glenelg expresses his regret, but he says—" I will not give up the hope that the expected communication from Rome may remove the existing difficulties, and if ever the time shall arrive when the Bishop can lawfully be appointed a member of the council, you will cause him to be nominated as such." The next is a copy of a letter from the government to Lord Glenelg, informing him that the Bishop had read an answer from the secretary of state from Rome, and enclosing the answer. Really it seems as if the Povidence of God had marvellously blinded the eves of the Bishop that he should enclose this answer to the government of Malta • but he encloses the answer sent from the Pope to him. And what is this anwser? is is here in the Italian and trans lated also : Extract from the Evangelical Letter of Pope Gregory XVI. to all the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops. " God forbid, dearest brethren , God forbid, whilst we are pressed by so many evils, and threatened by such dangers, that pastors should be wanting to their charge; and, stricken by fear, abandon time sheep, or, casting off all care of the flock, sink into idleness and sloth. Let us, therefore, in the unity of the spirit, defend our common cause, or rather the cause of God, and let us unite our vigilance and our exertions against the common enemy, for the good of all the people. " You will discharge this duty faithfully, if, as your minis try demands, you attend to yourselves and to doctrine, calling frequently to mind, that the universal church is not shaken by any novelty whatsoever; and that, according to the admonition of S. Agatho, Pope, nothing of what has been regularly defined, ought to be retrenched, or changed . , or increased, but that all should be preserved incorrupt both in meaning and expression." Now mark, the oath, the identical oath taken by the members of the British parliament—that oath on which our whole security depends, that oath Was sent to the Pope of Rome to know whether the Bishop of Malta might take it. The Pope sends it back, and declares that it is not approved of, and that it has never beer, approved of. Then there is a letter from the Bishop expressing his regret at his inability to take part in the council. Now, I must turn back for a moment and ask some questions on this oath. Does the Pope of Rome allow to her Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects to "faithfully promise true alle giance to her Majesty, to defend her to the utmost of their power against all conspiracies that may be made her against person, crown and dignity," dues the Pope allow the Roman Catholic members of Parliament to take that oath? No. Does the Pope allow them "faithfully to promise that they will maintain support and defend to the utmost of their power the successors to the crown ?" No. Or that they shall faithfully keep any of the promises they swear in the oath, the taking of which entitles them to sit in the House of Commons as members of Parliament? No. The doctrine is taught in Maynooth that the Pope has and ought to have —an indirect power at least—in these realms, and under that authority the laws of the Pope of Rome are at this moment set up as the laws that. govern Ireland. Does he allow them to swear that they will "defend the settlement of property within these realms ? No. Does he allow them to swear that they wilt not endeavour to "subvert the Church Estab lishment?'' No. Does he allow them to swear that they will not endeavour to disturb or weaken the Protestant government ?" No. Which of these articles is there that the Pope refuses to let them swear, or does he allow them to swear any of them ? I ask this question not merely in re ference to the Popish hierachy, or the Popish members of Parliament, but I ask this question in reference to her Majesty's Colonial Secretary, my Lord Glenelg. Now mark tlie words of the despatch of Lord Glenelg. He " re grets that the Bishop should have .foutut himself under the necessity of adopting such a course and more especially because the same motives that have influenced his decision in this instance, will apply with equal force to every other ecclesiastic in the island, that may belong to the community of. the Romish Church." Lord Glenelg now on his own confession, that this decision of the Pope must influence every ecclesiastic in Malta, must have known that it would influence every ecclesiastic in Ireland and England, and every ecclesiastic in all the colonies, Did he not know that ? Unless, indeed, the Pope is Pope in Ireland a Malta, and in the Colonies, and not in England. And yns what did he do ? He took these documents—l am sorry h e lordship is not in hearing—that declaration of that foreign tyrant, that an oath of allegiance was not to he taken by - Popish ecclesiastic—what does he do? He takes and draws the money from her Majesty's loyal subjects—front the Bri tish churches—he takes the public money and he endows Papal bishops with it, who he knows in his heart are not loyal. (immense applause.) 1 said last time I was here, if • 1 were a member of the House of Commons I would impeach Mr. O'Connell, and it' I was a member of the House of Lords I would impeach Lord Glenelg. (Continued cheering.) He,- knowing Members of Parliament took that oath—he knew • that oath was disallowed, yet he took that despatch, and he cushioned it in his office till it was dragged out by the honesty and integrity of the Lord Bishop of Exeter. I know not. ‘ • what the noble lord may feel or think about this. I know U.... L:4. I was in his situation 1 could not feel that 1 had acted as a faithful subject to my sovereign, or that I bad discharged my • _ duty to my country, or my duty to my God. Now the ques- • tion comes whether this decision of the Pope, and this oath, has any reference to the Itoman Catholics in Ireland. I be; , t• lieve that there is not a child in this meeting t hat will not la y his hand on his conscience—upon his heart, and say that he can faithfully pass this resolution, that the oath devised by • the British Parliament to secure the Romish members to act. . with loyally to the British sovereign, and with safety to the British constitution, is demonstrated on the most undoubted • . evidence to be null and void—to have no obligation on the consciences of those that take it, and therefore to be utterly worthless in principle. Yuu have established on all the documents of the Romish church, that every oath is taken with a reservation in the canon law, and that every oath is - utterly null and void if it is against the liberty of the church of Rome. You have the actual oath taken by the Roman Catholics of these realms—you have that very oath submitted to their superior, to whom their conscience must subserve, and under whose laws they are governed—and you have-a . positive declaration from the Pope himself, that he does not approve the oath. I really know not how much further we may go in demonstration of any fact: The last part of this resolution is the most painful. We have been speaking of principles—now we must speak of persons and facts : " That this oath has been already violated by the basest acts of secret and open perjury, and that this meeting con-.. : siders that the permission—the toleration—of this crime by_ Parliament, is a dishonour to the British senate, and a dis- > _ grace to any free and Christian nation." I.say it has been violated by secret perjury. I must-first = now advert to the Irish Romish Bishops. They were exa mined before committees of both Houses of Parliament. They were examined especially by . the commissioners of _ education. Dr. Murray was examined, Dr. Doyle, Dr. Crotty, Dr. Higgins, Dr. M'Hale, and a great many others . besides. They were examined as to particular Papal.bulls,- - whiCh involved the liberties and properties and lives of all Protestants so far as they can be subjected to the attacks of Papal power. They were examined first as to the Bulla Sine anno. It is a bull which is published at Rome on a particu lar day, and by that bull they are all excommunicated. Dr. M'Hale swore that that bull had never been read in Irelaud, while at that moment it was contained in the 6th volume -of Dens' Theology, which was a standard for all the priests of the country. Dr. Doyle swore that it had never been - - enforced in Ireland, while in this very book--Reiffen-- stuel, there is a chapter on the subject, declaring that it is utterly and entirely false that any man , should pre- . some to say that that bull is not in force in every 'part of the world where there were Roman Catholics for it tobe so with. Now I come to what is spoken, for we shall come to . examine their truth by and by. Dr. M'Hale was examined as to the third canon of the council. That is a most atro cious canon ; it not only excommunicates all heretics, but holds them up to slaughter and persecution. I t declares that the subjects of kings are not to render obedience to . their kings, if heretics; and it commands all monarchs to ex terminate all heretics out of their lands. They were exit. - mined as to that canon, and by both houses of parliament, - and by the commissioners of education in Ireland. They de nied that that canon was in force in any part of the world, and they endeavoured to throw doubt on the existence of the • • canon, while in their own books the document is given at full length, as having been adopted in a council under Pope -- Innocent the 3d. They were examined on another bull. - There is a certain bull of the pope in which it is stated that no property whatever, taken in an unjust manner, but ought -- to be restored immediately, without, any moneybeingqtaid,.. to the original owners. And it was stated that thsepViests--, - - had maps of all the properties in Ireland which woriiifor4 merle is the possession of catholics, and that as soon asi t-- . was in their power they should endeavour to throw •ofl-.tint:.- - ' , British power and get possession of these properties. - These: , -t isi men denied the application of this bull to Ireland; Butirerewa it was laid down in their examination that, whereas these., bulls were not in force in Ireland, the reason was they were= not published there; but they would acknowledge Allot wherever these bulls were published, there they - were inlcirce.. • In 1826, having evaded all these examinations, the Ronran.i. -- catholic body got up an address from all the Roman catholic: , .. in Ireland, stating that they abjured` all the principletilhat. , r had been imputed to them, of persecution, and so on - , Extract from the Oath and Declaration of the Roman Ca- • : tholic Bishops, published in 1826. . "The Catholics in Ireland not only do not believe, but they declare upon oath that they detest as unchristian and • impious, the belief that it is lawful to mnrder or destroy any . person or persons whatever foi or under the pretence' of their being heretics;' and also the principle ' that !to faith is to be kept with heretics.' Ihey further .declare, on - oath,-their . belief that, 'no act in itself unjust, immoral, or wicked, can ever be justified or excused by or under pretence or colour that it was done either for the good of the church, or in obedience to any ecclesiastical power whatsoever;' that it is not an article of the Catholic faith, neither are.they thereby required to believe, that the Pope is infallible and that they do not hold themselves bound to obey any order in its own nature immoral, though the Pope or any ecclesiasti cal power should issue or direct such an order; but, on the contrary, that it would be sinful in them to pay any respect„ - or obed once thereto.' fhey do not believe that the Pope. " of Rome, or any other foreign prince, prelate, state, or, po-, tentate, RATH OR OUGHT TO HAVE, any temporal or civil jurisdiction, power, superiority, ur pre-eminence, di rectly or indirectly within this realm ! They further solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and - declare, that they, make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain' and ordinary sense of the words of this oath, without evasion, ' " ti equivocation, or mental reservation whatever , a n d without!: any dispensation already granted by the Pope,-or any autho rity of the See Of Rome, or any person whatever, and without '-inking that they are, or can be acquitted before God or 3 ~ ~ ~'3,~ AL1N11 , 44 man, or absolved of this declaration, or any part thereof; although the Pope or any persons whatsoever, shall dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning." 'The Catholics of Ireland, far from claiming any right or title to forfeited lands, resulting from any right, title, or in terest, which their ancestors may have had therein, declare upon oath that they will defend to the utmost of their power, the settlement and arrangement of property in this coun try, as established by the laws now in being! They.also' disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure, any iuteniion to subvert the present Church establishment, for the purpose of substituting a Catholic establishment in its•stead. And fur ther, they swear that they will not exercise any privilega to which they are or may be entitled, to disturb and weaken the Protestant religion, and Protestant government in Ireland:" As soon as they hadiattained the object for which they gave this oath—namely, the possession of political power, then what did they do? How could the Pope approve that oath, for here is a letter from the Pope, addressed to the Rotnish . Bishops of Ireland, published by Coyne, and translated by themselves, in which he says " that they will dischate their duty faithfully," &c. All the canons were to 'be preserVed, and what was the retult of ihis in Ireland? Why in that very year when they received this letter from the Pjpe, they' had that book published as a supplemental volume to Dens' Theology, which never has been printed before dut•orthe Papal states, in wnich every one of the bulls that , they had- - denied, and laws that they had abjured, and canons and councilsthey had sworn through, are published and set up as canon laws in Ireland. The rev. speaker then read a Popish bull, proving that the authority of the Pope in Ire- . land was not merely spiritual as had been stated, but was inre ality a temporary authority. For by a breach of that au thority, the lay population were liable' to excommunication, and when excommunicated, the ignorant population consi dered themselves, and were considered by their neighbours'as cursed, and that the curse of God was upon them, and none could remove this curse but the Pope himself; so that the poor Roman Catholic was under the 'impression that .there was no deliverance for his soul except at flte feet of a foreign tyrant. Would any one pretend that this was no temporal government for men. The execution of this sentence was secured; for if a priest refused to exe cute the commands of the Court of RoMe he was sus pended at once from his orders and his offices, and left with out the means of support as a vagabond on the face of the earth. Would any one say that this cord , ' not be executed in Ireland, let them look at the case of Dr. Mulholland who had been suspended from his orders and had no redress, and when he complained to Mr. O'Connell, Mr. O'Connell's re commendation to him was "to go back and submit to the Bishop of Rome. There was liberty for them. There was tyranny indeed. How was this oath kept by these Bishops? They gave it openly that the Protest-ints might he blinded by it, while they secretly published their laws for the slaugh ter and murder of the men they were cajoling, for the sub verting of the state to which they were professing loyalty'and for their destruction of the property they had sworn to pre serve. But, now their secret perjury was tnined into open perjury. Now these men had thrown off the mask; now they came out against the church of Ireland. They swore to do nothing to injure that church at that time but now they came out and called on the people to come out and extir pate it from the country. Dr. Murray and then Di. lkl`- Hale rang the tocsin against tithes openly and trampled on their oaths, and well they might, they had reserved in their oaths " the right of their superiors." But perjury was a matter of play to a Popish bishop. A layman perjuring himself must go to a priest for absolution, and a priest must go to a bishop for dispensation ; but a bishop might conveniently grant that dispensation to himself. (Laughter.) He should pais from the violation of oaths by the Popish hierarchy, to the consideration that these oaths had been openly and shame lessly violated by the Popish members of the British Par liament. Mr. McGhee then proceeded to contend that an oath was violated when the plain, and ordinary meaning that words were intended to convey was evaded, and when the impression that it was known that these words made was kept up with the parties to whom the oath was made, whilst those who made the oath intended to deceive them. This was perjury; and this was the definition of per jury given by the Romish church herself. He then proCeed ed to contend that Mr. O'Connell had been guilty of foul perjury and jesuitical evasion of the plain and ordinary meaning of the words of the oath he had taken as a catholic member of parliament, and would prove it so, not from Mr. O'Connell's reported speeches, for reporters might have mis represented him, but from his letters written coolly at Derry• nane by himself. Mr. M`Ghee then quoted extracts from Mr. O'Connell's letters advocating the abolition of tither, and the building of glebe houses for Roman catholic priests. This Mr. O'Connell had contended was not against his oath, and trying to subvert the Protestant religion for tithes and glebe houses were not the Protestant religion; but be had sworn also not to subvert the Protestant estallAment, and tithes did constitute a part of the Protestant establishment. But Mr. O'Connell had been very careful not to illude to this part of the oath he had taken. He concluded after an elo-quent address which occupied him two hours and a quarter in the delivery, and which we greatly regret our limited time and crowded columns oblige us to curtail of its fair pro portions, with so moving the address.. The Rev. HUGH M'Nuir.E then came forward. and was received with loud cheers. He said, —My reverend brother has called my attention to the concluding clause of this resolution. He says, he has left it for me. But I may truly say, that although he has treated only the preceding clauses in the close, careful, logical, and consecutive method which so remarkably characterises his speeches, yet in the tone which pervaded his entire address, he has anticipated this final clause, and exhibited in the strongest light the disgrace and the dishonour attaching to the toleration of such flagrant crime as that of which he has proved the Remark Catholic members of the British Parliament guilty. (Cheers) To awaken the high aspirations of Christian feeling, to make plain and prominent the demands of Christian truth, to ren der the presence and authority of God practically and pdwer fully influential over the minds and lives of men : to kindle a quick and sensitive abhorrence of evil in the heart, and to shed around the whole character the soft and trariquilizing and fruitful atmosphere of the love of righteousness and, true holiness—these are the lofty objects of the gospel of the grace of God, these are the results among men for which the"faith fnl ministers of Christ are content to labor. Content did s ay? Nay, these are the ends at which they aim with jos, not counting their tune, their talents, their sleepless nights and Studious days, their lives dear to themselves in Cemparison with the soul-satisfying delight of finishing 'their appointed. course with faithfUlness, and the ministry which they have re.- ceived of the Lord Jesus. (Cbeers) If thep theylind thaftitege high principles, this lofty tone, ibis holy atraotphere, these ( 4