The Sun.
London, England, 1813-02-02 00:00:00

.PROTESTANT UNION.

At 's MEETING of:PROTESTANT. GENtLEMEN can"
r6ned to tottAider the GLAIMA of the R.ONIA:N CA-
TIIMICS, held otthe Crown wind .Anchor, Tavern; in the
Strin,d, London, January 522, IRI3, •
GIIANViIA4E SHARP, Eq. in the Chair,—

AI- ULM, Inform4tion on the subject of the
ROMAN CATHOLIC, U.AIMS was communicated
by. afferent' Gentlemen, and - many interesting and well
witbenticiiied facts were glad, by which it appeared to the
Meetiog t .

1. 'fliat the subject now', tinder conAideration is of the
higlnst Importance to the Welfare and happiness of the
,„ Ilstited is.ingsloin of Great Rritain and Ireland. ,
2. That, fruit the extensive information, now received, it
is evident that no 'Misapprehension prevails in this Coen-
try with reittiect'to related, and to the general Tenets and
lbor
lti,jirit If the Rooiao Catholict in llitit part of the Empire.
:i. That the Claims of Atte Roman Catholics, together ;vial
the Principle:. and flights of the Protestants, ought to be
irravely and impartially hsoaglit before the Vublic ; not with
,:.ttkinr...ly yiewsolor io, ts spirit of personal hoStility, hut of
inOrleratiou and good will; not ,by exciting prejudice and
clamour against the Roman Catholics, but by eircolating and
eliciting such information as will thew, whether their Claims
can he conceded,. consistently with the safety of our Prates-
'taut statei • , .
4. That, in order to collect and diffuse information on these

highly interesting tbpies • and, at:the satneihns-, to defend and
support the Protestant interest in these Realms, a Society
should, be' instituted on the 14sit. of Civil and Religioto.
'Liberty, io recognized by the Britlsh Constitution.
"I htr Mettinz therrforetter.olved Co forma Soeicty,to be
tided, Ow iItI'ITIO,TAN`r UNION, tor the DEFENCE and
suppotcr of the ItttoTESrANT RIMIGION and the BRI-
TISH COI ITU'FON, ax estublisited'hy the Glorious Re-,
'volution trieit.
In unt,r to &dal I, the Sentiturnts of thiq Meeting, and the
• Priociiiii-1 upon whicit tin: Society it forint:ll44 was
, Rewived,

That it appears to this :11teting that the Itontait Catba-
lics demand. as a Right ander the hums of Catitohe
pAtii'rt, thP repeal of all hors and rll-3.lbilOir3 by which tiny
are iiilOcteil on acoottot oft the religions tenets. This demand
rail,races not only the e.,:ereke of unlimited and antontrouled
'wily, bat i;ivolvos the grant of the most extensive
V.ilitickit Power. The 304 iliniestt of their object would en-
' ;Wk.. tau it »nail •,it'ootios to possess the patronagl of the
tharch of They woolti by tOg'Wle to sit iii Pat Phi-
nomt ; to heroine Privy Cuilosellors to the Vitig, and to excl.-
' t; t. all the othees oorl patroaage Or tho 114;14..4 departments
Of the gofer:wit:lit. of. Loglaod Welt as,'.lretund, whether
itt Chtimh. or State ; road jilted to till the Throne itself,
/lambi the Crown descend to a person of the Itomun.Cutholic
• religiun.

w. That we cortiixlly atlMit the peat principle of the Pro-
t,..tiant religion, so amply rev ognixed hy.our National Church,
which xliows every loan to worship God alto• the dictates of
own conscience i provided he do not tlistuTh the peace of
+knd we are ready to k4.pply this prtnuiple,
in'lts fall,,t extent, to persons proresiing the itonian Cat ho-
lieseligien, but wt hate no proof, tilt indeed Complaint,
tioo. the, ti.oman Cselolier. have hot, tor many years, been
fully secured it; the ftve exe miNt of their religion; and we ht.
licce that the existing 'Nets afford them ample protection
in I iieir religious profession; and, consequently, ilk they are
under no restraint 1)fli. religious ilatiAre, their object ten mily
hu the removal. of politit-t1 restrictions Nevertlierlesa, if
the can be proved to he insufficient • for this porr•De,
.we IA oliceilitt4 support any measure necessary for ltcligi.
pus Ti?leration,, . .

3. That. Politieul Power and Religious Toleration are
niatters totally distinct : the latter may tie perfectly enjoyed
witborit any material portion of the former.
i. That with regaetl to renderinq the Roman Catholica
sible to further Poll, ical Pte,ver, the wisdom of that meutrure
principally depends upon it; expediency, and the degree of
Safety to the titate with which it can be granted.
t. That the Protestant heligina is the great security of t•bis
pull happiness and welfare of this count ry ; far, rag our civil
, nod religion , liberties havooriginuted in, end been preserved by
a Protest .1 lir l•stahlisionent, it, appears to its tit:m.ooe invalus
alite tiles flourish with its prosparity, and decline
its d'ee.iy.
That it has been tlw wise policy of our ancestors. who
liaVe osterttal io ui eibtitli,Aniti..those.great principle* of civil
crligtott‘ 1:1'!edolo, which have 'esrenthlty contrihotrd to
, the tieettrit), pNispet ity, and rvimsl.'n of Alibi crapire to cscluda
Unman Cailiolics 11.101 its government.
7, That it ha,,, 1,e;;;1 declared, by that Great Charter of our
I'lol of flight c, that it had It: n found by
tottarrienee ,ineanAbitent with the :,,frty and v,el.;are of this
Trots stunt 6 ingdoat to it governed by a Popish t'rib'e, or by
any Knit; or Queeti mai rving- ititapist ; therefore every per-
, win..prof,s,,inz rclieon, or who should marry it,
eXCIIf lied &nal, Anil be incapable of enjoy-
•ing t.,0. government of till,: realm and of Ireland. And by the
.A•tts tyf Settlement, Wahl' have so hapvilyseeuritd the crown of
rt':ilnt t to hiS iktki it.y and his aognsr fandlY, it is declared
t,:,; staceePi,.s4,lot the; crown the pi-titer:taut Line is fur
Inippine,s of the untied, and the.seew it y of MD. religion;
ant: on the maintenance ot " The safety of his
pertion and tiovevoment ; the contionance of the
"/NlOntifcliy ; the pre,:cci a: inn of the Protestant
; the maitit ettance of the Chni.,:h of Ei1.41,1:n1 ag by
kw established; the secorii.y or the ,iorierit. and undoubted
trierhta and Liio'rtics, and Coe Intur,. Peace and Tranquility
4.1.:" this kitigatim, do (under otirely depend."
ii. That, as by the Laws of this kingdom, it Protestant (hi.
Neritinent has nova declared osential for the continuation of
they liutile {l monarchy of thi,: realm, and the security of the
tii-berty of thesnb'ect; 5,i we consider; that, especially us the
•prattice of Govertouent depends so much upon the
44" of the 1;•-itib 114 alien. Parlhment., it ever hoes
been neve:wry, for the like 'ens, that out Legislutors—the
'patron:, of our Prole aunt Clittrelt—theMYlahers of the King's
y anti 011ivers Of the Executive Go-
olauld nut be Ron; of Catholics.
n, nitiee 1,1,11,,t1 ut tii” g-larioati evolot ahout
which time those Acti, of the I,•.i:ii•A•iture we
'lava nothiolf. in the choler:ter and of the re.
Asion of 1110 Hannan Catholic. whit It coin us ti atimpect
til44W'Mdtint and, polieptif the prirsaiptet; upon e,iii• ttiose
ii3rotury Acts were fonnib.:l; or which liavt any title
hitherto rendered it t,:xlattleilt of s,,fe tu theta. tin
the other lotnil, we believe that it ditterent poloiy wool,' have
hqp.ltdi of danger • and would have ended' in the iibcrrsiuu
of the civil nod 14:4• eels liln!rtiem .of No coot:try, and the
dostraetimi of the Alonarelty,and of our Protestant Establish.-
molt. , ••• •

10, 'Mt, as we have not yet witnetsed tiny favourable al-
to.-,llion or amelioration in the spirit of the itoutati Catholic
lot out to consitler any inch e
rc!;l44istit, lie are We tang . , Ininge at
pre,,init as apt all iirnhalile. Ott the viniirtiry, it haw been. ttat-
ed at writer of all lt 11,;1'01:1,611, Or C/11 aiterable
that " If any one pretends to ittsitinitte th,tt, the tootlern
ltti-
`tunn Catholics linfrr in tote iota fim, their ,111,,,t0r5, he
dither tlecnive.; Itidiqelf, or svishes to detyiie of Iter•." What
n't'.t,artrs went, we' well kiww; anal t otatotelves are,
thit, oottisgio t• ally proclaim, pat !I,l;:,:rolitid therefore
we A*, is, •••• uturrattre ,expeet from !lonian (;4tholie
atoottid,,, t 11):04 4,iir (atelitthers have foutin; and win
tta 11151,0n* of 0040 rtaint* to tee
ivnnt racy i,.,1 tip Peoteituaits from that rel'e,iots
which its partizans ~.ti !I,,ver. changed,
110 hilt 4. r, ill tte ltoinan Ciehollytwititte
the tenets Wilit.h cnn, v,•ith sikft.ty to our t'rotestnnt
L,tatiliiilinient, it admit tc4.l ti, ftirtl.er Ititiitirxl Pocitr, 'rho
iatf;xl111)11 tyof f fetivaa I council t, whith ne revived utide*.
the infloolice of our elietity ; he itower oi rile Itood:h Church,'
Qin:rating to tooAt exioniive degree upon the, auttiority of
the ministers tat that religionsl)(ttil.tu their appointment and
toot instance in Olive; ;Mal having the,stronge:4 influence op-
leitithi of their people :t—stlie confining of eternal sai
'cation to thorn aitable the polo of their own church and t ht.
Unwiring of the critic of heresy to Pretest:tuts; for whi.l,
ohne the Itooltsh Church claims the right to Indict the
hossviest temparal punishment ; these tenets, to this litter
strenuously -main, anted by her highest tytthorities, operme
yisreritaly iiptin the body politic, and retailer it uttiale to eft,
trust further pobtival power to those who maintain thorn.
And, I),,,tr'ing in that the very adoption of- such prio-
r) !tics tt n tr ray excitules the Toleratitm of rather modet of
faith, w,a oin,-,ive. that the admitting to the liigher odiees of
state, thou- who eonseivitiously hold those principles, would
elitiao,fer, it not totaily destroy, our Civil and Re-
tigiotis Lotertics.
11. as we do nut see that the testrictions hy which
the Roman Catholics are, Cgdtlikd from the power of framing
the id.woi; itrol administering. the. highest...offices in the govern-
utent of our civil and relivious estal;lislmient, can with safety
ba aitolisheil, so we tit telly 'lt'll, their 'tight to demand their
Evely A ;OA to restrain what-
ever is Il itiu eratia tat sty; and to 1110414 W, or Übio-
Cit4ti,ll c:11: a claim a mom
siga rust the ;~tuts, the rt lax :Goo of way ieiitcoint of winch
that potitintotoce feet safety of the
triunity.
•
. 13. 'Chat, the ,e,?...6-tence. of ts VOitiefi who; tt use the wordi

of At 1,44 e, can not only," persuttAe thetrel*er"“i6
Church to whatsoever he lists,-either as purely religioui, or
in order thereto ; but can'also enjoin it theta on Pain of cler-
UM fire,' must always be dangerous to a slate where it Opera-
tion is admitted ; but, tirgive further political immunities to
persona, whose spiritual instructors and toinisters can only
receive their existence by inch a lkower (whetlic7.vysteti in
the person of the Pope, ' the ltomish Church, or a•General
Council), would he highly dangerous.
. 14. That, notwithstanding the danger of PolOry to the
welfare of this Country, we are ready•to allots liberty 91,-Cht.l-
scienc'e to those who profe!,:: :t. We .recere• the prinetpics of
Itelittiotis•Toleratioti,which serve at once to adorn ::.nd secore
our Protestant Established Church ; and we wift ever sup-
port those principles While they are exercised in a mamma r
eomp.atible with the peace of the commuoityi 1 ot in the de-
mands of the Itoman Catholics el Ireland we' see nothing
merely religious; indeed, their • religions privileges are al-
ready so ample and well secured, that they scarcely admit of
farther extension, unless their Church is to receive positive •
encouragement, and hecinne the es`taiiliShed religioivof the
kingdom.
15, That we should encer4linglv lan,ent if the rdection of
the Claims of the Roman cahwies occasion resistance
to the laws, or he ;Metaled with olieri.loa cram the Govein-
' merit ; hut we are eonvirieed that, if tack w,,1114 he the conse-
quence of their rejection, their Amissioo would he attended
with consequence; far more fatsl to the Eini!ire at large,
asmuch as it wt,ttld. piao.othe Means of etf.zetutil mischief
. •
wahrri the power ot,4lloAt whose supposed disloyalty would lie
again excited, shoittst eVers, futtfre claim,' loiweeer extrava-
gant, not he admittol we. conceive that, from time cla-
mour of those whose ainfiltion.,, interests them so powerfully
in this question, it has fceell4 an i:TipottallTT of a !Tore cx
tvasiva.quality than really bit, urgs ton. The lower orders of
tacit ty have comparatively n interest in it. The adoption of
it would not ameliorate. their conditiOn. . The tick and
POwerful, or those in the-imuiediate
,ptirsoit of riches and
power, would alone reap the fruits, it; urnd if serious of
this def,cript,ien were. to excite rebellion because. they ;LIT not
rendered eligible to parciess political iower,:m.l.tit would they
not do, if They were illappointed the power, in-
ter they' had t;‘e ? .
Thilt, the I i,t•l"al uttd 101Vritpt ,cfoivtul_si,its. which
have been made ie. the during.'the ret!cii of
his present Majesty, with which' they Jeclared theingelvt, at
the time to be folly satisfied, have rather served to eseite
than to allay discontent, ond,anstead of raisiog gratitmle acid
attachment, h;11'0 th4;lli 111 dcutuutl ILS ii Might
of political power, ;treed 'with great
• violence of langn,.e.;-e, tie 9,1 fiat
siam of those chinos %so* either increase their utoennient
to our Prototolic.Goveriinunstr, or add to the security or bar'
slues of Ireland, or the litn Hrge.
lii That aelitioWiedgii4; in the 1: the power of tier.-
tiving the appointment, of Roman t, tame.
of the lowest: of seciirities which the State ins ;4
to demand, on the ailaii,sioo at Roman Cathulit to farthee
political pourer; but they refuse to admit avail ~,:,salty,
and positively•desty the neceSsjty *Alter. In tau
lotions of the Meeting of the catlitiiits of time County nr
held im the oth :\oventGer 1813, it ret4olved,
" That they deeamed the oh:a- of annexing ally eonditions of
restrictions to I bear emancipation, under the name of. seeuri.
ties, to imply a w4&t unmerited insult' to their imlia,lance,
and to their understanding, had that such art idea had ori-
dloated with their worst etiethies, for the ritere purpose elf
elaying the concvsAion •of religious freedom, ;which tiny
claim 11$ a TiJilt, and the COOCeOIOII of winch they neem es-
Senti4l to the safety. of thc country." Winch It etoottiou we'
consider to he virtdolly approved by the ItMoun Cathode Pre-
latos (twenty-eight in number), assembled at Puolin, 1 htli
November, 1812., in 'their Address to the, Clergy and Laity
of time Itoonin .Catirolic Churches in ireland. W* no there-
fore apprehend, that, as the principles of the Homan Ca-
tholics are now notorious to the world, (and the onus pro-
banal lies. u4iou them to show, from sufficient authority, if
Lucy are altered), no fattier tilltlitY necessary, till !bey
have distinctly gated time nature of those speeMo seepeities
which they are willing to give on their admission to further
political.power.
18, That, 4 COMnatte, (with pows..i• ID :Ad to 'their num-
ber), he chosen to conduct the odoir, at the ti,,elety;to frame
reliNlatintis for itts management, and to pubLii ita proceed- •
and that a Sotaeription he now opened for ;hoe
purpoi.s.
19. That Stephen Cattley, Esq,. be Treasurer.
• 20. Tina these Resolutions be.signed by the Chairman, And
advertised in the public Papers.
GliANyiLtx stIAR.P.
tiliarp having MI tile ,Chair,
l't Lived,
Thu the thanks of the Meeting be given to the Chairlwilli
for his unwe.iried attention to the objects of .this !sleeting,
anti tor his itula conduct in rho Chair,
,lOUs Secretary.
•
The.Cumlnittee will he happy to receive any useful Coin-
mineications respecting the • objciAs of the I'riilVAt's3t. Union,
t"
„Pit' Secretary, Mr. I at Mr. ISiekerStaff's,
iwtosit'lLer, • VASCX,Street, StriaLl, Lornton,• where Copies of
the Reselimiions of the Society may be had gratis. • . •
*pl. Subscriptions to defray the Expences of Printing. evi•
arc received ut lloare's; baulierS, Fleet-
Street.; ivlc ~rs. !laniard, l titusitale. 001 l haulters, No. 30,
COlllll.Ol, London; amid tat llickerstiiCs, as above..