The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-20 00:00:00

MEETING IN CRIPPLEGATE WARD

A meeting of the inhabitants of the ward of Crip-
plegate was held yesterday, in the Philip-lane
School-room, for the purpose of considering the pro-
priety of addressing her Majesty upon the recent
assumption of the Bishop of Rome to exercise spiritual
jurisdiction within this country, by dividing the same
into bishoprics, and thereby to usurp the prerogative
of the Crown. The chair was occupied by Thomas
Challis, Esq., Alderman of the ward.
The CHAIRMAN opened the business of the day by
stating that he had felt great pleasure in calling this
meeting, not only because he had received a large
and respectably-signed requisition to do so, but be-
cause he believed that the present desire of Rome
was not only to obstruct the progress of Protes-
tantism, but to aim a blow at the political freedom of
this country. Pure civil and religious liberty arose
with the Reformation; and though he would not
deny to his Roman Catholic fellow-subject the same
freedom of thought which he enjoyed himself, he was
not disposed to see the dissemination of Romish error
without making an endeavour to stop its progress by
the aid of Protestant faith. Protestantism was the
supporter of freedom, Roman Catholicism its op-
ponent ; and when he remembered the baneful influ-
ence which the Pope had exercised over other coun-
tries, and looked at the secessions which some of our
bishops and ministers had been guilty of, he could
not help thinking that meetings of this nature were
absolutely necessary to secure the integrity of the
British nation.
Mr. F. BENNOCH was called upon to move the first
resolution, and explained the reasons which had
induced him and others to propose this meeting. He
was not, he said, opposed to every man worshipping
in the manner which his own conscience suggested,
but as a Protestant Dissenter he could not allow
Romanism to be recognised by the law of the land. It
was dangerous to the freedom of the subject, but he
did not think Rome was so much to blame for its
arrogant pretensions as a few bishops he could name,
and one of the Universities, which was the hotbed of
Romanism. He was not sorry that a Commission
had been appointed to investigate the state of both
Universities, for it was high time that the abuses
which characterised them were remedied. Those in-
stitutions ought to be closed to no one on account of
his religious opinions ; and when he came to compare
the state of morality in England with that of
America, he was strongly disposed to think that
the Church of England had grossly neglected
its duties, and that a separation of Church and State
would be a great benefit to the nation. Nor was
the corporate system of this great city entirely free
from abuses, and while they raised their voice ggainst
Churchianity of every sort, if he might so call it, let
them at the same time struggle to obtain civil and
religious liberty for every true born Englishmen, no
matter whether he were Catholic or Protestant. He
had, therefore, great pleasure in moving them to adopt
this resolution :—" That the recent arrogant assump-
tion of the Pope of Rome to establish of his own
authority within this kingdom a Romish hierarchy
calls for the immediate condemnation of the people of
this Protestant country, and ought to be met with
the most determined resistance that the laws and con-
stitution of the land will afford."
Mr. HEVIETSON seconded the resolution.

Mr. MORBLY was decidedly opposed to the arro-
gance of Rome, but he very much feared that if they
adopted the resolution in its present form it would be
sanctioning a principle that might hereafter recoil
upon themselves. Let every man be left to the
guidance of his own conscience, and if wished to
have a bishop, who could deny that he had every right to
receive one? Why, then, declare that the present
movement of the Catholics demanded the utmost re-
sistance of the law and constitution of the land, when
in a very short time some of the Bishops of the
Established Church might go over to Rome and
coerce them in the same way that they now proposed
to oppose the Cardinal and Bishops of Rome. He
would, therefore, move the following amendment :
" That this meeting desires to place upon record
the expression of its earnest attachment to the great
principles of the Reformation, and of its utter re-
pudiation both of the practices and principles of the
Romish Church. It regards the late proceeding of
the Papal Court in claiming spiritual jurisdiction in
this country as an arrogant assumption, which, how-
ever, is the natural result, in the judgment of this
meeting, of the fact that there is within the Estab-
lished Church of the country a large number of the
clergy who, while professing allegiance to that Church
and partaking of its emoluments, have been traitors
to the truth she professes to teach. This meeting
would, however, deprecate as both inexpedient and
unjust any attempt to repress error, or to promote
to uth, by legislative interference, as inevitably involv-
ing a violation of the rights of conscience, confidently
believing that there will be found in the earnest
recognition by the whole of the people of the great
Protestant principle of the right of private judgment,
the best security against the progress of error."
This amendment gave rise to considerable dis-
cussion.

Mr. HEALD reminded the meeting that the Catho-
lic Bishops were opposed to religious freedom ; nay,
they had sworn to exterminate, if they could, all who
professed different principles to themselves. Those,
then, who were favourable to civil liberty, and religious
freedom and toleration, would unite with him in call-

iota. upon this Government to take "the bull by the
horns," and expel the Cardinal and all his bishops.
Mr. HESLOP took a similar view of the matter, and
pronounced it to be the duty of Government to as-
semble Parliament together at once if the law was
insufficient to meet the crisis.

Mr. BENNoca said the amendment was in spirit the
same as the resolution.

Mr. MORELT did not think so. The law ought not
to be exercised against any class, either to extermi-
nate or enforce their religious views. He did not
believe it was in the power of the Throne to do what
the original resolution required; it would be despotic.
The amendment was then put and negatived, after
which the original resolution was carried with only
two dissentients.

Mr. IVINDG ROVE moved the second resolution as
follows :—" That whilst as Protestant Reformers we
maintained and secured for our Roman Catholic
fellow-subjecta the right of full and equal participa-
tion in matters of religious opinion (which we are still
prepared to maintain), we never intended to concede
to any foreign power or potentate any spiritual or
temporal jurisdiction whatever within tbis kingdom."
This motion, having been seconded, was carried
unanimously, after which, an address to her Majesty,
founded upon the foregoing resolutions, was agreed
to, and the business of the day terminated.
Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the
meeting, which was very numerously attended,
broke up.