The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-24 00:00:00

of course, liable at any moment to be torn from their fami-
lies and incarcerated in the common prison, is a startling
state of things.
May God speed an ample and efficient remedy to a state of
things so disgraceful to the liberality and legislative wisdom
of a free country.

Liverpool, March, 1840.
" At an ordinary meeting of the Presbytery of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, held at the Presbyterian Church, North Shields,
on Tuesday, the 10th March, 1840, it was unanimously re-
solved— _ . _

" 1. That the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Head of the
Church of God, has conferred upon his people a right to try
the spirits of pastors and teachers whether they be of God,
and consequently to refuse to receive them if, on trial, they
be judged not of God, which rights no power on earth may
lawfully withhold or annul.
" 2. That the Lord Jesus Christ, as King and Head of his
Church, has therein appointed a government in the hands of
church-officers, distinct from the civil magistrate, and has
commanded, that while the things which are Ceesar's shall
be rendered unto Caesar, the things which are God's shall be
rendered unto God. _ _ .

" 3. That the Church of Scotland did not in any sense re-
ceive her doctrines, discipline, or government, from the civil
magistrate, but existed under her reformed constitution in
doctrine and government, deduced by herself from the Scrip-
tures, and exercised all the powers of a Church of God, for
years before she was recognised by the State.
" 4. That when the Church of Scotland was, at the Revo-
lution, placed on her present civil basis by the Legislature,
her Confession of Faith, constitution, and exclusive jurisdic-
tion, in all matters ecclesiastical, were distinctly admitted
and recognised by statute ; and, farther, were subsequently
guaranteed by the Act of Security, by the Treaty of Union
between England and Scotland ; and by that oath to main-
tain inviolately the privileges of the Scottish Church, which,
in accordance with that treaty, the Sovereigns of Great Bri-
tain must swear and subscribe, as their first act on their ac-
cession to the throne. _ _ _

5. That the Court of Session in Scotland, which owes

its very existence to the civil authority, and is, by the terms
of its institution, expressly limited to civil actions,' by
claiming the right, and presuming to exercise the power of
reviewing, suspending, and annulling the decisions of the
Church of Scotland in matters ecclesiastical, scripturally and
legally belonging unto her jurisdiction exclusively, has in-
vaded, and is endeavouring to subject the spiritual kingdom
of Jesus Christ unto the kingdoms of this world; and by
prohibiting his faithful ministers from preaching the gospel
in certain parishes of Scotland, has openly trampled under
foot his authority, which has expressly commissioned them
to go forth into all the world, and preach the gospel unto
every creature ; and that, therefore, the mandates and inter-
dicts of the Court of Session ought not only not to be sub-
mitted to, but to be disobeyed and resisted by every scriptu-
ral means, even, if necessary, unto blood.
" 6. That, therefore, the Church of Scotland, in refusing,
in the face of ruinous law-suits, judicial reprimands, and
impending fines and imprisonments, to submit to the
dic-
tates of the Court of Session in matters ecclesiastical, and to
take a single step towards the intrusion of ministers upon
reclaiming congregations, is obeying the commandments of
God, asserting the supremacy of the only Head of the Church,
defending the rights of her Christian people, and vindicating
her own statutory, blood-bought, and scriptural privileges.
" 7. That as the Church of Scotland derives her exist-
ence, with her essential and constitutional principles, from
the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who is the head of all prin-
cipality and power, which cannot therefore be repealed or al-
tered except by him ; and as the existence and constitution of
the Court of Session are derived from the State, and there-
fore may be righteously modified, repealed, or removed away
altogether by the will of the Legislature, the Church of
Scotland is acting a loyal, consistent, and Christian part in
applying to the State for such a declaratory statute, as shall
explicitly restrain the civil courts within their own proper
jurisdiction, shall vindicate the spiritual rights of the people.
and give a civil sanction to the great Christian and constitu-
tional principle of the Church of Scotland, that no person
be intruded into ally of the offices of the Church contrary
to the will of the congregation to which he is appointed.
" 8. That it is the duty of other Churches to give such as-
sistance as is in their power to this persecuted Church, and
especially to offer up their prayers, that her adorable Head,
who has triumphantly borne her through many a struggle for
his crown and kingdom, may direct and strengthen her by
his Holy Spirit, and enable her to maintain her present po-
sition ; from which she cannot recede without irremidiably
wounding her own character, destroying her usefulness, en-
dangering the spiritual liberties of all religious communions,
inflicting a grievous injury on our common Christianity, and
sinning against God.
" 9. That, therefore, this Presbytery resolve to petition
Parliament, in terms of the preceding resolution ; and re-
commend to their sessions and congregations to do the same
without delay."

THE ANTI-CHURCH EXTENSION MEETING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Six,-Having taken the trouble to analyze the incongruous
mass forming the signatures to the requisition for the late
Anti-Church Extension Meeting at the Music Hall, I find
the component parts to be described thus :-
6 Roman Catholic Priests
16 Roman Catholics
2 Socinian Preachers
17 Socinians
1 Independent Preacher e., dependant on the liking of
his congregation)
12 Independents
2 Quakers
1 Baptist Preacher
6 Baptists
4 Scotch Secession
4 Religion not yet discovered.

Here we have Papists turned Voluntaries—lndependents,
those who profess to be actuated by more holiness than others,
endeavouring to stop the means of grace for the people—dog
in the manger work with a vengeance—men professing to be
religious, acknowledging the spiritual destitution of the peo-
ple, and acknowledging that they cannot supply these wants,
and yet working heart and hand with Papists, Socinians,
Quakers, aye and Socialists, to prevent the Church of Eng-
land doing it. It should be more widely known what a frac-
tion these noisy declaimers form of our population.
The population of England and Wales is now 15,500,000,
and of this the orthodox dissenters of the three denomina-
tions, by their own most favourable showing, form but
1,000,000. I beg to remain, &c. J. C.