The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-08-09 00:00:00

to followin,. Convinced as we are that the principles of the
church of England are more consonant with civil and religions

liberty than any other system on the-face of the cavil); we cannot
but rejoice at the demonstration of feeling exhibited in Liver-
Imo;, which, the first to be attacked, has been the first to repel
that invidious system which has, and ever will, direct all its
etFarts to smother the flame of liberty wherever it has been kin-
dled. The wonder is, that men who dissent from a church
whose doctrines are in accordance with scripture, should he
found in company with the priests of Baal, forwarding their
dark views, and accelerating theirprogress. The wonder, how-
ever, ceases when we come to dissect their own system—founded
upon pride, a rejection of discipline, a love of self-government,
dissent, divided and split into numberless sects, and, polypus-
like, acquiring new .heads and new tails by annual divisions, can
only exist by being united against some common object. •It
cannot find a bond of union more consonant to its own princi-
ples, which are essentially democratic, than a continuous attack-
upon the church of England, which is bound up with the mo-
narchy, which is one of the firmest bulwarks of the British
constitution, and, as was well-observed by Mr. Dixon, " a
breakwater against the swelling tide of popery." Were it not
for this bond of union, dissent would speedily decrease in the
present day ; but it is a wise ordination of providence, that
error always defeats its own object, and thus dissent has been
subservient towards arousing the church of England, and, with
her increased usefulness, and extension, and faithfulness, will
cause the downfall, in a great measure, of those systems which,
advocating liberality, practise tyranny, and, professedly avowing
superior _ purity, are found, in fact, doing the dirty work of
bigotry and superstition.

Let us be clearly understood upon this point,—we are allud-
ing to the system of dissent, to its general effects, its avowed ob-
jects. There are hundreds of conscientious dissenters who
would not for their lives, accelerate the march of popery and
infidelity. Many have by their liberal subscriptions openly
-avowed their hostility to the scheme of our liberal Town Coun-
cil. But still, we must assert that, as a system, dissent is fast
becoming utilitarian, and independency is on a gallop towards
Socinianism. If it were not the case would it be tolerated that
the Albion, the organ of independency, should boldly advocate
a system which has fur its especial object the absolute exclusion
of every thing religious from education, which will inform the
intellect at the expense of the morals, and benefit the body at
the risque of the soul? We think not; and it is no small argu-
ment in favour of our assertion, that the body who principally
support that paper, not only tolerate the latitudinarian princi-
ples which it now advocates, but enter no protest against them.
Would the generations of dissenters now in their resting places
have been found linked in fraternal union with the enemies of
truth, to forward merely political objects? No! they took a
higher stand, they were dissenters front conviction—from prin-
ciple—and we, of the present day are indebted to that fearless
race of men, who would hold no communion with popery and
infidelity, and whose irresistible and unflinching adherence to
truth was terminated only by death.
The degeneracy of their successors, more than anything else,
is helping onwards the movement—laxityof discipline, and uni-
versality of creeds, and political feelings, being now the watch-
word, popery itself comes in for its share of regard, and whe-
ther the great body of dissenters know it or not, they are
strengthening the hands of popery, and blindly paving the
way for its further extension.

That many of the dissenting ministers know, and feel, and
lament this, we are assured : but such is the slate of vassalage
in which they are held by their flocks, upon whom they are, in-
deed, dependent for their bread, that few are found to raise
their voices against it. No being on the face of the earth is iu
a greater state of bondage, and if he possesses no private pro-
perty, more entirely dependent than the independent minister.
He can be dismissed at pleasure, and, knowing this, is it a won-
der that he dares not speak out, but presents the humiliating
spectacle of a man who is conscious of the existence of error
but dare not oppose it.

That the socinian should chime in with the corporate plan is
not so marvellous. That cold, and selfish, and grasping sect,
whose theology keeps hold of both worlds, can never become
popular. It virtually excludes the poor, for it yields them no
hope—it discourages the unlearned, for it gives him metaphysics
when he looks for bread. It is built on insubordination, for it
rejects some parts of scripture whilst it adopts others. It is more
akin to popery than men think of, for, like popery, it is tyran-
nical, grasping, arbitrary, not content to remain in subjection,
but continually aiming at political power, assuming the spe-
cious appearance of benevolence, but steeped to the hilt in des-
potism—it is a kindred spirit—it seeks to lay hold on the rich,
leaving it to popery to secure the poor, and thus they jog on
together, having one grand object, viz., the destruction of
scriptural and evangelical truth, and the establishment of an
age of reason on the one hand, and blinded bigotry on the other
—apparently, they are adverse systems, fire and water—but they
combine their energies to get up the steam. Thus we see Mr.
O'Connell and Mr. Wakley, in parliament, Mr. Shiel and Mr.
Rathbone in one town council, combining and agreeing on
various points, and the strange union seems to cause no sur-
prise in the public mind, but all is viewed as a matter of course.
We feel thankful that it has been reserved for the abused
clergy of the establishment to throw themselves into the breach
to resist the terrific innovation, which, at first, seeks merely a
footing, but would not have been long contented with that.
Such men as Mr. Brooks, Mr. M'Neill, and Mr. Campbell, and
hundreds of other clergymen of the established church,-will
make no compromise, hold no parley, agree to no terms, with a
system which is opposed to liberty of conscience, and the un-
erring principles of sacred truth.

It is their duty to be on the alert, to give timely notice of
danger, to repel the invasion of the troops of discord, and to
warn the country of their approach. The system may be patron-
ised by the professors of liberal opinions, but that only renders it
the more open to suspicion ; they may assert, and re-assertthat
the scriptures are not excluded from their scheme, but what man
of common sense will believe the honesty of the assertion. Had
there not been such a demonstration of public feeling on the
subject—had the clergy not laid bare the cloven foot, in a very
few weeks the scriptures, under the advice of the popish priest-
hood and the sociuian councillor, had been no more used in the
corporation schools than they are at the Mechanics' Institute.
Present peace is no security against future discord, and we
would remind many who are disposed to make large sacrifices
for the sake of peace, that it may be purchased too dearly.
Popery will take every thing, however small, but it will give
nothing in return. It is necessary that it should breathe the
spirit of peace and advocate the rights of conscience in a land
where the friends of those blessings are all powerful and nu-
merous, if it were to throw off the mask to fulminate its
anathemas here, as it does in Ireland, in Italy, and other
countries, the repeal of the emancipation bill would not be long
in taking place. It seeks to deceive protestants by talking of
its disunities, and as it grows in political importance, it will
rise in its demands, and will assuredly obtain that, by acting on
balance of parties, which it never will obtain by any other
means. Against the first introduction of this system the esta-
blished churches of England and Scotland, and the Wesleyan
methodists have by their ministers lifted up their voices. The
slumbers of protestants have been disturbed, and no wonder
surprise and indignation and abuse should follow such a noble
vindication of religious liberty. But the election of town
councillors is fast approaching, and some of these gentry have
begun to discover that the flagrant violations of public princi-
ple which they have manifested on this as on other subjects,
has met with the deserved reprobation of the wise and the
good ; and we hope that on every annual weeding day there
will he a clearing away of some of these useless thistles, and
that they may be rooted out from a soil which they only cum-
ber, to the exclusion of better seed.