The National Register.
London, England, 1811-05-26 00:00:00

very existence their Creator we .y .ristian
Church is safe, and consequently abandoned of 1-leaven, when for '

years it has remained exposed to the secret undermining attacks
of wily enemies, who, under the cloak of' modern philosophy,
have taught men that blasphemy is wit, incredulity wisdom,
nt happiness, futurity a dream, and God a shadow,
strung from fear and superstition ? Have we not seen in a
neighbouringeountry, the fruits of this Anti-Christian doctrine ?
Have not the altars fallen before reviving Heathenism, and the
blood of ancient persecutions flowed anew ? No ;,my Lord,
let us not deceive ourselves. Greater dangers lower over Chris-
tiatiity at this very period, than perhaps during the first ages of
the Church. Conscious that his time is short, Satan rages among
the nations, and gathers all the powers, wit, and genius of men
in, let us hope, his last tremendous effort against revealed reli-
gion. And shall we, for a moment, suppose that at such an
awful crisis God would desert his own cause, and, when Hell
and Earth have joined their might against his faith, would leave
it without inspired defenders ? Would his unerring wisdom at
the hour of en creased dangers and necessity, withdraw the assist-
ance of his unconquerable Spirit from his Church ? May not
even the very supposition appear in his eyes, an offence obnox-
ious to punishment ? And yet, what could he a clearer expres-
sion of such a belief on our part, than to forbid the very Minis-
ters whom his Providence may elect, to preach his saving word,
because they have not been educated by, and in the learning of,
the world ? Especially when we know that with " the foolish-
ness of preaching" and the weak things of the earth God con-
.-counds the wisdom of men and the pride of the mighty.
).
I am too wAll acquainted with the fervotir and sincerity of your
• Lordship's Christian faith, not to be convinced that you are in
the number of those who still believe that Heavenly inspirations
are no strangers to the earth. I therefore trust, that should you
think the few argameuts 1 have hastily thrown together, con-
vincing as to the hitherto unnoticed tendency of the alterations
proposed by your Bill, you will not think it y our duty to perse-
vere in bringing it forward, " lest haply ye be found even to
fight against Gad."--1 remain,
Your Lordship's obedient humble servant,
May 16th. A FRIEND TO TOLERATION.
• • We received this Address to Lord Sidmouth last week,
and regret it came too late for insertion in our last Paper. As
it places the subject in a new li,lit, we have thought it important
enough to be made public, although the fate of the Bill has al-
ready been decided.

- IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, MAY 20.
The 4,000,0001. Loan Bill, the Malt Duties Explatatlnu BM,
and the Inland Coal Bill, were read a third time and passed.
The Chtitte Ports Justice Bill, and the Bank of Ireland Se-
curity 13111, passed through Committees and were reported.
The Sout!iern Whale Fishery Bill, the Irish Militia EXplatlia-
eon Bill, several Local and Private Bills, were brought up from
the Commons, anti read a first tintc.—Atournt:d.

TIYEStAI', MAY 9,
TOLERATION BILL.
Earl STAN HOPI, presented Petitions, signed, as Ms Lordship
stated, by a number no ie•:s than 2912. respectable persons, who
conceived, that the Bill before their Lordships concerning relk.l
gioul "roloration, was calculated to infringe on their rights, and
on the conscientious discharge of their duties.
The F;irl nf LIVE it POOL professed a firm and thorough
Conviction of the purity of motive, as well as of the wisdom
inforination whi.:ll Lad guided his Noble Frieild in the pre-
paration aid prtagress of the measure tlien under discussion.
lie knew that his Noble Friend's motives and measures had
balm misunderstood by many persons, and especially by u

.ay ,
Woull

.s he ,
distinct,
doing,
~ that the
eitiotenrier,
jects of religious belief or prej
light ground, or without a
Noble Friend would be indi
Bill's being committed.
Lori SIOIKOLYTII expreved some surprise at the suggestion
of his Noble Friend. He was fully sensible of the sincerity
with whieli Chit suggestion was delivered, acid was no less aware
of the powerful effect which the opinions of his Noble Friend,
aided as he must expect they wautel b. by his NI • t .
s ars y•sMinis-
ters in general, would have in the decisions of the.: Lord hips.
He must, however, in justice to his feelings, and what he cone
ceived to be his duty, en leavour to explein to the House what
the real merits of the Bill which he had the honour
to prepare
were. .
Eal STANHOPE then demanded, that according to the
rights and t:iagei of toe Hote:e, the petitions be first read.
Lord H LLAND gave ample credit to the purity of his
Noble Friend's intend nis in the Bill, and could not but lament
that the N ,b!e Secretary of State who had that night so pru-
dentlyoffered hi. advice for Its being wirildrawn, had not. at its
first introduction, and the many subsequent occasions which oc-
curred, expressed a similar opinion. He himself had last year
declared h s firm belief tlia! the meddling thus with religious
opinions could only be attended with mischief. His Lordship
then presented a great variety of petitions from various quarters
of the kinglom.
Lord HeßnwicKe desired to be informed whether tilt
Noble Baro I had reed the petitions, and thereby ascertained the
propriety of their content-.
The Earl of Liven coot. was averse to the measure of.
detaioing the Heuse with the detail of reading the petitions.
Lord HOLLAND thought that the best way to put their
Lordships in possession of the true merits of the question was to
have the petitions read. File petitions already on the 'fable were
signed by 4463 persons, and the number was every moment
increasing.
The Petitions being ordered to be read,
The Earl of LAUDERDALE presented a great number front
Glouce ter, Dorsetshire, Sussex, Essex, Wiltshire, &c.
Earl MolttA delivered various •Petitions on the same side
from persons who :‘.e i espectability le stood pledged for.
Earl ORk:Y Iln:set:Zed Petitions from no 1e.4 than 1900 most
respectable perfons WIIJ disapproved of the i rinciple and ten.
dency of the Bill.
The Duke of NORFOLK declared his knowledge, that in
Bristol a very considerable number of respectable members of
the Established Church were hostile to the Bill.
The Earl of ROSLYN, Lord ERSKINE, a'nd the Marquis of
LANsnowNE presented severa.ly a multitude of Petitions against
the Bill.
The Order of the Day being read for going into a Committee
on the second reading,
Lord SlD:ecueet-rose, and in a speesh of great length and
eloquence, defended the principle, the abject, i-.nd the pruv ision, of
the VIII, the objections to which were chi. fly founded en a rnii•
understanding, but in some degree on a misrepresentetion of it.
It was no part of his design to infringe on the rights of telera-
tion ; but, on the contrary, to render effectual the liberal and
wise provisions 'of e Legislature on that eubject, to promote
the true interests of r theiigien itself, and chiefly by the means of
requiring the Ministers of that sacred office to be dajy qualified
for the exercise of it. In all countees, and in all ages, where the
v:.lue and influence of religion was duly estimated, the character
of the Priesthood was deemed an essential consideretion, not
only their meted purity but their intellecteal refinement wile II
subject of requisition. It was so in our Church, wherea distinct
test was required frern every applicant for holy orders
of his proper qualifications. It was so he would venture to
Isay, in tile wishes of many of the most eminent and Metito•
1 rious of the Dissenters, who grieved and complained of the
Jere
abuses by.,w li i:;norant and often profligate men could gain
admittan •• the office Of discharging then sacred functions.
' The ohjectimd principle of his Bill had been grossly mistaken,
and he could nut repress an ardent desire that it should trie into
the Committee, and there linden° an/ eorrettionswhich the
wisdom of the 1-1 )use might suggest. Perceiv;ng, hodtever,
sail
he did, from the sentiments and remarks delivered by his 1.:oble
friend (Lord Liverpool), that the MI 'nig tit not receive f. dm hit
Majesty's Ministers, that support to which he had cenceivedid
was entitled, he should not press it on -their Lordsiiips if.lis
should find that any NI: e leerd was dispbsed to rei:et it,
The Archbitliop of C ,eNTERBURY Was fully persuade* Qa
the pure and laudable motives *high bad 1 touted the NW*
Framer of the Bill, upon which he felt himaelf called Week,
say Only a frit wade: Pentad= of *very, hind, juird4o4lt
,

THE -NATIONAL REGISTER.
....
_. _ . .
bosom of every community, inen born under tlieblesseddrisp.e n... 1 . 111.. emus and res.pectaLle boll
. • his benevolent intentions ova
.sation of the Gospel, and heirs to the immortality which it pro- as he could not help doing,
claims, rashly and unblushingly renounce futurity, and deny the founded, had taken place on
very existence of their Creator ? Can we say the Christian distinctly did, that the late'

airno6;
y of men, in whose behalf espt daily
)uld operate. Neverthele,•, seeing,
that a gene: &l al irm, however oh.
tte subject, and conceiving, as be
rferetice of the Legislature cn sub-
rejudce, should never be exerted nn
a manifest neceviity, he hoped his
aduced to wave the prebsing of the