The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-29 00:00:00

SABBATH DEFENCE MEETING.

ON Tuesday last, a Sabbath Defence meeting was held in
St. George's-hall, which was completely filled on the occasion
by a highly respectable and enthusiastic assemblage of both
sexes, and of nearly all ranks in life. The chair was occupied
by T. B. Horsfall, Esq., M.P.; and the following gentlemen
were also present :—Revs. S. B. Sutton, D. T. Barry, T. Daw-
son, J. Gilmore, H. J. Garrod, Wm. Hurt, Vaughan, B. S.
Clarke, G. C. Harvard, W. A. Mocatta, D. Joseph, H. T.
Heckar, Webb, Dr. Hillcoat, John Roberts, J. B. Lowe,
John Hughes, T. C. Cowan, A. Knox, D. Anderson, Thomas
Sleigh, Josiah Pearson, L. Thomas, D. Price, James Mann,
D. J. Hirsch, J. Gibson, E. Williams, T. 0. Powell, Walter
Smith, R. D. Fowell, W. T. Newenham, H. Marlen, W. M•
Falloon, H. Chettle, T. Robinson, Thos. Jones, J. J. Moss'
Dr. Blaheney, F. A. Power, S. Fenton, R. H. Lundie,
Hellmuth, R. Vincent Sheldon, W. Jones, J. Nicholas, J.
Herbert Jones, Joseph Bardsley, W. Rawson, C. W. Lawrence,
H. Carpenter, John Kelly, F. M. Harke, C. J. Hamilton, W.
Woods, V. M. White, H. M'Neile, D.D., S. Minton ; and J.
H. Johnson, Charles Inman, William Crossfield, J. K. Roun-
thwaite, Wm. Cleaver, Josiah Jones, Wm. Jones, David Hodg-
son, Edward Jones, David Rowland, John Reed, Hugh Donald.
son, George J. Duncan, Joseph Robinson, Edmund Buckley,
Thomas Haigh, Joseph Leather, Wm. Brown, Win. Jones
(Fulwood), Samuel Holme, Owen Williams, Statham, F.
A. Clint, John Eden, William Gregson, J, A. Tobin, James
Montgomery, Herbert Campbell, John Campbell, Anthony
Jones, Royston F. Boultbee, T. D. Anderson, Thos. Dent,
Thomas Ball, J. B. Williams, J. R. Jeffery, John Crone,
Robert Williams, John Brownbill, William Ackers, John
Roberts, Wm. Williams, John Atkinson, and Thomas Kaye,,
Esqrs.

Precisely at twelve o'clock, the hour fixed for the meeting,
the chairman, accompanied by the members of the committees
made his appearance on the platform, and was greeted with
loud cheers.

After prayer by the Rev. C. M. BIREELL,
The CHAIRMAN addressed the meeting, explaining that the
circumstances out of which it had been called arose from the
attempts recently made by members of the legislature to
legalize the opening of places of amusement and resort on
Sunday, and out of an endeavour made by Lord Grosvenor to
pass into an act a bill for the " better regulation of Sunday
trading." The principle of this bill he, the Chairman, said
was wholly at variance with the law of the land, alit proposed
to regulate that which the law condemned as entirely at va-
riance with its provisions, which condemned all tradinc, on
Sunday as illegal. The whole principle of mrkiutaining a'holy
Sabbath was assailed in that bill, and he felt he was cnly per-
forming a conscientious act of duty 'in opposing that bill,
which he accordingly did. (Great cheers.) In allusion to the
recent riotings in London on the Sunday, ite observed that the
object of the bill to which he had alluded was ostensibly to
correct the evils out of which those gatherings had arisen, and
the scandals to which they had given birth. If traffic was to
be regulated on the Sunday, it recognized the propriety of such
traffic, and must give rise to serious consequences. He be-
lieved it would be injurious, because it would interfere with
and trench upon the sacred character of the Sabbath. In con-
clusion, he said he hoped that the movement now made in
Liverpool would meet with synvathy and imitation throughout
the length and breadth of the, land, till it had been made plain
that whatever other nations may do, the people of England
still love,and are determined to maintain inviolate, the sanctity
of the Sabbath-day. (Great cheering.)
The Rev. Dr. 31`NEILE, in a long and eloquent address,
moved the adoption of the first resolution, which was as fol-
lows :—" That this meeting regards the Sabbath as an ordi-
nance essentially divine. It believes that it was given by God
to man, immediately on his creation, as a day both of religious
observance and of physical rest; that, having meantime ob-
tained a distinct recognition, it was solemnly re-enacted in the
publication of the moral law ; that its sanctification was con-
tinually pleaded for, its profanation continually rebuked by
the voice of the prophets ; that it was redeemed from tradi-
tional corruption by Christ himself, who, being the great
founder of the Christian church, did not hesitate to proclaim
himself `Lord of the Sabbath;' and that, accordingly, it was
presently transferred by the inspired apostles to the first day
of the week, when it became thenceforth especially ' the Lord's-
day,' being the day of his resurrection."
Joni.; CROPPER, Esq., J. 1., seconded the motion, which
was supported by the Rev. A. Knox, of Birkenhead, and
unanimously adopted.
The Rev. F. A. WEST, after a long address, moved the
adoption of the following resolution :—"That this meeting