Star.
London, England, 1816-01-09 00:00:00

thb
'ou to tads still more vigorous ezertionst Bat
is not all : the expression of public opinion in this
country may be suspected to have influence upon the
Court of France. If the persecution originated or
has been countenanced, then they will learn that their,
conduct is watched with aje dous eye, and that by
persevering in it, although they may be applauded
by intolerant and sanguinary priests, they shall ren•
der themselves the objects of the scorn and detests-
don of this nation, and of every Protestant nation in
Europe. If the Court is innocent, they will be exci-
ted to adopt vigorous measures to put an and to the
present lawlegs proceedings, and to prevent similar
ontraget in other parts of the kingdom. Whatever
may be 'the consequence. we shall have done our duty.
and the satisfaction arising from this reflection is
more to a good man than the smiles of Kings and
Ministers, purchased by servile submission and a das-
tardly silence.
The Rev. Dr. MITCIIELL read the Resolutions.

The Rev. GREVILLE EWING seconded Dr. Dick's
motion. In rising to second the motion for the adop-
tion of the Resolutions which you hatie now heard, I
really have little or nothing to add to what has been
so ably stated by my esteemed Brother who opened
the business : I may state, however, that in attend-
ing this Meeting, I conceive I am discharging a duty
required of me by my profession, both as a Christian
and a Christian Minister ; and when I give my ma-
sons for entertaining this opinion, I believe 1 shall
explain the views of all the gentlemen by whom these
Resolutions have been prepared. lam certainly one
of those, Sir, who think that the sufferings of the
French Protestants partake of the nature of religious
persecution. They are the natural consequence of
the exclusive spirit of Popery. He who claims to be
the Vicar of Christ upon Earth, to have all power,
both spiritual and temporal, at his disposal, and to
be entitled to extend his power over all the world—
he who asserts himself to be infallible in what he
claims, cannot be supposed to tolerate, except through
necessity, any Church besides his own. To protest
against his authority must be an unpardonable sin.
He pretends to the inspiration of the Hour Galen,
and Protestantism must be, in his eyes, a sin against
the HOLY Gum. The persecution of the Protes-
tants is not confined to France. The Pope was no
sooner restoreil to his seat at Rome, than he banished
all Protestants from the Papal dominions and whet
States of Italy i and while the Inquisition has been
re-established in Spain by the Waved Ferdinand, the
Order of the Jesuits had been revived by his Holi-
ness, after having been suppressed by the consent of
all the Powers of Europe. These things, which are
noticed in one of the Resolutions before you, intli-
cate a systematic procedure of Roman Catholics
against every description of Protestant faith. Nor
are these measures, new. Protestants have been ex.
pout- to persecution ever since the Reformation.—
What they formerly suffered in France, in every pe-
/riod of their history, and especially since the revoca-
tion of the Edict of Nona, is well known. We have
still among us some of the descendants of these re-
fugees, who then found an asylum in this land.
Even in this happy country, Protestants never ceased
to be exposed to persecution till the glorious P.rvolu-
lion in 1688. if at that peti .LI our fathers had ncen
compelled to submit to wh it is now called ire prin.
cipk of the legitimacy of Sovereigns, the iron yoke of
Papal tyranny would have been riectted on their
nveks, and to this hour we might have been g. tun-
ing or bleeding under its weight. We oul;tit to sym-
pathize, therefore, with suffernig brethren, whose si-
tuation might at this moment have been our own.
, Gratitude for our pi ivileges should make us the more
desirous of improving ...tent for the protection of
others. British Protestants have often interposed with
effect in behalf of Protestants on the Cuatinent. Our
brethren in Savoy, who are older indeed than the ke-
' formation, as they never submitted to the errors of
the Church of Rome, are said now to be in danger
from the loss of a toleration originally procured for
them by the English Government. I may add, that
I the inhabitants of Glasgow have lcng been distin.
guished by zeal for the blessings of the Reformation,
and I hope the present generation will not appear to
have is ors respect departed frOm the spirit of their fa.
them Nothing convinces me more of the dangerous na-
ture of the French persecution than the attempts which
have been made to conceal it. At first, the facts
were denied. When those became undeniable, they
were ascribed to political causes. This, as was ob.
served, is an old artifice. It is obvious, that the
great mass of the resident population of France, of
all persuasions; subniitted to the successive revolu-
tionary governments for twenty-five years. In this
situation, what were a few Protestant congregations,
that they should have resisted, had they been ever
so well disposed to do so.? Who can blame them for
their submission ? An Apostle directs Christians to
be subject " to the power; that be :" to the existing
Government, whatever may have been its origin.
But, if their submission must be held a crime, why
visit it on Protestants more than on Catholics ? The
cause of the difference is not poiltics, but religion. U
Protestants have committed crimes, political or of
any other kind, let them be tried and punished ; but
why make them victims of lawless fury; 'rhe royal
proclamations speak toleration and protection 1 but
the trench police is evidently against thee:. No sooner
was their defence published than it was suppressed,
whereas their accusation was printed by the King's
printer, and his been transmitted to this country as
an authentic document. Of that accusation I shall
only say that, besides the colour'
which it gives to "
facts; it asserts that what is c a ;re-action"
should be permitted to
.go on, t: reverge is takes
7ed
for former alleged injuries. This, Sir, is ,a doctrine
which goes to the annihilating of all Government,
and the sanctioning of deadly feuds and civil wars to,
' the end of time. Having mentioned that the eau-
satiOn of the Protestants was transmitted to this
country, in a art of official way, I am ready, on the
other hand, to express satisfaction at the declarations
of Lord Liverpool on the subject, its very properly
noticed in the Resolutions before yga. Some haye
said that these declarations supersede, the utility of
any deilaretions on the part of the public. lam
hoc of this opinion. The voice of the public may
Strengthen. the voice of Minister', and may even lead
to its being more powerfully used. ' It is very singu-
lar, that whili Ministers pre friendly to the epuse of
the- Protestaitiat' the Ministerial Newspaper:, with's
ei spirit of independence as evie,n of oppe tion, by no
means habitual p:: them; are generally hostile: Is is
very distressipg that a .aaan wOlcb calls for the gm!