The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-04 00:00:00

/i 2 d~

'ORATED.

PRICE sd.

THE REV. MR. STEPHENS.

ASHTON.
It having become generally known on Saturday evening that
Mr. Stephens would address his hearers twice on the follow-
ing day, the announcement caused an unusual number of per-
sons to attend. He preached in the afternoon at Staleybridge,
and in the evening at this place. Determined on being in
good time at the chapel, I arrived there at twenty-seven mi-
nutes past five (preaching at six o'clock); but, lo ! not a seat
to be had ; indeed there was not comfortable standing room.
A working man in appearance, and no doubt perceiving that I
was a stranger, at once gave me his seat, and thus for a few
minutes, and but for a few minutes, I was comparatively corn.
fortable. In a quarter of an hour afterwards, however, the
accession of numbers was so great, that it strongly reminded
me of the 0. P. rows, and of Old Drury on Mr. Kean's first
appearance after his faux pas with Mrs. Cox; in short, a
vapour bath was nothing to this hydraulic pressure. At last it
became so intolerable that a general call was made for an ad-
journment to the Market-place, which forthwith took place,
where, from a waggon, Mr. Stephens addressed not less than
5,000 people. Service commenced with singing one of Wes-
ley's hymns, thus :
Peace doubting heart; my God's lam
Who form'd me man, forbids my fear ;
The Lord bath call'd me by my name :
The Lord protects, for ever near ;
His blood for me did once atone,
And still be loves and guards his own.
When, passing through the watery deep,
I ask in faith his promised aid,
The waves an awful distance keep,
And shrink from my devoted head !
Fearless their violence I dare ;
They cannot harm, for God is there !
&c. &c.

After the hymn a person named Johnson, a hatter, from
Hooley-hill, offered up a most sensible prayer, which, being.
concluded, Mr. Stephens stood up, and called on the assem-
blage to join in singing another of Wesley's hymns, thus :
Jesu, lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high :
Hide me, 0 my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life be past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last I
Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah ! leave me rot alone,
Still support and comfort me :
All my trust on Thee is stay'd,
All my help from Thee I bring ;
Cover my defenceless head
With the shadow of thy wing.

Mr. STEPHENS now proceeded to address the people for
about one hour and a-half, and in a manner so able, energetic,
fervid, and forcible, that I feel it impossible to convey any
idea to the reader. It was the first time of my hearing him,
and although highly prejudiced against the man, candour com-
pels me to admit, that in the part of his address, sermon, or
whatever else it may be called, which related to religion and
religion only, there was nothing escaped his lips to which the
most fastidious religionist could object. A sample of the
introduction—" I am," said Mr. S., " a man of one book, and
one book only, and that book the Bible. I hope and believe
that you, my hearers—you, try flock, will in this respect follow
your shepherd. This book contains all that is necessary for your
guidance, for mine, and that of all men. It contains the best,
the purest, in fact the only just basis on which the laws of man
kind can be established. Then need I ask you whether laws,
made by whomsoever they may, at variance with the laws of that
book, whether such laws ought to be obeyed ?"—( He left his
hearers to make the application.)—Mr. S. now called on his
congregation not to put their trust in man ; no, not in filth ;
nor yet to put their confidence in Princes; but to rely on
themselves, and to be provided against the coming danger,
adding most significantly, " I happen to know much more
than you know, and much more than I shall tell you to-night;
but rely on what I say, that danger is at hand."—Mr. S.,
after about half-an-hour's address a a generally religious
nature, proceeded to his favourite topic—the New Poor-law
Bill; and on this subject he was at home. Never did I hear
such strong, masculine, fervid, impassioned, and if you will
allow me to add, such a vigorous yeoman denunciation—a
denunciation clothed in language really terrific to hear.
The authors, the Commissioners, and the supporters of the
New Poor-law Bill were the objects of his tirade. Allow
me now to state the substance of what appeared to me the
most important part of his address; and if what he asserted
be true, and if the Government have sanctioned, or...rather
should eventually sanction, the diabolical recommendation
(to which he afterwards referred) then it may be foretold with
unerring certainty that a national commotion will be the re-
sult. On the contrary, should Mr. Stephens have had no
ground for the statement in question, then no punishment can
be too severe for the man who uttered it. His statement was
to this effect :—" My dear brethren, whom I sincerely love,
favour me with your close attention, I have something to say
unto you ; something to tell you at which I am sure every drop
of blood in your veins will tingle. Listen, listen, I say again
listen.—( Profound silence.) I have then, said Mr. S., seen
it in print. I have seen the book. I have read it, and there are
none of my ifs and buts about it, It is positively in print, and
one of the Poor-law Commissioners is the author, in which lie
recommends, now mind what I am going to say, that no married
couple, poor, of course, should be allowed to have more than 3
children ; and that in his (the Commissioner's) opinion they were
one too many. And this Poor-law devil decidedly says that
under no circumstances should they be permitted to exceed
the greater number.—(Extraordinary sensation among the
assemblage.) Two did I say ; yes, two, or rather, so says
this devil Commissioner.—( Great indignation at this moment,
when Mr. S. paused for a short time.) I dare say, continued
Mr. S., that you, my friends, have by this time a strong
anxiety to know how this devilish, this fiend-like scheme is
intended to be accomplished; and no wonder at such anxiety.
Now listen, and I will tell you.—(There was the silenft ui
midnight.) There is then to be a parish registry lccr bf all
married persona' families whose children at ant to three.
There is then to be a parish spy ; and, 'When the mother of
any such families happens to be ozeiente of the fourth, a
thing, by the bye, very likel4 to haispen—(Laughter)—this
parish spy is to loport to a pariah (or Government) official
man-midwife ; and such men-midwives alone are to attend at
such aceouoliements. When the travail of birth is over—l beg
you will listen to what I AM now going to say to you—when
the baby (babby Mr, S. called it) is born, the ruthless midwife
is to tear it away from its mother, without permitting a
single erehreee,—( Extraordinary expressions of disgust.)
The child is then with all convoelent speed to have an end
put to its existence, by introducing into its slender frame a
small portion of noxious gas.—(lt is quite impossible for
words to eeney the impression which this statement
prnduecd. But do not -let me forget one thing, and
which had nearly slipped my memory. These horrible,
these devilish things, are recommended not to be attempted
till theri, is a rural police established throughout the king-
dom, which, when completely arranged, will, it is thought,
prove effectual in enabling the Commissioners to carry the
theory into effect, inasmuch as they will always be within
call whenever any tumult may arise out cf this hellish pro-
ject. Mr. S. now made one of tne most stiring appeals to
the best feelings of woman that the imagination can conceive—
the reader rn
isanei the effect it produced, for deseripth:„ is
imPoss;tie. After this appeal, and when order was
I'D:Secure restored, he called the attention of his
... c ot some
carers to what
passed in the days of Pharaoh, and, as it appeared to the
writer, with fully the effects produeer!..ny the previous appeal
to woman. You, my bearers, Said Mr. Stephens, will no
doubt recollect what my book and what your book—the
Bible—records of what took place in days of old, when that
tyrant Pharaoh issued his mandate, that the midwives of
that day should put to death all the male children that
should be born through all tho land of Egypt for a certain
period. Pharaoh, however, wicked as he was, never con-
templated such horrible butchery as that which this Poor-law
devil Commissioner has the audacity to recommend. He
( Pharaoh) was, it seems, satisfied with the destruction of the
males ; but this Moloch Commissioner, it seems, is not to be
sated with anything less than the destruction of both males
and females, and that not for a limited time, as was Pharaoh's,
but which is to extend from generation to generation. This
abomination has, it seems, been left to be put into execution
by these hellish Commissioners. Do not you, my hearers,
recollect also that this grievous sin of Pharaoh's was
the immediate cause of God's most righteous vengeance,
by sending forth his plagues on the Egyptians? For did not
God say—" Now for these things will I pour out my plagues
on this peo_ple," And think you that the Almightly will per-
mit devil Commissioners like ours, to excel Pharaoh so greatly
in wickedness, and not pour out the vials of his hottest and
most fierce indignation on the nation that shall be guilty of
such wickedness? He will assuredly punish that people.
then, in sad prospect before you,
With these things,
may I not safely reckon on every man, woman, boy,
and girl now present, to unite in defeating so horrible
a scheme. I know I can rely upon you. Recollect, said
Mr. Stephens, how that God himself ordered Moses to
slay the Egyptian, and he did slay him. Did not God also
tell Nehemiah to slay his enemies, and did not he obey
the command If you do not then also thus resolve—if
you do, not thus resist to the very death, if necessary, the
introduction of this Moloch law, may God Almighty's curse—
his most t4r).ible vengeance—rest on the heed (/every nian who
ncoo dears me; may the curse of Christ;Acell in the heart of
every woman who now hears nisi who does not her utmost to
stem so horrible an iniquity, ' may tke Almighty's curse rest on
your children, and on their children to the third and fourth
generation,, nlcy God's curse be in you: basket and in your
stow; mqy the first grain of wheat, in the
.form of bread,
which' you may take for y, r' nourishment, choke you; may the
first drop of water. Kahan to quench your thirst be as baiting
waif?: kr; 4",oct, bowels; may you never prosper. .Fyn so.
.1
amat a loss for words to convey the effect, roduced by this
extraordinary peroration. This, communication might IA