The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-25 00:00:00

MAY S 5, 183 ',

" we want to pull the Pope from his throne, and we think the
best way is to circulate the Bible." (Laud applause.) I learnt
somewhat of Popery while I was up the Mediterranean. 1 re-
- member asking a priest whom I knew very well, " Pray, do
sou believe in all the fopperies and fooleries of the Church of
Rome?" " Oh, no—l don't," said he. He did not go round
about the bush. " Why," said I then, "do you profess,to be-
lieve it ?" " Oh," said he, with a shrug of his shoulders, pecu-
liar to the Italians, '° Cherbosoni vivere,—are must live." Their
craft is in danger--that is the secret. Our mission in China
has commenced under very good auspices. At Singapore,
Sir, I have heard, that the Emperor of China has ordered,
that Christianity be confined to a very small segment of the
country ! And who is the Emperor of China? (A laugh.)
Ills command reminded me of an Irishman, who, when he saw
the wild swans in his field, called to his servant, " Pat, go
clown and shut the gate and bolt it, and keep them all in."
(Loud laugh(er.) But the wild swans spread their wings and
despised his bars. (Applause.) The emperor may order; he
may storm and he may rage; his Mandarins may all shake
their heads as they do in our tea-shops—(laughter)—but
the Gospel will . spread its wings and fly over the wall, and
Christianity will not he confined, but shall blossom and bloom
with the orange and the tea plant, with the rose of Sharab and
the lilly of the valley. (Rapturous applause.) We have every
reason to be thankful to the Lord for the conversions of last
year, but not to ourselves. In one market in London it is
known that the Danish fishermen receive £BO,OOO a year for
turbots, and that the Dutch fishermen receive £15,00()
year for lobsters; and there is £95,000 a-year for turbots and
lobster sauce—(laughter)--and shall we not be ashamed that
we have only collected .£BO,OOO for the Gospel. (Applause.)
Now I would just tell you one little story about a little boy who
was walking very fast, and who met a gentleman on the road.
" Pray, my little man, where are you going to ?"—" Oh, I ant
going to the missionary meeting in such a town." ,t Well, do
you know that all these persons who get up such meetings ex-
pect you to give inoiiey if yon go ?" The little boy His
head rather sorrowfully, and said he had no money, Tr' Well.
my little boy," said the traveller; " here is half-a-crown foi'-
you, go, and put this into the box." So the little boy put it
into his pocket With many thanks, and overtook his mother.
"Well, my de,ar child," says she, " that is a great deal over
much for such a little boy as you to give; I tell you what we
will do; here is a penny, it will dojust as well—(a laogh)-7-and
I will lake care of the half-crown for you." The little boy did
not know what to do, but at last he begged hard of hismaother,
that he might keep it till he gut to the missionary .meeting.
When he gut to the door he never rested satisfied till he got"
close to the chair. But he got interested in the details and the
ardumeuts, awl at last he was so full that he had almost deter-
mined to give the half crown, bu,t lie thought he would auk his
mother, and lie cried out in the middle of one of the speeches,
" I say, Mother!" (Laughter.) But his mother did not answer
—she (lid not hear. Again he, cried °tit, " I say—motherr"
(continued laughter.) and at last his feelings got so full that be
cried out, " I say, mother; here .it goes, half-crown, penny,
and all." (Roars of laughter.) And that, sir, is just the feel-
ing 1 would have the meeting exhibit, contributing half-crown,
penny and all for the benefit of this society., (Loud applause.)
After calling upon the merchants of this community to lead
their aid in sending Christianity to wherever they sent for their
merchandise, he concluded by moving the resolution.
The Rev. HUGH M'NEILE rose to second the resolution, and
was received with loud applause. He said—,Mr. Chairman,
privileged as I am to address so many of our dear brethren
asseinbed in this room, this evening, so very frequently in ails
town, I might well avail myself of the circumstances of the pre-
sent moment, and the late—the exceedingly late period of the
meeting at which we are arrived, to excuse myself this evening
front doing more than merely seconding the resolution. I will,
however, not altogether avail myself of these circumstances,
called upon as I have been—and I must say in a way which,
however well intended by our dear friends, serves only to defeat
its ow;i object. (Hear, hear.) Sir, I am well persnaded that
the object we have in view is not to be attained by eulogizing
one another at all; nay, rather, that in proportion as attention
is directed to the instruments, we shall miss our object and dis-
sipate that feeling which we desire to condense upon our Lord.
I stand here Ambled, sir, not by what man bath said, but by
the deep consciousness that I altogether am unworthy of the,
blessing that God has bestowed on my labours, in having ren-
dered them so efficient—in having so blessed them in this town
as to provoke such allusions to them. I thank God for this.
Not unto me a poor wretched sinner, who have never done what
I ought to have done; and deeply accountable I am for the bles-
sings he hath bestowed upon me, who for the best day of my,
life deserve to be in hell. But MHO my God be the praise;
and the glory is His. Sir, my dear friend and brother, Mr.
Cunningham, whom I rejoice to meet again after many years
separation, has directed my attention to one peculiar circum-
stance intimately connected with the labours of this society; I
mean the idolatrous practices carried on in India, and, carried
on with the awful sanction of the British authorities. It is
painful to me. sir, to feel myself so frequently compelled, in the
straightforward execution of Christian duty, to come in contact
with constituted authorities. But, if these authorities have
ranged themselves in the way of Christian duty,—whether the
sphere of that duty be at home or abroad. el think, sir, without
in the slightest degree detracting from the right true- Christian
deference which is due to authority, we ate nevertheless' bound
to persevere in our straightforward course of Christian duty;
and the collisiou,,if collision there must be, ,fall on the,heads of
those Who have obcasioned it, and not upon those
,schnve the
innoaent causes Of bringing it into exhibitien. (Cheers.) The
opposers of Christianity are the oceasioners of the„collisiona
If our government at home heYe ranged theinselves on the side
of Eastern idolatry, then I say they, have ranged themselves in
a position provoking collision with the Christianity at home.
(Loud Cheers.) For if we must assail idolatry, though we
find that the assault is to
,he,• made asgajpat. the. • tibield
our own government, we Must not Withhold the blow, ea
whatever honourable or right honourable head it may fall, while
we preach the honour and glory of our Lord and Sayiopr Jesus
Christ. (Applause.) Now, atr, the East India. Company have
abetted the mischiefs, in all' their fearful atrocity of gastern
idolatry. I hold in my hand a speech ,made by Mr. Poynter,
whose name is well known, iu connection with tbis subject, in,
which he sets forth the particulars of a memorial sent hems,
1) from
ta, t
and wasl
ll3n diaag
chaplainsains,t these 37 e
missionariesvi l p act.i saenSd, which
2English h
residents
says wasi signed eocl
all
ranks and stations. It was dated 6th Aurgust, as
the
instances
in which memorialists
ob-
served that it "enumerates
transmitted to the government of Fort
governor St. Georgeinbyc(t)huencbitls,hop
' who, in his letter to Sir F. Adam, the
tohrededrisctwatheisch emofse. to them con-
-1 t God,ir thereby subjecting them to the
,g and
feel aggrieved by practiceso__f_
ent's I
their consciences,
displeasure, ant praying the
torra riyn painfulet ou
artrlhit
nee
rgcnoatmthi
evi neagonofd,
iroml
awnh ifeehllohwa-vseubbjeeecntslomnagygrentedst ex-
tendedotheir
a met
tl oteirteahat eitohne Christian andan d
M m
e xema
hp°tio enmembersds of that presidency," to which
the bishop adds, " I fully concur in every part of the memorial,
and I earnestly hope that it may be thought fitting to concede.
grievancestgho complained
toaatisinreuert)Cel
required
of
iuesditrireaoeanfl etcotw'i
civil
attend
teaeaynneddd arranged.
Heathen
neiallti 'thhuaeernnydparticulars
eaedf s
time
and do
•
--That they are required to present offerings, oh moo fme dat ahg n
religious festivals for purposes of respect.
2.
homage
to idols.
3.—That the impure and degrading services of the pagoda
are carried on under the supervision and conkol of the principal
European, and therefore Christian, officers of the government,
and the management and regulation of the revenues and en-
dowmentstiblinte
opeornrlteha
rent important
and
reoidloaut
osr or
iuddsoi
iscscelrae
notrmg oeendvy, e
nnc aotnrh
etbhpe performed ; no
both of the pagodas and mosques are vested in thein ;
tat
eht
mtaetpnhldeea,
nt ee
incurred, the
without the official concurrence anerdosiorders
se
xoopff
Christian functionary.
4.—That British officers, with the troops of the government
are also employed in firing salutes, and doing honours to mahor.
medan and idolatrous ceremonies, even or, the sabbath day,
and that Christians are thus often compelled, by the authority,
of government, to desecrate their own most sacred institutions,
and take part in.unholy and degrading superstitions.
s.—That Protestant soldiers, members of the Church of Eng-
land, have also been required, contrary to the king's regula-
tions, " that every soldier shall be at liberty to worship God.
according to the terms prescribed in his religion," to be preset!t
at, and participate in, the worship of the Church of Rome.
(Hisses.)
There is the beginning of a popular feeling against our go-
vernment; and the only way to touch them, is to express the
feelings of Englishmen, constitutionally, steadily, and after- a
firm, and Christian manner, as will make theta express them-„.;
selves to the East India Company in such a manner as will
make that company express themselves to their government in,
India in such a manner as will satisfy our countrymen that thoY•
shall not be compelled to take part in this degrading super-
stition. But, sir, there is one feature more I must remark on. •
"'The government, too, had established and supported native
schools, one to each district, perhaps equal to our " hundreds!'
At the upper end of each school stands an image of Ganesa."
'l'o this the boys make their offerings. When a boy is first
admitted, he is required to bring his offerings—a cocoanut,
plantains, &c.—and offer them to his protecting god; the same
when he is put into a new book. This is the system pursued in
all parts of that country. The books that are read are—"
Ganesa, hear us! Oh one lord, hear us! Oh thou cub of at!
elephant, we honour thee !" (Roars of laughter.) He nee!
not say that the scriptures are not read. The government did
not order those things by positive enactments ; but they set lig
those schools on the principle of strict neutrality, between Go"
and Baal."
Exactly like the schools at home. (Hear.) They are echoed
by your own corporation—(loud applause)—who have set UP
schools on the principle of strict neutrality between those who
call Christ God and those who deny" that he is God; between
those who declare him the only Mediator, and those who de-
clare that they can only gel at him through a woman. (Great
applause.) . Now, sir, what is to be done with regard to this v
question t I like to be practical : and if it has pleased God t°
give me any influence at all, I verily believe it is because ter
addresses both in the pulpit and on the platform come to some-
thin g practical at last, (Hear.) Now I have to propose a
measure, that a public meeting should be convened
in Liver'
pool on the subject of these idolatrous combinations of our
government. Combinations, because if they get money.by
it is hard to free theta frail the Charge of combination in the
work, and they do get money by it. I therefore propose that a
public meeting be held 1 and trust it will hot be trespassing !,°,„
much on your kind and Christian nature to ask you to nrestu
over it; and Ido think it is kit a fair recoil of the allusion ,
al-
ready made, if I tell my friend Mr. Cunningham that I willcal
on him for his support in a meeting to take a resolution (hear)
_
to help me in the face of Liverpool, to make our government to
feel that they must not sanction idolatry either at home or
abroad. (Applause.) Now I hope this wont end in talk.
_
A gentleman on the platform rose and said be begged to
se-
cond Mr. M•Neile's motion fora public meeting.
Mr. M'NEILE then said he wou.d pause till the resolution
was put to the meeting.
The venerable CHAIRmAN then rose and said the
meeting
had heard the motion made and seconded, and he request a
those who approved of ii to hold up their hands. by
A forest of hands was the response, and this was seconded
great applause.
•
Mr. IVPNEILIC again rose add said it would be dear
ablato fig
ei.i
the day fur the public meeting; and, if convenient to the chair'
man, he would name Wednesday.
great part of hii time was engaged for the remainder of
at
twelveac'
After some conversation, in which the Rev. CHAl_Rtg.eiN_t
it was determined to hold the meeting the next day t
o'clock.
connected with this great question to which I wish fora
you
a',.enwhinieo..ct
ments to direct the attention of the meeting.
tell
one I wish to add if, that the time is short; no canman.nnight:
and nig""
heard many realises why we should be urgent in thSistrcriuse • the-
short. 'rhe day of the Lord so cotneth as a thief w
ng
i pros"
and when men, in the happy anticipation of the ID
upea
peace" to themselves, sudden destinction shall
sa
pects which they set before themselves, shall be
conicsaying
peace" to themselves, suddeh desimnction aball conic
I be the
short. thundering, and all our naisiionary work
us in the
short. I believe, sir, that the very next great moveme
earing
divine proceedure of our world, is the second glorious app hang,
of the Son of Man. I believe, that befdte any sensible Chang
shall shall have taken place in the present aspect of the
PePu dark-
the earth, as a general statement, and as a general truth,be darkness in t
ness will continue to cover the earth, and
hall come
esti-
mation of God its nominal Christian lands, until be,s._
00 his
whose right it is, the Son of Righteousness, with heanng•ailing
• darkness prevailing
wings. 1 believe, sir, that there is as gross peaces