The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-08-21 00:00:00

GREAT PROTESTANT MEETING
AMPHITHEATRE.

AT THE

A very numerous public meeting of the Protestants of
Liverpool was held on Wednesday evening: in the Royal

Amphitheatre, for the purpose of hearing a lecture by the
Rev. T. D. Gregg, of Dublin, upon the subject of national
religion and its effect upon government. The spacious edifice
was crowded in every part, boxes, pit, gallery, and stage. On
a moderate computation, not less than four thousand adult
persons were present. Among those on the stage we ob-
served, the Rev. H. S. Joseph, the Rev. A. M'Conkey, the
Rev. Robert Montgomery, of Glasgow, (author of " Satan,"
Si.c.,) the Rev. Mr. Spencer, the Rev. Mr. Brown, the Rev.
G. Mansfield, the Rev. T. Rawson, Mr. Isaac Holmes, Mr.
John Howard, Mr. Evans, and many other zealous conser-
vative Protestants. The Rev. H. S. Joseph was called to
the chair.
. The Rev. T. D. GREGG commenced by saying, that he felt
moved with deep gratitude at his reception, and deep anxiety
at the responsibility of standing before so vast an assembly.
And yet, notwithstanding his weakness and inadequacy, he
could not but be confident as to the result of his address.
He came not to recommend views or theories of his own,
but to develope those views set forth in the unerring word of
God, and interpreted to them by the church and by the
laws of England. Let no one pretend to say that what he
might urge was undeserving of 'being considered as coming
from one who could not bring rank or station to add weight
to his sentiments. No : he stood before five thousand men
of Liverpool. His object was to elicit their approbation, to
obtain the seal of their sanction to the truths which he would
bring forward, that these truths might go before the world,
not merely as the sentiments of the Rev. Mr. Gregg, but as
those adopted and approved by and enforced by the voices,
and he would hope by the enthusiasm of the men of this
great and enlightened city. (Cheers.) Let no one then pre-
sume to disregard what might be advanced there thii evening,
because uttered by an unimportant individual, a nobody.
He rejoiced that he was a nobody that the excellency of the
power might be of God—he spoke as the mouthpiece of that
vast multitude—(cheers)—he challenged respect to his views
because not only true and scriptural, but those of the inhabi-
tants, the Protestant and thinking inhabitants of Liverpool—
;rid as such he confidently and certainly calculated on their
ultimate prevalence. (Cheers.) Public opinion at the
present day was in this country politically omnipotent. He
had no apprehensions as to the result. He stood before them
as a member of the Protestant Operative Association. He
was cheered by the enthusiasm of thousands of operatives
now before him, and he had no doubt but that their senti-
ments would be those universally adopted. Certain, of the
rich' and great, of those in office and station, of those who
revelled on the abuses arising from the disregard of their
principles, might affect to think light of a movement sup-
ported by Protestant operatives •, but let them remember,
that if the higher orders controlled the world of fashion,
the lower orders did that of opinion, and that as cer-
tainly as effect followed
_cause, so certainly. would gra..
dual conviction, final:, general adoption, and ultimately`
the practical results that they so earnestly expected follow
the assent and approbation, the applause and enthusiaSm, of
thousands of upright and thinking, though humble men.
(Cheers—here some confusion was created by some one op-
posed to the objects of the meeting, followed by loud cries of
—Turn him out—and disturbance.) He intreated them to
exercise patience, they could easily afford to let their adver-
saries make some little noise. Let them not trouble them-
selves by turning them out, he would soon point out to them
a job of turning out that would be worth their consideration,
—(laughter)—which he was sure they would engage in, and
the result of which would be the great increase of the general
happiness and prosperity—they knew what he alluded to.
(Cheers.) But to the business in hand. What did they
want? He answered radical reform—they were all radical
reformers—(cheers and laughter)—true radical reformers who
went to the root of all evils. (Cheers.) There was much of
evil complained of in society. They knew the remedy for it
all, and they met together to enforce the application of that
remedy. The book that he held in his hand was a code ot,
political wisdom. It was recognised as such in the written
laws of England, and the evils of England and Ireland arose
from this—that instead of glorifying the bible as the source
of political wisdom, they had of late disparaged it in that re-
lation, calumniously asserting that it contained precepts only
fit for the closet and for private life, not adequate to direct
nations in their affairs ; and the result of this contempt of
God's holy word and this disparagement of the divine wisdom,
was, that evils abounded, and complaint was loud. God had
created a nation to teach them political wisdom. He raised
p the nation of the Jews, and He gave them their history—
He laid bare His dealings with them. He told them that He

did this for their learning—to show them how they might expect
to be dealt with by Him as a nation—and what would be the
source of political prosperity, and what of political adversity.
This history they had in the book he held in his hand. Now
what was the source of national prosperity, as revealed in
that book ? Faithfulness on the part of the nation. and espe-
cially on the part of the rulers, to the will and word of God.
King David served God, and Israel was exalted in glory, ho-
nour, and power. Every enemy trembled at the name of
Israel. The people were united at home, and victorious
abroad. Solomon succeeded to a flourishing dominion. Every
man sat under his own vine and his own tig tree. There was
no complaining in the streets ;
,no lack of employment ; no
nakedness, or hunger, or want. Solomon abandoned his
principles ; he took up with a false and idolatrous system.
At once national weakness, disasters, complaining, revolt,
and rebellion displayed themselves. God raised up one ad-
versary. Lest that should not suffice, he raised up a second.
Lest two should be insufficient for judgment, he raised up a
third, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an agitator and a distur-
ber; and in a short time they had a repeal of the union.
(Loud laughter.) Aye, exactly—a repeal of the union ; for
previously two distinct divisions of the people, Israel and

Judah, formed one great kingdom. Thee two divided, and
instead of being united, they fell at variance with one
another, and in a short time they devoured one another,
like the two Kilkenny cats. (Loud laughter.) They
would excuse him. But it was so. Mutual contentions
divided their strength, and at length, when nearly worn
out by domestic feuds, their ruin was completed by
foreign foes. In fact, from the time that the rulers cast
off the religion and the truth of God, disaster followed
hard upon disaster, until at length they perished. Now this
was in exact accordance with the divine denunciations. He
would read for them how God declared he would recompense
this nation which he raised up for their instruction. (Here
the rev. gentleman gave a large extract from the 28th chapter
of the book of Deuteronomy, that was received with loud
cheers.) There they saw that destitution, misery, beggary,
want, and mendicancy—that degradation, folly, fatuity,
blindness and madness—that defeat, misfortune and over-
throw—that exile and death, slavery, and bondage, and every
conceivable national calamity were denounced as a punish-
ment for national unfaithfulness. while victory, happiness,
virtue, success, and prosperity, were promised to the opposite
line of conduct. All these actually followed. The nation
rose and fell according as it was faithful or the reverse. Now
all this was also realized in the history of England. The na-
tion oft England as a nation took God's Word as its rule.
And it denounced Popery as a system of idolatrous apostasy,
and just as it was faithful to protestantism, or abandoned its
principles, by the support of popery it rose or fell. (Cheers.)
He would show them the national mind as to popery.—
[Here the rev. gentleman read a long series of extracts from
the book of. Homilies, denouncing popery, during which
there was a good deal of disturbance originated by those who
disapproved of them and by the cries of " Turn them out"
from the other side.] They should take it patiently. All
that he said was law. They should not be angry with him,
they should reserve their anger for the British nation. for
these Homilies were the expression of the national mind.
Now how did it happen that Mr. O'Connell, amid all his
clamours for repeal, never demanded the repeal of these
laws? (Hear and cheers.) Here the laws of the land
gave a character of popery, and the Queen had com-
pelled him by oath to assent to it—the Queen had compelled
him to swear that popery was " antichristian," " absurd,"
" knavish," " most abominable," " devilish," " filthy,"
" fulsome," " blasphemous ;" that opish religious service
was " a mockery,"" a dumb mass," " a horrible profana-
tion," "necromancy" and " witchcraft;" that popish
riests were " Romish wolves," " special instruments of the
devil ;" that the Pope was a " horrible blasphemer." a
" traitor to God," a " false foreign usurper," an "in-
satiable wolf," a " most cruel tyrant ;" that the popish sys-
tem was " worse than paganism," a " puppet-show" sys-
tem " the Babylonical beast of Rome." (Loud cheers for
some time.) Here was the national mind and the national
law with respect to popery, the rectitude of which the Queen
compelled him and all clergymen to swear to, and the repeal
of which Mr. O'Connell never thought of calling for. Why
not ? Because in his soul he knew that it could not be
gainsaid. He for his part regarded this as just the plain
truth with respect to popery, to maintain which he would
not only be willing to meet any priest in argument, but
to lay down his life for his testimony. (Cheers.) The
priests were dared and defied to gainsay this, the national
view of Popery, but they shrunk from the question, and aban-
doned the field of discussion. (Cheers.) Now he wgild
ask them, this being the national mind with respect to Popery,
could anything be more awful than the national support of
the system thus nationally repudiated and denounced. (Loud
cheers.) Only think of giving money from the national trea-
sury to instruct men in mocking and blaspheming God •, to
propagate the delusions of an anti-christian apostasy. Only
think of appointing, as chaplains, " special instruments of the
devil," and of endowing chapels, churches, and bishoprics
abroad to keep up " horrible prOfanation" and " niummish
massing." He said, let them only think of these things, and
ask themselves what but national calamity could be expected

as the result. (Cheers.) Could there be conceived more
daring defiance of God, more injurious profanation of the
divine majesty, than that the nation should profess a certain
system to be abomination in his eyes, and yet expend its trea-
sures in supporting and diffusing that system. Did not they all
confess that good works were the result of divine grace, and
that if that grace were withdrawn every species of crime and
enormity would be the result ? And yet, notwithstanding
this confession, they actually proceeded in the very way to
produce this result. It was notorious that at the present day
the Irish papers gloried in the prevalence of English crime.
(No, no.) He said, " Yes, yes." Let any one consult the '
columns of the Evening Post, the Freeman's Journal, and
the Morning Register, (Dublin papers,) and he would find
in almost every publication a long catalogue of enormities
committed in England giveli, and much gratification in-
dulged in at the contrast which the state of Ireland pre-
sented. This was a fact. He did not wonder at it—he was
little surprised at it. The state showed the example of
casting off all concern for religion in its conduct. Was it
any wonder that the people should do the same. The Par-
liament was an unprincipled Parliament—a Parliament with-
out principles—treating truth and falsehood, Christianity
and anti-Christianity, alike; in a word, an unprincipled Par-
liament. What wonder was it that they should have unprin-
cipled cottagers and unprincipled operatives, that they should
see all the frightful results of the absence of principle mani-
fested in the land. The Parliament said, Jew, Turk, so-
cialist, papist, or athiest, are all alike, and no difference
should be made in consequence of religious distinctions.
Let an humble family only take up and act out the senti-
ment, they would find the father killing the mother, the
wife the husband, the sons murdering the daughters, the
daughters making themselves vile and cutting their infants'
throats. Why. Simply because they took up the corrupt
and abominable principle now adopted by the state, or rather
the total indifference to principle which it professed. (Loud
cheers for some time.) He repeated, then, that he was not
at all astonished at the results of the present system of state
policy. Mind, he did not mean to say that these crimes af-
forded any just ground of glorying to the papists, as though
their system were more purifying in its results that the Pro-
testant system, although that was the conclusion they drew :
not at all—far from it. There was vice in England, and that
vice naturally enhanced by the dealing of the nation towards
the popish system ; but there was virtue in it too. Our
church services were not crimes against the Almighty God
—a mockery and blasphemy of Divine Majesty. (A cry of
" Prove it. ') Prove it ! why is is proved already ! (Loud
cheers.) This book—the book of Homilies—which the
nation has adopted as its faith, proves it. (Cheers
repeated.) Prove it ! No, but let your priests dis-
prove it—or gainsay it—or attempt to gainsay it ; and I
fancy there will not be wanting many among my clerical
brethren in Liverpool who will maintain the truth of the
Protestant doctrine to their confusion. (Loud cheers.) The
Irish newspapers indulged in long notices of English crime,
but they did not say a word of English virtue. (" The
Bishop of Cloglier.”) The Bishop of Clogher ! Hold your
tongue about the Bishop of Clogher. Why, I have only to
open a book there on the table to show you, that before the
reformation every monastery reeked with Bishops of Clogher
—with monsters defiled by every enormity. (Cheers.) At
that time, Bishops of Clogher amid the bachelor priesthood
were as thick as blackberries. (Loud cheers.) Therefore,
the less on that subject the better for. popery. (Cheers.)
But to return, not a word did the Irish papers say, of English
virtue, of English dignity, enlightenment, refinement—all
derived from Protestantism. Not a word of their institutes