The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-10 00:00:00

TEE PRINCEITES AT TAUNTON.

Brother Starkey and Brother Thomas, the shining
lights of the Agapemone, held forth in the Assembly-
rooms on riiday night. The rooms were densely
crowded. After the usual farrago of blasphemy and non•
sense, Mr. Hellard, ironmonger, asked, ."
If the door of
mercy was shot, what was the use of being there ?"
Another person denounced the proceedings as sheer
humbug, to gull the public.
Mr. HELLARD wished to know whether the door was
shut. Let the gentleman answer that. (Cheers, and a
voice—" He can't.") How long has the door of mercy
been shut—making so bold ?

The scene of confusion at this moment was really aw-
ful, the hisses, oat-calls, screeches, and expressions of
disapprobation being wholly indescribable. It was, in
fact, a perfect Babel of indignant voices. At length,
Mr. THOUAS, who had been going through his decla-
matory movements on the platform, held up his finger
in a remonstrating attitude, and raid :—lf you have any
intention of hearing what I will tell you, I will proceed,
but if nut, I call Heaven to witness that on you and you
alone rests the rejection of my warning. In refusing to
hear the message from God through "Brother Prince,"
your blood be upon your own heads. If you will not
listen to the word which I declare to you is sent foryour
deliverance from the power and kingdom of the devil,
that is entirely a question between you and your GA.
We come here iu all honesty and sincerity of heart ; we
ask you not fcr anything ; all we look for is gentlemanly
conduct. We want nothing of you ; we come to testify
what God has done—what we have seen, and it is for
you to reconcile your refusal to hear it with God and
your consciences. (Uproar.)
The Rev. W. T. REDFERN, incumbent of Taunton St.
James, rose in the body of the meeting,, and said
you allow me to say one word ? (Cheers.) It would
sate the time of the meeting if, sir, instead of giving us

those doctrines which we all hear in our respective
churches, you would bring us to what I may call th,e,
distinctive character of your teaching. ("Hear, hear,
and cheers.)
Mr. BARNICOV—WiII the first speaker, Mr. Starkey,
be kind enough to answer the question of Mr. Hellard ?
We want that question answered before we go any fur-
ther. I mean Mr. Starkey's saying first that the door
of mercy was closed, and then offering salvation to all of
us here. If the question is not answered now we shall
not stand a chance of getting it answered at all. We are
met here as men of common sense, and we just want a
common-sense answer to a plain question. We hope
Mr. Starkey is come here to enlighten our minds—will
he do so by answering the question ? (Cheers.)
Mr. Starkey, though thus appealed to, still continued
sitting in an abstract mood, and the calls being loudly
continued,
Mr. Tnomas said—lf you really are.to hear anything
at all, you will hear what I have to say. (" No, no,"
and great uproar.)
The speaker here placed his overcoat over his arm,
toak up his hat, as it to depart, and raid—" Hearken,
hearken, to my words. (Hfsses, and cries of" Starkey.")
This is your condetunatioo, if you refuse to hear me—
(" Humbug," and disapprobation)—this is your condem-
nation ; men love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil. (Uproar.)
Mr. [lmam) —We only, want you to answer the
question. (Cheers and hisses.)
Mr. LEE, the lessee of the assembly-room, then an-
nounced
etetiengplatf was dissolved, and the two
epsakera calmly platform, amid the shouts of
thatthelef meeting
the
derision mini jeers of the crowd, one of whom, as Messrs.
Starkey and Thomas made their exit, exclaimed, "Pretty
fellows ! I wonder the blush of shame doesn't mantle
your cheeks."
The Ile 7. W. T. REDFERN was then askel to take the
chair, which he declined. The rev. gentleman, however,
said—l was rather anxious that the last speaker should
have been heard as to what ".as the distinctive character
of their teaching. The first speaker certainly left us
quite in darkness, and perhaps the second might have
enlightened us. (" He couldn't.") We have, .however,
heard sufficient to show that what these persons call the
Gospel is, in our opinion, diametrically opposed to the
gospel of Jesus Christ. (Cheers.) They emphatically
bestate that the dispensation of Christ is closed, and
that Jesus Christ is uow coming again to offer a fresh
salvation. I heard hith say in the first•place He is
corning to judge the world, and then he said, Jesus
Christ is corning to offer us a second salvation through
" Becither Prince." Now I cannot understand or re-
concile that. (Applause.) I should be very sorry, for
the character of our town, for us to allow this
meeting to close without coming to a resolution de-
claring our opinion of the character of the teaching of
these men ; and as such resolutions have been passed in
other towns, I beg to move—" That the opinions that
have been expressed here this evening, by the speakers(
from the Agapernono, are, in the opinion of this meeting,,
blasphemous towards God, entirely opposed to the
teaching of Jesus Christ, and degrading to humanity.
The resolution was carried amid loud caters, and the
meeting terminated,—Sherborne Journal.