The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY MEMORANDA.

MIDLAND COUNTIES RAILWAY.—The following is the
amount of earth-work executed, and the number of men,
horses, and locomotive engines employed on the works of the
Midland Counties Railway Company, from the 27th of Au-
gust to the `and of September:—Earth-work, 203,037 cubic
yards; number of meu, 4373; number of horses, 438; loco-
motive engine, 1.

NORTH UNION RAILWAY —As this highly important line
of railway advances towards completion, increased interest
appears to be felt respecting it. We believe we may state
with some degree of confidence, that the line from Wigan to
Preston will be opened and travelled upon by about the 15th
of next month. A further, but not, as we believe, a very pro-
tracted lapse of time will be necessarily required before the
" North Union" can open for full and permanent service.--
Preston Chronicle.

DUBLIN AND DROGHEDA RAILWAY.—The jury - empari-
netted for awarding compensation to parties claiming da-
mages and purchase money for the land required for a portion
of this undertaking, have given in their verdict. The follow-
ing exhibits the various sums claimed and awarded. The
names of the claimants are awarded :—A claimed £6OO, ver-
dict £2l; B £l2OO, verdict £130;. C £6O, verdict Ell ; D
£4OO, verdict £104; E £1250, verdict £428; F £2OOO, ver-
dict £438; G £l3OO, verdict £550. Total claimed £6BlO
verdict £l3B2.—Dublin Paper. ,
CHELTENHAM AND GREAT WESTERNUNION RAILWAY.—
Four contracts for the works on this important line, to the
extent of above sixteen miles, are announced in our columns
to-day.—We are glad to see so much energy manifested by
the Directors to secure at the 'earliest possible period the
advantages which must accrue to the shareholders and the
public on the completion of the line.—Bristol Journal.
EXTORTIONATE CLAIMS OF LANDOWNERS FOR COMPEN-
SATION IN RESPECT OF PROPERTY REQUIRED BY RAILWAY
COMPANIES.—We have had the curiosity to cast up the total
amounts of claim and award in a dozen cases lately decided
upon by juries, and find, that while the sum of the former
falls little short of £lOO,OOO, the latter scarce reaches £20,000,
or about one fifth of the modest demands made upon the
companies! Iu individual instances the disproportion is
still more striking—the sum received being to the sum sued
for as 1t07,8 or 9 ! To judge from a. paragraph in one of
the Bois papers of the week, they do not "manage these
things better in France;" for in the case of the St. Germain
Railway, we find that claims of 161,000, 423,000, and 622.000
francs respectively, have been cut down by juries to 5000,
65,000, and 89,000. In one instance the claim was 35,000
francs—the award only 150! We find, also, from the Irish
papers, that in the course of the week the Dublin and Dreg-
beda Railway Company have carried into court seven cases
of a similar character, in which the total sum claimed was
£6BlO, while the award of the juries was £1382. One con-
scientious gentleman asked £1'250 but was obliged to content
himself with £l2B, being just a fraction more than one-tent:
of his claim:—Railway Magazine.
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—We titclerstand that
contract for executing the line between la uscomb and I.eaci•
trig, which was forfeited by Mr. Ranger, to the great obstruc-
tion of the company's plans, is now subdivided into four
portions, and re-let to contractors who are bound to complete
the line within seven months. Should they succeed in their
undertaking, the whole distance between London and Read-
ing will be opened for traffic in the course of the next sum-
mer. Between Bath and Bristol, and oh the eastern side of
Bath, increased activity is manifested by the various con-
tractors. We learn that a very large body of men, recently
discharged in consequence of the completion of the London
and Birmingham Railway, have been set to work at various
points of the Great Western railway. The principal engi-
neer is strict in enforcing penalties for the non-completion wf
a certain quantity of work within the time specified, anti
every thing indicates much determination and energy in the
direction Still the opera:ions are on such a gigantic scale
and the obstructions of tunnel work so formidable, that we do
not look for the completion of the line for a very long time.
The company will, however, be in the receipt of a large in-
come after the Reading line is opened, as the traffic will then
be wholly transferred to the railway, and the carrying trade
of this populous town is itself considerable. We think it
probable -4 hat a large accession of passengers will also be re-
ceived from the Oxfordshire side of the county; and as
Reading is within 28 miles of the University, it is likely
that this route will be prefernid to any other.—Berkshire
Chronicle.

THE MANCHESTER AND LEEDS R ILA' AY.—The great
progress which has been madein the works on the Manches-
ter and Leeds railway, between this town and Littleborough,
a distance of about 15 miles, will be teen by the following
particulars, extracted from the report of Mr. Gooch, the
company's engineer, which was read at the half-yearly meet-
ing of shareholders on the 17th September:—The total
quantity of earthwork on this district of the line is about
2,llo,ooocubic yards, of which 1.615,000 cubic yards have
been already executed, and no less than 1,100,000 yards
during the last six months. Again, the total quantity of brick
work and masonry may be stated at about 50,500 cubic yards,
of which 33,000 is completed. Several of the above works
were commenced so late as the month or March last, and none
of them earlier than September, 1837.—The report proceeds
to state that, from the great progress already made, should
the weather prove tolerably fine, there is no reason to doubt
the completion of this portion of the line by the month of
Mar, 1839.
LONDON AND SOUTHAMPTON RA ILW AY,—The farther
opening of the London and Southampton Railway took place
on Monday. according to the announcement made in our last
number. The line is now opened for nearly half the entire
distance; and the most active efforts are being made to com-
plete the remainder at the earliest possible date. We un•
derstand that the result of this farther opening has more than
fulfilled the expectations of the directors, and affords the best
possible grounds for continue-1 confidence in the undertaking.
The obstructions which interested parties have thrown in its
way have only served to confirm still inure the calculations
oifnu its Opposition so violent, and so long con-
been encountered by any similar project.
phraosmso seldom
s
The last exhibition of this fruitless hostility was intended to
delay the event which has called forth these remarks ; by
exurtiOn and enterprise it was signally defeated; and so,
,issuredly, will all similar exhibitions be that haveiß view
ted,
similar
object,--Figilway Times,

ANNIVERSARY

OF THE
PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION.

Yesterday the third anniversary of this association,
called forth as a bulwark of Protestantism, was held
in the Amphitheatre, Great Charlotte-street. Im-
mense as have been the gatherings at the meetings of
this association on former occasions, and great as has
been the enthusiasm, never were the meetings more
crowded, nor was the enthusiasm so high, as clia-
, racterised the meeting of yesterday. The spacious
interior of the
.Amphitheatre was crowded in every
part where it was possible for people to stick 1
them-
selves.
The arrangements were very similar to those of the
-4.....05-meeerrrgs. The hack- pail of the stage was oc-
cupied by a raised platform, tier above tier, which ac-
commodated about 300 ladies. In the front of the
stage were about 60 clergymen, amongst whom we
recognised nearly the whole of the local clergy and
many of the clergy of the neighbouring towns. We
ascertained the names of the following clergymen,
though numbers we could not ascertain :—The Rev.
Dr. Tattershall, R. P. Buddicom, H. M'Neile, T. D.
Gregg, R. M'Ghee, D. Anderson, F. Barker, T. Bold,
John Jones, J. H. Stewart, T. G. Driffield, F. Ould,
Dr. Ralph, R. Myddleton, R. Phillips, W. Williams,
Robt. Davies, Richd. Davies, J. E. Bates, D. James,
W. Rawson, Cyrus 'Marron, J. H. Stafford, J. North,
E. Oldfield, C. W. Richards, W. Gibson, W. Carus,
P. Crawford, A. Knox, John Powell, G. Stokes, T.
Gardner, C. W. Lawrence, &c. :The pit, boxes, and
galleries were crowded to the greatest density; the
pit and boxes being chiefly occupied by ladies, with a
great number of gentlemen, heads of the most re-
spectable families in the town. The galleries were
filled by a dense mass of human beings, chiefly men
of the middle ranks of life. On the whole, we should
think, at a moderate computation, not less than from
4000 to 5000 persons were present. The general
character of the meeting was that of great attention
and decorum. The excitement of obtaining places
having subsided—and we may instance that so great
was the anxiety to obtain seats and places, that we
saw great numbers of ladies crowding round the doors
I, and into the Amphitheatre so early as nine o'clock in
the morning—the excitement ,saving subsided, at
eleven o'clock, the hour of meeting,
The Rev. Dr. TA TTERSH A 1.. I was moved into the chair.
The C HA I RM AN then came forwards amidst great cheering
and said, my christian friends—We have a divine direction
which teaches that in every thing, by prayer and supplica-
tion, with thanksgiving, we should make our requests known
unto God. And if this is a direction suitable on all occa-
sions, assuredly it is not less than ordinarily suitable on an
occasion in which we are assembled together for the promo-
tion of true Godliness. I therefore shall beg my rev. elder
brother, the Rev. Mr. Buddicom to open this meeting with a
prayer to Almighty God to ask a blessing, upon this meeting.
'I he Rev. Mr BUDDICOM then, in a brief and appropriate
prayer, invoked a blessing on the proceedings of the meeting,
and that its object, by the means used, might be attained,
and the purity of Protestantism made apparent, whilst the
impurity and the apostacy of the Church of Rome might also
be made manifest.
'The CHAIRMAN again rose. He said, my Christian
friends; we have but this moment risen from our knees in
addressing Almighty God in prayer for a blessing upon this
meeting. 1 do humbly and earnestly desire and further
pray, that every part of the proeeedings of this day may be
of a nature and character suitable to this first and important
religious exercise in which we have been engaged. If I say
that I am happy to obey the call made upon me, first of all
by the committee, and next by this meeting to take the chair
on this occasion; I can, indeed, say so with great cordiality,
that it is only because I conceive myself to be fulfilling an
imperative duty ; if it were otherwise, it would be far more
agreeable in every respect to my own feelings to have been
permitted to be only a listener on the occasion, and to be in a
far less prominent position than you have placed me in. But
having experienced your kindness already, I shall eiadea-
Your to fulfil the duties of the situation in which 1 am- now
placed; and in doing so, I desire to rest first upon the aid
of the good spirit of God, without which we can do nothing
aright, and to rely next upon your own kindness—upon your
own good feeling, which 1 have already experienced ' • so that
• I have every reason to expect that my duties will be very
little of a different nature to your own—that of listening with
delight to the statements which shall be made to us
(Cheers.) It will be expected from me, I believe, to
say some very few words—and they shall be very few
—on the nature of the object which has called us
rtogether, and on the design of this present meeting. It
,r
is almost sufficient to answer both the one and the other of
these questions, if I merely announce the name of the asso-
k ciation, whose friends and subscribers we are—the Protes-
tant Association. (Cheers.) An association formed for the sup-
port of Protestantism, and it may be perhaps well if I should
give what I conceive to be a definite of Protestantism, on
behalf of which this association is formed, and for the sup-
port of which this meeting is assembled. Protestantism
then is nothing but another name for primitive Christianity.
(Cheers.) It is called Protestatism, but why called Pro-
testantism? Simply because, in the lapse of ages, primitive
Christianity had became defiled and incrusted as it were
with matter, which was foreign to its own substance—which
was alien to its own spirit, and which was injurious to its
efficacy; and primitive Christianity—could only be restored
to its,beauty by removing from it—and by protesting against
those extraneous encrustations. (Cheers.) In defence of
Protestantism we have associated ourselves therefore toge-
ther; and why are we so jealous for the interest of Protest-
antism—why -do we think it to be a matter worthy to be sup-
ported by means such as this? My christian friends we have
a twofold reason for it: the first reason is exclusively of a
spiritual nature. We desire the support of Protestantism—
that is of primitive christianity, because that in it are invol-
ved the spiritual interests of ourselves and of our fellow men ;
that is christianity. For what is Protestantism? Primi-
tive christianity or Protestantism is nothing else than the
charter of God's mercy to man; it is nothing else than the
exhibition of a glorious planiby which Almighty God has been
pleased to provide for the salvation of our fellow sinners.
Well then, this is the object and the design of primitive
christianity—and will not that object be more fully furthered
and secured by the instruments that God has provided for the
purpose of its being presented and employed in all its sim-
plicity, rather than by having if I may so speak, its edge
blunted by rust; and moreover will not the salvation of man
be more effectually secured when the Gospel of Jesus Christ
—the great plan of human redemption, is exhibited in all its
simplicity, as a redemption once made and completely made
for the sins of men, in all its fullness and sufficiency, as
having been wrought out by none other than the incarnate
son of God, in all its tender meekness and graciousness, in
being offered freely to all who desire to accept of it in all its
completeness; in arousing sinners under condemnation, to
the favour of God here, and to the participation of his throne
hereafter. But if for this spiritual reason primitive
christianity ought to engage our affections, we have
also al temporal reason. for man, it I may so speak,
by the introduction into Christianity of doctrines and state-
ments that belong not to its nature, which belong not to its
substance, is introduced into relations in which he ought not
to stand. He is placed, as it were, in an intricate, in a false
and in an embarrassing position, and it is a matter, as I ap-
prehend, of strict necessity in the consequence, that he must
be less loyal as a subject—that he must be less useful as a
member of society—that he must be less happy as a man,
than if he were set free from the thraldom of Popish super-
stition (cheers.) That is what we assemble together for,
and in so doing we are, as I conceive, vindicating the au-
thority of divine revelation. Where shall we find primitive
Christianity? You answer me in a moment—in the Bible.
According to the words of Chillingworth—" the Bible only
is the religion of the Protestant," and we may adopt that
language, which has been adopted in other connections, and
which I am sure will express the meaning of Chillingworth ;
"the religion of the Protestant is the Bible, and nothing but
the Bible (cheers) as given by inspiration of God, and as
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction and right-
eousness, that the Mani of God may be perfect to all good
works." If any other source—if any other rule of faith
were necessary than the Bible, God would not have given
that in order that the Man of God might be perfect. It is
sot consistent with the wisdom of God to use inadequate in-
struments for what he designs to do (hear). I will not de-
tain you longer than to observe, that we come here professing
to be the subscribers and friends sf the Protestant Associa-
tion. It may be possible that there are individuals present
who do not, in the strict sense of the term, consider them-
selves to stand in that relation to the Protestant Association.
We are happy that they have the opportunity—we rejoice in
it—of listening to such statements as shall be made. I
think it my duty to observe that it is more than probable
that what may be stated may be not precisely suitable to
their own feelings; but I must put them in remembrance of
this, that they come here of their own accord—that they
voluntarily place themselves within the hearing •of those
statements which cannot reach them, I again observe, except
through their own deliberate choice (hear). I am sure,
therefore, I may call upon the propriety, upon the good
sense and good feeling of every individual present, that the
proceedings of this meeting may be conducted with the
most perfect order and propriety. I shall now beg leave to
call upon the Secretary of the Association to read the report
for the last year (cheers).
MOSES EDWA R DS, ESQ. the Secretary of the Association,
then came forward, and after apologising for a weak voice,
begged to tender the report to the Rev. 11. M`Neile to
read (cheers).
The Rev. H. McNarLE was received with very loud
cheers. He said—lt will Sir, be perfectly understood that I
do not intrude myself for the purpose of addressing this
meeting at this period of the day I shall, if time be al-
lowed, address a few words to you before the termination of
the meeting. At present I merely respond to the call of the
secretary to lend him my voice in reading this report (cheers.)
He then proceeded to read the following report.—
" REPORT, &c."
•

" In making this their third annual report, your committee
have the gratification of communicating to you, that trivial
as their labors may seem to those who ate uninterested in
the cause of national Protestantism, the results anticipated
by them at the institution of this association have never been
more progressively realised than during the last twelve
months.
"These results they recognise in the increasing interest
now taken on every side, in the critical and alarming posi-
tion of our Protestant institutions : and also in the more just
estimate which begins to prevail of the true character and
designs of the Papal system, in proportion as the real princi-
ples and practices of that system have become known.
" Your committee feel well warranted in attributing these
results, in a vety great degree, to the dissemination of the
important documents and facts brought forward by this and
similar associations throughout the kingdom. They desire
also to thank God, and their dear reverend brethren his
servants, for the Christian zeal, ability, and eloquence, by
which those facts and documents have been rendered both
notorious and interesting to the country.
"Your committee feel that urgent cause existed and still
exists for such labors. Warmly attached to the free institu-
tions of their beloved country, they are cordially desirous
that she may continue free, and would therefore exert their
best energies to warn her of her danger from the ruining
aggressions of a continental usurper. His aggressions come
not in the form of open invasion, if they did, they would be
comparatively harmless. They come under the far more
dangerous disguise of pretended friendship. They are car-
ried on by men professing themselves subjects of the crown
of England, white in heart their supreme allegiance is to a
foreign potentate.
"The liberties of England, both civil and religious are in
danger. The basis of all true liberty is a definite and known
acknowledged code of laws : definite, excluding all opportu-
nity for caprice or tyranny in the ruler; and known and ac-
knowledged, excluding all excuse for resistance or insubor-
dination among the people. Such is the statute book of
England—defined, known and acknowledged, the basis of
our civil liberty. Such is the law of God, defined, knowu
and acknowledged, the basis of our religious liberty.
"In opposition to both, and claiming a control over both,
a foreign potentate is exercising in England and over
Englishnen,!an undefined, irresponsible, and arbitrary autho-
rity,
" Undefined authority_ is the open door for a tyrant; and
submission twit'isthe,:blind prostration of a slave. The
Bishop of Ir9m! Si spell 0,1-X4U He claims authority which
whichprias'pev beeredefiVeili. ..He claims it as vicar here on
;411itesif ,our 14 4:4ll4lSaisci tir4esus Christ, The indefinite
%,
::_' --r•-,,. L ..r_
„...t....c::::,,i/ :4•7.-'r-7,--4-' '33
:. N a''',

extent of this claim wears an aspect of the most unmeasured
absolution. He delegates to Bishops and Priests, an unde-
fined measure of this undefined whole: reserving an ultimate
opeal to himself; and nut confining himself to bis own
•;ese, or even his own kingdom, he dares to usurp authority
in other realms, and to employ his delegates to bring and to
keep under his supreme control, the subjects of other
monarchs.
In days of ignorance his claim was basely and slavishly
submitted to here in England. In better. days of advancing
instruction, his claim was disallowed. England threw off
the yoke. The usurper, however, though defeated, was not
reformed.' He continued to exercise his tyranny in other
lands. He still claimed it over England; but her scriptural
institutions, her national protests, her solemn abjuration of
the tyrant, her circulated Bible, her preached gospel, her
beneficial Prayer Books, her established church, rendered
any attempt on his part more than madness. Yielding to the
necessity of the time, be remained quiescent: changed
in conduct, but unchanged in heart; suspending his_ _de-
mand, but not Waiving his claim; quiescent, like an old
and practised tiger in a jungle, watching for a favourable
moment when his unsuspecting prey would be off their
guard.
" Yes, the claim of the Italian usurper is unchanged and
unchangeable. ffe cannot abate one jot of it without con-
fessing that he is not the vicar of Christ, the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords. It is, in truth, an inalienable mark,
stamped upon his forehead, in the word blasphemy.
" Again he is urging it in England, but not as yet by vio-
lence. He is urging it by professing to disclaim it. He is
endeavouring to regain his power by protesting that he does
not desire it. To this end, his mitred delegates in this em-
pire have been solemnly upon oath disclaiming, before the
parliament and people of Great Britain, the perfidious,
and persecuting, and enslaving doctrines of their system,
alleging that such doctrines were wholly obsolete, while, at
the same time, they have been sedulously and successfully
propagating those very doctrines among their own deluded
followers. A remarkable combination has characterised
their course, namely, public disavowal open oatli, walking hand
in hand with secret propagation by authority.
" By such dissiniulation they have succeeded in hood-
winking unsuspecting Englishmen. Your committee cannot
but recognise in this delusion the natural consequence of the
apathy into which Englishmen had very generally fallen,
with regard to their holy religion. Careless about God,
forgetful of his sovereignty over nations, and buoyed np in
the pride of self benevolence—discontented with existing in-
stitutions, and enjoyments, and privileges, and wild in the
expectation of most extravagant improvements from the
strength and ingenuity of human wisdom, they failed to per-
ceive or feel that political improvements in temporal matters
contain no atonement for national sins, and that in the midst
of the brilliant and intoxicating career of such improvements
there was an accumulating load of offence against God.
Useful knowledge, physical science, mechanical discovery—
these, considered as properties of the nation, became the ob-
jects of the nation's idolatry. The distinguishing peculi-
arities of vital religion were discountenanced as enthusiasm.
While, for the attainment of superficial unanimity among
men, national encouragement was held out to what is super-
stitious in itself, and, is its demoralising consequences, fatal
to national prosperity.
"A faithful and effectual testimony against this delusion
has been raised and propagated by our Protestant Associa-
tions. Your committee have much pleasure in announcing
that such testimonies are multiplying in the kingdom. In
the spring of this year a Protestant Association was formed
at Bath, under circumstances which elicited the retaliation
of a Romish Priest, and led to as complete a conclusion, a
discomfiture of fraud and falsehood, as has ever been fur-
nished by the annals of controversy. The whole of the pro-
ceedings have been printed in a pamphlet, entitled Popery
Illustrated.' By the result of the Bath Protestant meeting,
on March 13, 1838, in controversy of Dr. Brown, Principal
of Downside College, with Sir W. S.- R. Cockburn, Bart.,
Major Grafton, and the Rev. R. G. M'Ghee.'
Last week a similar association was formed at Manches-
ter, under the superintendance of the true Protestant, and
faithful minister of Christ, the Rev. Hugh Stowell.
" That the operations of these associations may he carried
on vigorously and perseveringly, that meetings such as the
present may be held, that appropriate tracts may be printed
and circulated, that needful journeys may be made and ser-
mons preached, it is absolutely indispensable that the friends
of Protestantism should contribute to the funds: and your
committee would earnestly invite their numerous and warm
supporters in this town and neighbourhood, not only to swell
the collection to be made at the doors, but also to enroll their
names on the list of annual subscribers."
The Rev. T. D. GREGG then came forward to move the
first resolution, which was as follows :—" That, being fully
persuaded that Popery is a system of gross apostacy from
God, defacing Christianity by idolatry and superstition, and
the crimes that are consequent upon these,—being also con-
vinced that this Popish apostacy is spreading its poison
among the people of England, and rearing itself into power
to invade and overturn the best and dearest interests of the
Protestants of this empire,—this meeting considers it the
bounden duty of all who value the sacred blessings of Scrip-
tural truth and Protestant liberty, to co-operate by every
legitimate means, in their several stations, not only to oppose
the further progress of Popery, but to deliver, if it should
please God to bless their exertions, our Roman Catholic
fellow-subjects and our country from the power of this anti-
Christian yoke." Having read the resolution, Mr. Gregg
proceeded:—Mr. Chairman, and dear friends, I consider it
a very high privilege to be allowed to address so large and
influential a body of Englishmen as I see before me. As one
of the humblest of the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, I
feel that my individual weight and opinions are as a mere
nothing. Yet it has pleased the Lord, in the exercise of his
sovereign grace, to confer a certain degree of influence on
those opinions of mine, in consequence of circumstances of
which you are all aware. To Him be all the glory. And
instrumentally I must say that I owe to England what I
consider to be a very great deal of the energy that influences
me in this great cause, and the determination that I humbly
feel within myself, to devote myself, as far as the Lord may
give me opportunity, to the great work proposed in this reso-
lution—namely, the overthrow of Popery. (Hear.) You
are aware that I am an Irishman; and I tell you the truth,
that I was a long .while a Protestant before 1 felt anything
more than a very strong conviction of the soundness of my
principles. We do nor, in Ireland, see Protestantism in its
practical excellence. Irish Protestantism is a sort of miti-
gated thing. I grant it is a strong—a very strong thing;
and the Irish Protestants are most decidedly against. Po-
pery : but it is in consequence rather of a conviction
of the truth of their principles, and that which 1 like-
wise attribute to God—the transmission of wholesome and
valuable prejudices from father to son, than from a visi-
ble exhibition of the excellence of Protestantism. Prac-
tically speaking, it is with Protestantism in Ireland as it was
with true religion in the time of the Jews. The Jews were
mixed up with the Canaanites, and in proportion the prac-
tical influence of their own religion was let down. So it is
with Ireland. Protestantism has not yet put on its beautiful
garment ; it does not present itself to the eye of an indivi-
dual who regards practical religion as important, as recom-
mending it strongly to the approval of all -.vim become ac-
quainted with tt. The Poor Irish Protestant is firm against
Popery, while his practice partakes of the instruction of
Popery. For a long while the Protestant reiigion in Ireland
was not spiritual in its character. There was a proverb
abounding in the country, that "The Papist had a bad reli-
gion, but the Protestant had no religion at all." This was
something like the case. We complain of Protestant ser-
vants nut being so good as Popish servants, with a variety of
other similar complaints. A very natural reason may be
given for it. Superstition is an influence, but neglected re-
ligion is no influence at ail. Therefore, while I was very
greatly puzzled, 1 really felt at a loss when I found they were
not so practical, as I would have desired to find them. I
said within myself, "After all, if our religion be not practi-
cal—if it do not produce results superior to those performed
by Popery, we should be rather quiet about it, I think."
Well, I came over to England, and I tell you truly, that for
a long while I was puzzled with new difficulties. There is a
great deal on the surface of English society, especially is
certain localities, calculated to make an Irish clergyman ra-
ther hesitate. In Ireland we meet with a great deal of
respect. It is " Plase your riverence" on all hands. (a
laugh.) I sin coming to England ; I expected to find
the people as ready to do us honour as the people of
Ireland. But 1 found you a sturdy race. (Laughter
and cheers.) An Englishman stands bolt upright before
every man who does not give him a downright reason
for exercising any influence over him. (A laugh.) For a
while what I considered the rudeness and want of submission,
and sundry other unpopish attributes of your Yorksbireman,
made me rather bard-Hearted against Protestantism. (A
laugh.) But when I saw Englishmen stand upon their feet
and drew in something of their spirit, my mind changed. I
perceived in the lowest orders an inquiring disposition. I
found every man taking me to the scriptures, and Giving me
his reasons from the Bible. Every man, though he might
neglect going to church, imagined he had a good reason for
it, and read his Bible at home. I found that reading the
Bible made them rational, thinking, independent, honourable,
free, decided, and, in fact, invested them with such attributes
as, when I became acquainted with them, did really cause me
to glorify God, and to say within myself, " I have found it
out! Here is the grand point. his to Protestantism that
England owes these qualities, and it is to those qualities that
England is indebted for her amazing superiority." (Loud
cheers.) They talk of Ireland being ground down to tyranny.
They talk of 7,000,000 of people having been kept down for
700 years. I believe it is that Mr. O'Connell is so famous
for harping upon, by English tyranny. I defy all the ty-
rants in the world to grind down to the earth seven millions,
or two millions, or one million of men, as the Irish Papists
are ground' down, if they had the qualities that Englishmen
have. (Cheers.) It is to their qualities, derived from their
religion, that Englishmen owe their liberties. (Hear.)
Give me a nation with the qualities of Englishmen and Pro-
testants, and they may laugh to scorn the power of all the
tyrants in the world. They will stand erect in the attitude
of liberty, and civilisation, and national glory, notwithstand-
ing every obstacle that may be opposed to them. (Cheers.)
Why, I tell you, I defy the whole world to grind down me,—
(much applause,)—me, a thing grown upon a dunghill, as it.
were, comparatively. Why? Because here I have the
seandard of my salvation, and the Lord my God—(The con-
clusion of the sentence was drowned by applause.) What!
a single Englishman ground down, who has the Bible in his
hand, and the spirit of God for his guide ! Impossible. It
is a thing out of the question. Capital, and- railroads,
and mail-coaches, and gas, and other inventions and im-
provements, are these the cause of the advantages of this
country!! No. If I were to put an Englishman, without a
penny in his pocket, in a desert, he would fill his pockets
with money—(a laugh)—and that of a most admirable qua-
lity, because he would do it in honesty and integrity, and by
the exercise of those powers which the Lord confers on all
who determine to be independent. But give me leave to
ask you this :—would this be likely to be the case with Eng-
land if I opened one of her hooks of devotion, for example,
and found, held out as a pattern for the imitation of her sub-
jects, a saint, a holy saint, a wonder of piety. He died at
Rome, and how do you think he lived ! Excuse me for
being very plain. I am in the habit of being plain. He
lived a lousy beggarman. (Loud cheers and laughter.)
The most filthy object in the whole city of Rome, covered
With rags, and so overrun with vermin, that the priest in the
confessional who gives us an account of his extraordinary
piety and amazing merit, was obliged to put a partition be-
tween himself and his penitent, and always to get on the lee
side of him, or the weather side, I do not know which.
(Laughter.) If Englishmen were so blind, so besotted, and
so ridiculous as to imagine that this is excellence, under any
form. I ask you, in the name of God, would they be the
people they are? (Cheers.) I beg to tell you that these
things occur in Ireland. I will undertake to show you a
thousand saints like this, who, were they in the city of Rome,
would no doubt, be canonised. (Hear and a laugh.) If
you will go along the roads in the south of Ireland, you will
find—turnth
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urtchihitss
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plain
common sense that it must. (Cheers.) This being the case
let us be decided as one man against this system. 'That
you may be decided against it, let me address a few thou"hts
from the almost only authority 1 ever quote on the subject of
Popery. First, I will give you a brief description of
what Popery is for the word of God. Remember I do not
stand here as an isolated individual. I stand here as a mem-
ber of our holy church. I do not give you notions of my
own When I come to speak of the book of Revelations, it
is to my mind, as it must be to the mind of every thinking
individual, a source of great satisfaction to know that I do
not entertain a single idea, respecting this book, which is not
at the same time entertained by our holy church. (Hear.)
So that if you approve the opinions and arguments as such,
which we are addressing to your common sense, they may
find their way still more readily to your convictions, when
you know that they are such as you have already, by impli-

cation, sanctioned, as members of the Protestant church.
Furthermore, I tell you that these opinions are brought be-
fore the world in their strongest, and most striking, and most
convincing form, by persons at whose feet 1 have been glad
to sit—those admirable defenders of our holy church—Eng-
lishmen who are the very light of the world. I mention with
honour, for example, that great living divine, the exemplary
Mr. Faber, and likewise the eminent and excellent Joseph
Mede. I pray God, in his infinite mercy, to deprive you of
that high-mindedness which is too common amongst us,
which leads people to say, like Father Maguire, any runaway
opponent— (laughter and cheers)—" there is nothing certain
in the book of Revelations—no one understands it." I thank
God, I believe I could find five hundred old Englishwomen,
who would be able to teach Mr. Maguire the book of Reve-
lations. (Laughter.) lam going to give you extracts from
this holy book. 1 was beginning with a prayer, and it is
this—that God, in his wisdom, may humble you to become
diligent students of this book. For, in proportion as you do
prayerfully read and understand it -you will Teel yourselves"
animated with a peculiar degree of love fur the truth as it is
in Jesus, and become a blessing to your families and con-
nexions. God has promised his special blessing upon it;
and it it be only read by the light of those invaluable guides,
Faber and Mede, every one may understand it; and Popery
will never be overthrown till the great mass of the people do
understand it. (Cheers.) God has condescended to become
a painter for us. He has painted Popery ; and here is the pic-
ture he draws:--' Come hither,and I will show unto thee the
judgment of the great whore, that sitteth upon many waters,
with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,
and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with
the wine of her fornication. Lo he" carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet-coloured beast, full of voices of blasphemy, having
seven beads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed iu
purple and scarlet colour, and decked with Gold, and pre-
cious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand,
full of ebb:lnflations and filthiness of her fornication: and
upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOAIINA-
TIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with
the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus : and when I saw her I wondered with great admira-
tion." Mark, I assert, and our holy church asserts, that
this is a picture of the church of Rome. Can anything be
more awful? It is admirable, and I bless God for it. When
I was going to the late discussion, people said to me, " Sir,
your arguments from the book of Revelations will not tell."
I said, " I know better than you—they will tell. When God
has given me arguments I believe that he is wiser than you,
and I will go in simplicity according to what he tells me, and
not according to your advice. It is with the vulgar that I
have todo—with tinkers and tailors; and they can understand
a picture, when they cannot understand a theory." And is
not this a living picture, speaking to every soul? Is not the
church described as the bride of Christ ? It is the constant
language of Scripture. When the bride, the Lord's wife, is
faithful to her husband, she is represented as a beauteous
woman, dotted with the sun and moon, and crowned with
twelve stars. When the bride, the church, becomes unfaith-
ful, what can be more appropriate imagery, in describing
her, than that of a faithless, foul, abominable woman
" I beheld the whore drunk with the blood of the
saints,"—persecuting them to the death. She was a
faithless spouse tob Christ : she went after other hus-
bands, whom she admired, and bowed down to, and
served, more than her lawful husband. He requires the
whole heart. "My Son, give me the heart." And he will
not be satisfied with half alseart. " She sits on a scarlet-
coloured beast, having seven heads and ten horns " A pre-
cise image of the Roman empire. Rome had seven forms of
government, and she was ultimately divided into ten powers
—weapons of attack—ten kingdoms. It is remarkably plain.
But while it commends itself to our reason, by its plainness,
we like to have assurance doubly sure in such. a case as this.
And here we are not left in doubt; God gives us a sober ex-
planation of his imagery : "The woman thou sawest in that
great city, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth.'
What city but Rome ? What city reigned over the kings 01
the earth? And who affects, in modern times, to reign over
the kings of the earth but papal Rome ? Not one God ex-
plains the whole matter. Having given us a picture of the
apostacy, he gives its attributes elsewhere: " forbidding to
marry, commanding to abstain from meats." What form of
of apostacy does this but the Roinishapostacy ? In sober-
ness, is not this satisfactory ? Does not this commend itself
to your reason ? I put it to you, seriously to ask yourselves,
looking round the whole world, if anything else can be found,
answering to the description of the great whore, who puts a
hook on the nose and a bridle in the mouth of the nations?
There is evidently none. (Hear.) Turn now to Deuter-
onomy, the 28th chapter. Hear what is denounced as the
consequence of apostacy from God: "Cursed shalt thou be
in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed
shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit
of thy body and the fruit of thy hand, the increase of thy trine
and the flocks of thy sheep. -Cursed shalt thou be when thou
comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou guest out.
The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and re-
buke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until
thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly, because of
the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou bast forsaken
me. The Lord shall snake the pestilence cleave unto thee, until
be have consumed thee from off the land whither thou guest to
possess it. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption
and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an ex-
treme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and
with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
And thy heaven that is over thee shall be brass, and the
earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make
the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it
come down upon thee until thou be destroyed. The fruit of
thy land, and all thy labour, shall a nation which thou know-
est not eat np, and thou shall be only oppressed and crushed
alway." Are nut these the words of the living God, before
whom we stand and whom we serve ? If I were to engage a
writer to give a description of Ireland, it could not be more
exact. Is it not the same with every Popish country in the
world ! Is it not the case with Italy ? Are not the lower
orders there ground down, and oppressed, 'and reduced to
bondage, as in Ireland? Are they not the same degraded
class of beings? Is it not the same in Spain ? Is it not the
case that there is in that country, in the present day, neither
security for property nor order of government, or anything
else. In Portugal—in every country where Popery predo-
minates, does it not create an aristocracy which is not of the
people, putting it into the power of that aristocracy to plun-
der the people, so that the lower orders are ground to the
earth through their darkness, their ignorance, and their fatu-
ity, while the others are lifted into the position of plunderers
and robbers. (Applause.) When this is the case in every
Popish country in the universe, should it not decide us as to
what is the truth of the case? Was it not so in England her-
self in Popish times ? Englishmen were not then free. Mag-
na Chaste was wrested from the King, as I proved in the late
discussion, in spite of the Pope. The Pope anathematized
it. He commanded it to be given up. Were not the
lower orders then in a state of bondage ? Their name
implies it. They were called villeins. But look at them now,
I tell you that the lower orders of England are fit to be the
aristocracy of other lands. (Loud cheering.) Therefore, in
God's name, be sober, and practical, and recognise where the
truth is; recognise the origin of your privileges and liberties,
and as your forefathers won them for you, be determined to
keep them for yourselves. All I ask is this,—do not let us
be extinguished in Ireland. Do not allow your voices, or
those of your fellow-countrymen, or that of the government,
to countenance the priests of Belial and Antichrist, the plun-
derers and enemies of the liberties of the people.—(Cheers.)
Be determined to allow no such thing. If Protestantism be
the glory of your land, and the source of all your privileges,
assist us in fighting the battles of true religion, and give us
your countenance that we may have victory on our side. (Loud
cheers.) Go back to the imagery I have brought before you.
1 will make a new image. Imagine seven millions of men,
women, and children, bowed down into the dust of the earth
—seven millions are commonly given as the amount of the
Popish population of Ireland--imagine them on their knees,
and their faces in the dust, and a priest elevating before them
the host, a bit of pastry, and the seven millions lifting up
their bands and eyes, and saying, Deliver me, for thou art
my God !"—imagine the God of heaven, angels, and arch-
angels, looking down on the scene,—and can there be other
than a curse upon the land where such a system is practised?
—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) Does not God control circum-
stances ? He does. Let us attempt to do any thing the
Lord will not have us to do, and he will knock the legs from
under us, as it were: we shall be met and obstructed on the
right hand and on the left, and where we want to succeed we
shall not be able. Why ? • Because the Lord orders circum-
stances so as to defeat us. The Lord is a God that hideth
himself, and he controls circumstances so that his finger can-
not be seen, and thereby he blinds the eyes of his adversaries.
I remember old Cobbett.—(A laugh.) He was a fine old
fellow, considered as a man, but unworthy of his position
considered as a Christian. Old Cobbett said that it was im-
possible Ireland could be the victim of Popery, and be under
a curse, because there land was fertile, and because corn, and
pige, and oxen, and sheep were exported to England,—God
could not be the cause of it. Poor old man ! I wish he bad
had the wisdom of John Bunyan the tinker.—(A laugh.) Ile
would have seen that the Lord can give a land rich harvests,
and cause them to be eaten by the enemy ; that he can
give prosperity in one sense, and withdraw it in another.
At the same time he keeps back the working of his finger,
so that the cause is not discovered by those who will not bow
in simplicity before his holy truth. By thus controlling cir-
cumstances, he makes everything done for Ireland turn into
dust and ashes, and a curse. Go to the Protestant parts of
Ireland—go to Belfast. for instance, and you would almost
imagine yourself in England. (Cheers.) I was in Belfast
the other day for the first timer I was delighted, and I said
within myself, "Blessed be God, our evils are not Irish, but
Popish." (Cheers.) Protestantism, and Protestantism
alone, can take Ireland from her excessive misery, and lift
her into her true position among the nations. (Loud cheers.)
It must be so, from a consideration of the respective results
of Protestantism and Popery, and of the picture God has
drawn. The difference between Protestantism and Popery
may be reduced to a single item: salvation by faith in Christ
alone, without the works of the law, which is the Protestant
doctrine,--and salvation by faith in Christ, with the works
of the law, which is the Popish doctrine. There is the sim-
ple principle that divides us. Considered in the light of
nature it seems a mere trifle, and Popery looks to have the
best of it. It appears wiser, and more favourable to virtue,
to preach salvation by faith and works, than salvation by
faith alone. But the preaching of salvation by faith alone,
exceptis excipiendis, with a proper exception, is that which
alone is suitable for appealing to the human heart. The
man who makes Jesus Christ alone his foundation, abjuring
all dependence' on his own works, God will look on him with
favour, will send his Spirit to make him virtuous, in conse-
quence of taking that simple truth. But God will in jea-
lousy keep away his grace from him who depends on his
own works; he will give him up to blindness, darkness, and
stupidity of mind, so that he will take the grossest absurdities
for proved truths. This is the simple principle that divides
us. It is not easy to see the difference. But there is be-
tween faith and works, and faith alone, the same difference
that there is between the window alone, and the window and
the window-shutter. Suppose a man to say, " I get light by
the window alone;" and another to say, " I get light by the
window and the shutter, when closed,"—it is obvious he
would never get light at all. Observe, then, what an im-
mense evil may arise from a false addition. (Hear, hear.)
Popery wi I give up anything but this, because it is as
the window-shutter to the window, and enables them to
succeed in keeping the people in darkness. This is
the separating principle. And what do we mean by
principles ? Beginnings. If you compare beginnings,
you never can see what their proper results will be. Let
me illustrate this by a lesson in nature. Seeds are prin-
ciples—beginnings. Look at them: compare them. You
will say, "Is not this seed just as good as this? This is
bigger than that." But plant them, and the lesser will bring
forth the glorious oak, while the greater may bring forth the
mere stunted herb. So, in looking at principles or begin-
nings, one does not see what they lead to. Eggs are prin-
ciples. Take two eggs: regard them in the abstract. You
will say, "O they are equally white and equally big." Get
them hatched, and one will yield a good wholesome hen, the
other a fiery flying serpent. So with our principles. And
here was the advantage I had in the late discussion—in the
great discussion, as I may venture to call it. I adopted such
a line of conduct as enabled me to see the eggs hatched.
(Laughter.) I determined I would not contend about prin-
ciples. Mr. Maguire said, "O, let us dispute about doc-
trines." I replied, "No, I shall dispute about churches.
Your church is the church of the devil, and leads the people
to hell (Cheers.) Our church is the church of God, and
leads the people to heaven. (Cheers.) Let us look at the
results of the two churches." So I had the advantage of hav-
ing eggs batched. I ask, in the presence of theLordbefore
whom we stand, what sort of religion is that which enabled
me to bring forward one of its saints,—how do you think he
was employed ? A useful man—the admiration of the
world ! He was stuck upon the top of a pillar, with a chain
round his leg, naked; and he had to wind up the food which
was brought to him from the ground to his resting place, if
so it could be called. And this valuable member of society,
—(a laugh)—this marvellously diligent man,—it was very
well that he belonged to the corporation of batchelois,—

(Cheers and laughter.) I can tell you that this sort of holi-
ness would not answer—with Englishmen, or, at least, with
their wives and children. (A laugh.) This holy saint,
stuck on, the top of a pillar, got a great ulcer in his foot
and he was so amazingly holy that be would not get it cured
till it became full of maggots. (,Laughter.) Soberly and
seriously, this is given in the Popish breviary, which the
priests are obliged to read uuder penalty of mortal sin.
(Hear and laughter.) I said, " What would be thought of
Father Maguire stuck on- the top of a pillar, with a hole in
his foot and maggots in the hole! (Shouts of laughter.) Your
friends about you will, I said, think you better employed
fighting against me on this platform.". (Much cheering.)
Mark, Popery is revealed to us by God as an abomi-
nation, its practical results are devilish and abominable,
and it is a holy thing to oppose it even unto the death. (Loud
applause.) Not by fighting with carnal weapons, but by
giving testimony against it, and if needs, as the result of our
testimony., being torn limb from limb by the papists__,(Res,
iie—vfed—applause.) Allow me to occupy your attention a
little longer. I must tell you that lam a very practical man
of business • and really I like, when I see an association
formed, to know what it is going to do. Because there are so
many associations in the present day, meeting together and
doing nothing—simply spouting clubs—it is essential that we
Should have before us a definite line of view, and a definite
point to be aimed at. What, then, should we do? We should
root out Popery from the United Kingdom. (Loud cheers.)
Is this practicable? I say it is practicable. But how ? I
shall tell you one plan. By Christian legislation. If our
legislature, our government, were truly Christian, and would
enact laws truly Christian, would not this have a tendency to
uproot Popery? (Cheers, and cries of "Yes!") I would
not propose persecution in any form or shape; but Chiistian
legislation, having a tangible and useful object. Popery is
a system of darkness. It prevails by keeping light from the
minds of the people. It does this most effectually by the
machinations of the priests. They wo'nt let their people come
here. if a papist were known to come here his priest would
take and flog him, or get angry ; and when the priest went
into the man's house the people would whisper, and say,
"The priest is very angry, because Paddy went to such a
place," isnd they would fly in all directions, so that they might
not touch the skirts of the angry priest, imagining that some-
thing like death would happen to them if,they did,through some
electric effect proceeding from the priest. (Laughter.)
They effectually excluded from men organs of information,
such as newspapers, anything that would enlighten the
people's minds. I was told by a friend, some time since, that
he had thrown a few tracts iu the way of some little children
—these they are instructed to regard as something evil—and
one of them at length, after crossing a tract, took it to its
parents, the parents showed it to the priest, and the priest
tore it up, saying it was not fit for them to read. (Hear.)
The people were getting light by the system of education in
progress. The schools were decidedly scriptural—the na-
tional schools: the priests did all they could to keep away
the Popish children, but they went in despite of the priests.
They could get no other education, and England, in a spirit
worthy of a Protestant people, would give them no education
but what was scriptural. They had an opportunity of read-
ing the Revelations, as well as other books: they might have
seen the term " scarlet whore," and it might have struck
them to inquire what this could mean. The priests saw that
such education was likely to undermine their influence, and
therefore, by-means of the itomish members of parliament,
they got it done away with. (Hear.) They have succeeded
in getting schools established which keep back the dangerous
passages of the Bible, so as not to touch their particular er-
rors. (Hear.) These are among the various plans by which
the priests keep light from the people. But could not a Chris-
tian government, by Christian legislation, break through
these barriers. (" Yes !" and cheers.) How did England
become Protestant? Was she dragooned into it? No : she
was enlightened into it. (Cheers.) The reformers took
pains to enlighten the minds of the people, and to prepare
therri to embrace the truth. That truly great and determined
man, Cromwell, vicegerent or viceregent to Henry the
Eighth, found he could not stir a single step till he had en-
lightened the minds of the people. There was therefore
preaching at Paul's Cross, and preachers were sent
through the land, and idols, and images, and cheats,
and frauds were exposed before crowds of people. (Hear.)
Thus it was that England became Protestant. And
could not Christian legislation be conducted on the
same principles? Go back to the time when Christian legis-
lature was carried on in England. The Bible was translated
by government; the parliament sanctioned that translation ;
and that very same parliament published homilies, and in
various ways 'diffused intelligence among the people. Could
not the same be done for Ireland? (Hear, hear.) English-
men are not to be caught by flash. I put the question to
your own judgments. (A. laugh.) lam the last man to ad-
vise persecution; but when I find a community of owls
lodged in my chimney, I am too much of a sportsman, though
not so great a one as Mr. Maguire—(a laugh)—to take and
shoot them; but it is a very fine thing to let the light in
upon them. (Applause.) Let light in upon Irish owls, the
Popish priests, stud their poor, unhappy victims, and let
Irishmen stand forth in the attitude of placemen. But this
can only be done by Christian legislation, and how can we
expect Christian legislation when there are Papists in parlia-
ment? (Rapturous applause.) We cannot. I rejoice to
see the gentlemen of the press here ; I trust it will go abroad,
that when I merely made an allusion to Papists being in par-
liament, the spirit of which was, that they ought not to be
there, it elicited a shout of applause from this vast meeting :
I tell you the Papists must be turned out of parliament.
(Loud and prolonged cheering.) I thank you for that cheer.
My brethren, they shall be turned out. (lienewed applause)
1 have stood before many assemblies of Englishmen, and, 1
bless God, have seen Papists beaten down who came to beat
us down; but I never saw enthusiasm so much excited as it
has now been, when I said we should have a Christian par.
liament. It is nonsense to think it can be otherwise. 1.1
there were a society for promoting virtue, among any class.
would it be legitimate to have prostitutes in it? (Hear.) li
a society were set on foot. for promoting honesty, would it be
legitimate to have pickpockets in it? (Hear.) if, then,
there is to be a society for enacting holy laws—and I
presume you think your laws holy and Christian—should
you have idolators and apostates in it ? No, no.) L
thank you for this meeting. .It will teach wisdom to the
Duke of Wellington, and a fine old fellow he is. (Cheers.)
But he had not so much wisdom as the farmers and masons,
and the great mass of the English people. They told hiM
he was going to do a most flagrant act, in breakiug in upon
the constitution, which our forefathers had established and
cemented with their blood. (Applause.) I will not con-
clude without endeavouring to make the public opinion of
England tell on one of the causes of our grievances in Ire-
land—the conduct of our Protestant Irish landlords. They
who should know better, are very commonly found support-
ing Popery, giving money to build and repair chapels. Co-
lonel Conollv one of our Protestant wiseacres, gave no less
a sum than ZW, the other day, to repair a Popish chapel, or
mass-house, a synagogue of Satan, while he'retused to sub-
scribe for repairing his own church, which was in a falling
state, or building a new one. (Hisses.) I thank you for
that hiss, and I hope it will be wafted across the waters, and
penetrate to Colonel Conolly's ears. If Protestants stand
undecided, and halt between two opinions, Popery will
continue to spread on every side, and the grievous conse-
quences will be multiplied to a fearful extent. (Much
cheering.)
The Rev. Dr. RA Lpii, in rising to second the resolution,
said it was couched in strong language, but language which,
he believed, on inquiry conducted on scriptural principlea,
would be found no stronger than truth. .(Hear.) It was
language as familiar as household words to our early refor-
mers—language _which leavened their writings, and which
pervaded also those creeds and confessions, which had been
han,ded down to us as the binding rules of the church in after
years. If the language, therefore, were too strong for them-
selves, it was because they had altered, and not because
truth was altered. (Cheers.) It would not be difficult to
explain, did he feel at liberty to do so, how this difference in
sentiment bad come about—how it was that, in merging all
peculiarities of creed, man had come to be indifferent about
truth. (Hear.) But Christians were not the creatures of
times and circumstances. The record by which they were
guided was independent of these ; and moored fast as they
were to that record, they were prepared to ride out every
storm. (Cheers.) The simple outcry he had proposed to
himself, as a very humble link in the line of speakers on that
occasion, was just to ask a candid and patient hearing of
their statements. It was not enough to invalidate their ar-
guments that they had been ridiculed by individuals deeply
committed to party. It was for them to test those arguments
by the simple word of God, and to abide by its decision.
(Hear.) And he would further ask, that they would carry
into practical life the convictions their minds were then im-
pressed with. It was one of the unfortunate necessities of
these times, that as soon as they mingled in social life, they
fnooutnfda
fait
pl
ay themselves
among
m Hewanted
s o
tdheeep y ed dt(
theirs
party,e that truth had-
1n to let truth
have fair play, And if they should be persuadedby the evidence
laid before them, that Popery did exercise so destructive in in-
influence over mankind as they were told it did, they ought to
do everything in their power to deprive it of that influence
which it exerted in this kingdom. The Protestant Asso-
ciation he had always considered as going in the forefront of
those many efforts now making to form a strong line of de-
marcation between light and darkness : on this account lie
had always given it his unhesitating support; it delighted,
preut
him to perceive the enthhsiasui of that meeting—a meeting,
syurrow setiin propor-
tion
te
so large ,in its numbers, so determined with one heart and
tided
soul to stand by the truths of the word of God, to whatever
obloquy it might expose them in the peculiar times in which
they
to
oetrhee cdailffiledcutliotelsivbey.
which(Cheers.)they
we
performance of it. (Hear.) And duty, of the nature of
that which they had undertaken, was indeed encompassed
with considerable difficulties. But they trusted to the power
of truth, which was great, and must prevail. They could
not .but be satisfied that, wherever they moved, triere was
altered tone in society around them on those important sub-
jects. (Hear.) With these few remarks, made merely to
give place to a speaker from a distance, he seconded,. with
great pleasure the resolution proposed by Mr. Gregg.. 7
The Rev. ROBERT JAMES WPHEE then came forwards,
and was received with great applause. He spoke as follows:
—Mr. Chairman ; in considering how I might first improve
that privilege with which I have the honour to be entrusted
in addressing this vast assembly, I have thought it best to
select that topic which I thought, under the blessing of God,
might be most calculated to awaken my protestant brethren
to a sense of that double duty which presses upon them as
Christians and as men. The first and most important duty
that presses upon protestants, and most especially upon those
who hold the sacred ministry in that church which God has
graciously established in these realms, appears to me to.be
this—to use our best exertions, following the faithful exam-
ple of our reformers, to whom we are indebted for the bless-
ings and privileges we enjoy, to rescue our poor Roman
catholic countrymen from the awful collar of the popish
apostacy. (Hear.) The next and most important duty ap-
pears to be, to use the utmost vigilance to endeavour to arrest
the progress, the rapid strides that that papacy is making by
secret machinations to corrupt our population, and by open,
insolent audacity to usurp a cruel despotism over, our liber-
ties, our properties, and our lives; to undermine all the in-
stitutions in our country for the maintenanance of that sacred
cause of the truth of our God, for which our forefathers were
content to be led to the stake, and to expire upon the field.
And, therefore, the topic which I have selected to address
you on this day, as a continuation of the subject on which I
had the pleasure to address you at our last anniversary, and
that is, the doctrina' and practical perjury of the church of
Rome—(hear)—wch the church of Rome bears upon her
brow, a mark which God has stamped upon the apostacy of
speaking lies in hypocrisy, having her conscience seared with
a hot iron. What can more effectually awaken the ministers
of Christ to endeavour to deliver the people from the yoke
than the solemn conviction of this, and knowing that that
apostacy is in everlasting opposition to the word of truth, and
bears on its brow nothing of the stamp of the word of ever-
lasting truth, but the impress of the father of lies? What
can lead us more to endeavour to arrest the progress of
popery, in our own country, against our own liberties and
against our own religion than to know and to be convinced
that we have to deal with the agent of a foreign tyrant who is
endeavouring by every means in his power to overturn
all our institutions—whom no contracts can bind, no oaths,
no sense of moral obligation; who appears in every sense,
indeed, to be like the unjust judge, to have no fear of God
and no regard for man? I shall, therefore, without further
preface, recall your attention to the subject on which
I had the honour of last addressing you. You will re-
member, within a short period of our history—ten short
years ago—say in the year of our Lord 1828, how all the
Protestants of this empire were divided into two classes on
the subject of grants of political power to Roman Catholics.
One party objected to it; and amongst other things, one
great point of their objection was this, that the Romisb
Church had no regard for oaths. Their advocates contended
that this was illiberal, uncharitable, unchristian. Their op-
ponents quoted canons and councils unrepealed, and they
appealed to the page of history. This was met by the state-
ment that some of those canons were obsolete; those com-
ments belonged to the dark ages, and as to history] we were
told by a noble and learned lord, " those who appealed to
history on the subject, read history like an old altnatack.'
The Romanist!, themselves, clamorous for power, and for

what they called their rights, were examined before the com-
missioners of education, before both Houses of Parliament,
as to certain canons—as to certain councils, in which it was
contended the danger to. Protestant institutions lay: but
they denied, they renounced, they spoke, they swore through
them all; they evaded every council, they denied every
canon, they escaped from every bull, and the conscience
was this, that neither statesmen, commoners, laymen,
nor churchmen,, were able to bring the facts home to the
bishops of the Church of Rome; and therefore, whether be-
lieved or disbelieved, the consequence you all know was this,
that popery was admited to political power, and the only
safeguard on that power to prevent it overturning the Pro-
testant institution of this country was a papal oath. Now to
the consideration of that oath I would. call your attention es-
peciallythis day. If 1 demonstrate to you that that oath, or
that the principle rather of the Church of Rome annihilates
all moral obligations between man and his fellow-creature;
-if-I show yau that this political oath which was adopted by
our parliament for the security of the Protestants of this em-
pire, that that oath is null and void, on the consequence of
every Roman Catholic who takes it; if I show you that it
has been frequently violated by priests, bishops, and lay-
men, by shameless acts of open perjury—if I show you these
things, you can have no hesitation in passing that resolution
I shall have the. honour of submitting to you, as follows .
"That it appears to this meeting that the principles of the
Romish church, as inculcated in her admitted standards of
public instruction 9n her priests, and through them on the
people, open a door for the violation of all oaths, and all the
bonds of moral obligation, when it is the interest of the
Papacy that they .should be violated. That the oath de-
sired by the British parliament to secure in Romish mem-
bers of the senate, loyalty to the British sovereign; safety to
the British constitution ; protection to Protestant property,
and to the christian religion, as by law established in these
realms, is demonstrated on the most undoubted evidences
to be null and void; to have no obligation on the consci-
ences of those who take it : and, therefore, to be utterly
worthless in principle; that it has been already violated by
the basest acts of secret perjury, and that this meeting con-
sider that the permission, the toleration of this crime by
parliament is a dishonour to the British senate, and a disgrace
to any free and Christian nation."
Now there never was a more important practical resolution
'propounded to any public meeting than this. I have said
you wills pass that resolution if 1 demonstrate to you the
principles on which it is founded. I shall therefore humbly
endeavour to go through the series of propositions which I
trust will appeal not only to the understanding of those who
are the most reflecting amongst you, but will come home to
the plain common sense of every child in this assembly. Now
you will perceive this resolution is divided into three parts;
the first .is, "that it appears to this meeting that the prin-
ciples of the church of Rome as inculcated in her admitted
standards of public instruction, on her priests, and through
them on the people, open a door for the violation of all oaths,
and all the bonds of moral obligation where it is the interest
of the papacy that they should be violated." Now in speak-
ing of, this resolution; I shall avail myself of the resolution
which you passed at the last meeting when I had the honour
to address You. I shall avail myself of your authority, and
you will all-ow me to read that resolution to you. The reso-
lution passed at our last annual meeting was this :-
- " Resolved, that it is demonstrated to this meeting, from
the facts and documents laid before them, that :he principles
on the subjeCt of oiths and perjury inculcated on the can-
didates for the office of Roman Catholic priests, in the col-
lege of Maynooth, in their standards of instruction, and the
principles on the same subjects enjoined by the Roman Ca-
tholic bishops on their priests in their standards for directing
the consciences of the people, are of such a character that
they are calculated to violate the sacred principles of true
religion, to subvert all the foundations of moral obligation,
to rend asunder the bonds of all social compacts, and to
the frame of civil and political society."
This resolution was passed at our last meeting without ene
dissentient voice. It is unnecessary for me to enter upon the
subject of the documents on which this resolution was
founded. Those who were present heard them : and those
who were not present at this meeting, I beg leave to refer
them to these documents iNthis book. Permit me to remind
you that not only your resolution, but the documents on
which it was founded, remain to this day unconttadicted in
Liverpool. All the worst principles of the papacy on this
subject, as inculcated in the college of Maynooth, were laid
before you. No priest, no Romish bishop has been found to
stand before the British public, to call in question those do-
cuments, or to contradict them ; therefore when I refer you
to your own resolution, you wil feel that I refer to a reso-
lution which was passed on solid grounds. There was one
person who made some remarks in an anonymous letter in
the press concerning them; but those remarks were anony-
mous, and were not worth answering. Another writer took
some of my documents from a garbled report in the Mercury
and the Timer, and borrowed my authentic documents in the
authorised report of the Standard and the Mail, to prove that
I had garbled the documents. (Laughter.) That was not
worth answering. Allow me to say one word to those gen-
tlemen. (" Yes.") I hope the reporters of the Mercury
and the Times are present. (A cry of " yes.") Then gen-
tlemen, permit me to request that you will carry my mes-
sage to your employers. (Cheers and laughter.) Tell
them that if they presume to bring against me, falsely
as -they right well know, the charge of perjury —if
they presume to hold me up to public scorn —if they
presume to revile me, and speak all manner of evil
against nie falsely, I warn them, before this vast assembly,
that I shall take advice, the best advice in all England—but
it shall he the advice that my master gave me. (Cheers.)
Do you know what it is ? Tell them I shall rejoice and be
exceeding glad.—(Great cheering) And give me leave to
return their contumely, and slander with this Christian wish,
that if it shall ever be their lot to be held up to public con-
tempt, and soon they may be enabled without a blanch or a
blush tolook an enemy; or a world in the face (hear) from the
consciousness that they have no reproach to cast upon them-
selves in the preSenee of Almighty God.—(Loud applause.)
You will then :reeollect with respect to the documents—those
uncontradieted documents in this report, that the following
facts were proved:' It was proved from Bailey, the class book
at Maynouth, from Dens the conference book for the priests
by which they are to guide the consciences of the poor Ro-
manCatholies of Ireland, from Thomas Aquinas, one of their
best writers on ethics at Maynooth, that the prohibition of
the superior, a Pope,llishop, or Priest, can prevent any oath
from. imposing any obligation on the conscience of any man
who takes it. It was proved that this same. superior can an-
nul any obligation by dispensation: It was proved that any
thine :a superioranay please to consider wise, useful, or ne-
, cessarv, for the interests of the church, that was a sufficient
cause for his dispensing with any oath. It was proved that
in every oath taken by a Roman 'Catholic, he must have this
mental reservaion, "saving the right and authority of any
superior.". The conscience of the man bound under this sla-
vish yoke is not bound to the man to whom he takes the oath
—his conscience is not bound to the God to whom he swears,
his conscience is bound to the tyrant of his soul, who is to de-
termine whether he is to keep his oath or not. Now I shall
merely add to the testimony on this subject one document or
two from the most authoritative sources. I have to request
your kind forbearance for intruding on you with these docu-
ments,'but recollect that'Your resolution cannot go forth as it
ought to go forth, founded on every sound principle, that
every man who goes to his house and recollects he has voted
for that resolution, can lay his hand on his breast and say,—
" I have voted for truth to-day."—l say you cannot say that
unless the facts and documents, however tedious, be laid be-
fore you. on which the resolution are founded. I will, there-
fore, read to you from this book, which is a most important
volume. This is the Canon Law of Reiffenstual, the standard
of Maynooth, a book acknowledged by Dr. Murray to be of
high repute in his church, and from which we shall see just
now he took an appendix which is now set up for the Canon
Law in Ireland. In this book it is stated—
" Reiffenstual in the second book of his decretals, title 2-1,
says as follows—
"No. 50. It is demanded what conditions are considered
to be tacitly inherent in a promissory oath.
" No. 51. In every promissory oath, however absolutely
made, certain tacit conditions are understood."
The second is "saving the right and authority of my supe-
riors." He must secretly understand in his mind, what-
ever I promise in this oath, 1 cannot promise at all un-
less as my priest or bishop chooses to allow me: I must
have the right and authority of my superior." Now ob-
serve, these are not the private opinions of Dens, as Dr.
Murray''said ; for Mark, it is taken from the canon law.
This Condition is taken from the Veniento, the Book of Canon
Law, in which it is said, " So the aforesaid oath could not
exculpate You, the right of your superior being excepted."
'The oath the man had taken could not excuse him from the
-authority of the Pope, because when he took the oath, he
ought to have in his -mild the authority of the Pope as his
superiors., To this, again, is a chapter ea te, which is another
Chapter taken from the'canon law, wherein it is taught, " an
oath is unlatiful;,:and not to be kept, that cannot be kept
saving the honour-of 'the apostolic chair." So that no oath
whatsoever, taken by any Roman Catholic in England, who
has any religion, or any reverence to his Pope, can bind a
man, unless the honour of the apostolic chair is reserved; and
if it goes against the interest of the Pope, the oath is null and
void. You will see the importance of these principles when
I come toapply them to the resolutions in question. In the
same .chapter it is said, " A man is not to be called a trans-
gresses of his vow who does not fulfil that which he has vowed
under the authority of the apostolic chair." In the contro-
versyto which my dear and reverend brother alluded—to the
report at Bath--an Irish priest found fault with my transla-
`tion. He said. I ought to have translated it—" adverse to
fulfil." In the canon law that.could be it; but in this place
the spirit is—" that the man does not fulfil his vows;" be-
cause if a just cause exists, the Pope is able to dispense any
vow or any oath that a man may take. Now, I shall not
trespass upon you by reading the canons on which this is
founded. You have the canons quoted, and I assert that
they are the authority given here. In the authorised report
1 shall give the dames of the canons, so that if they should
be called'in question' by any person in Liverpool, 1 shall be
able to show you that no person was enabled to answer them,
and you knoW that they were mentioned. It is proved that
the principles of the Romish church open a door for the vio-
lation of all oaths, and for the violation of the bonds of moral
obligatiOn; when it is the interest of the Papacy that they
should be violated.
I shall now .consider the second part of the resolution.
"That the oath devised by the British Parliament to secure,
in Romish members of the senate, loyalty to the British so-
vereign, safety. to the British constitution, protection to Pro-
testant property, and to the Christian religion as by law es-
tablished-in these realms, is demonstrated on the most un-
doubted evidence, to be null and void, to have ao obligation
on the consciences of those who take it, and therefore to be
utterly worthless in principle." Now before I come to prove
that matter of fact allow me to call your attention to prove
one principle. Here is this same canonist, and here is this
same question proposed in this canonist, which you see bears
directly on the point.
" It is demanded, in the third place, whether and how far
an obligation is imposed by an oath of keeping the statutes,
capitulations, or customs of any church or community when
any things are contained in them which are unlawful, or
which verge to the prejudice of the Church or dignity to
which the person who takes the oath is promoted?
" We answer Ist, a general oath of observing the statutes,
capitulations, or custom of any church or community
obliges only to observe things lawful, possible, and not pre-
judicial to the liberty of the Church, such is the common
opinion, and it is expressly decided, cap. I, h. t. in. 6. By
declaring that those oaths which are accustomed to be taken
by-powers, rulers and lay officials in the beginning of their
office, and which sometimes contain certain things unlawful
and prejudicial to ecclesiastiCal immunity ought to be ob-
served only as to those things that are- lawful, since, as to
other things they cannot be observed without an offence
against the divine Majesty, and an oath cannot be the bond
of iniquity, because that- -which is useful ought not to be
vitiated by that which is not useful according to Rule 38,
Jur. in 6 ; hence oaths of this sort only impose an obligation
as to points that are lawful."
Now there is one principle taken from this canonist. Ile
then refers us to the canon law; and really this subject is of
such immense importance you must permit me to read the
canon. Consider, it contains the principle on which oaths
are 'nullified, on which the protection of all you value in
England and all you value most in Ireland, on which, I say,
the protection of these depends, so far as Papal power or
Penal authority can extend over us. This is the law ;
" It happens to be observed in some churches, that neither
their prelates, when they first come to those churches, are
admitted, dor -canonical persons, when new canonical persons
are received there, are otherwise received in them, unless
they swear inviolably to observe the statutes and customs of
those Churches, written and unwritten. Among laymen, also,
in many states, canzps, and countries, in assuming their stations
of power, ride, and office,s a disease of custom bath crept in,
that theSe powers, rulers, and officials, are by no means ad-
mitted to their places of power, rule, and office, unless they shall
have
,first sworn that they will keep the statutes included in
thine places. But because in thbse statutes and customs afore-
said, sonteltinus,some things are found unlawful or impossible.
or obstructing .the liberty of the church—lest under such a
`general in-Ode-of swearing,, an occasion of sinning might be
affoided to those who thus swear, since an oath was not in-

stituted to be the bond of iniquity, wishing by this general
constitution to oppose the dangers of souls, we command that
oaths of this sort shall not be taken by any persons, knowing
that there are contained in the aforesaid customs and statutes
any things unlawful, impossible, or obstructive of the liberty
of the church, and such oaths to be made, or having been
made with that intention, that any things unlawful, impos-
sible, or obstructing the liberty of the church, should be ob-
served. (since even they cannot be taken with such an inten-
tion, without an offence against the Divine Majesty) we de-
cree that in things of this sort, unlawful, impossible, or ob-
structive to the liberty of the church, they are not to be kept.
But rather for the safety of their souls, if it shall have hap-
pened that, under the aforesaid, or any similar form, any
persons have ignorantly sworn the aforesaid things unlawful,
impossible, or obstructive to the liberty of the church, the
intention of the swearers ought to be referred only to the ob-
servance of things that are lawful, possible, and not obstruc-
tive of the liberty of the church.
" We declare, also, that oaths in general of this sort, of
whatever kind they be, and in whatever form of words set forth,
or to be set forth, are only to be extended to things lawful,
possible, and not obstructive of ecclesiastical liberty, and that
those who swear them are not bound to any thing else by taking
au oath of this sort,"
There is the canon law of the church of Rome for you as
quoted in the standard of Maynooth. Now we shall see how
tar this practically applies to the oath in question. And if
I show you that this principle is applied to the very oath
taken by the members of parliament at this moment, and if I
show you that that oath is declared by his authority to be null
and void; and if in force—then Englishmen and Protestants
of this empire will learn what security they are to have in the
oaths of Popish Bishops and Popish members of parliament.
(Cheers.) Nqw, for the purpose of illustrating this subject
to you, 1 shall bring before you a document, which although
it has been adverted to, and I believe in some way given in
some of the public papers, it has not been brought forward in
any public meeting such as this in this country; and it is a
document which ought to be known to every Protestant in
the united empire : and it will be interesting to you—it ought
to be interesting to every one in the town of Liverpool, be-
cause this parliamentary document was brought forward by a
faithful advocate and defender of the Protestant religion and
scriptural education in this country, the Bishop of Exeter
(cheers); and it was brought forward, if I am rightly in-
formed, oa the occasion of presenting a petition from the
town of Liverpool to the House of Lords.
"Copy of any despatch from the Governor or Acting
Lieutenant Governor of the Island of Malta, to his late Ma-
jesty's Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, re-
specting the appointment of the Bishop of Malta to be a
member of the council of government of that island; and also
of any despatch announcing the refusal of the said Bishop to,
take the oath required by law to be taken by him on the
acceptance of such appointment, and his resignation of the
same; together with any documents r eceived from the said
Bishop on such his refusal and resignation."
Now mark, here is the very print iu question. The Bishop
of Malta was to be appointed to a certain situation in his
Majesty's government in the island Malta; that was, to be-
come a member of his Majesty's council in the time of our
late monarch. Before he was admitted to the office of a
councillor—one of seven in the island of Malta, he was called
on to take an oath to the King of England. That is the
same oath taken by members of parliament; it was taken out
of the act and sent over to him to take. Here is the parlia-
mentary return printed for the House of Lords on the motion
of the Bishop of Exeter.
"The Ist document in this is a despatch from the Earl of
Aberdeen, to the Lieutenant Governor of Malta, Sir F. C.
Ponsonby, dated April Ist, 1835, directing him to appoint a
council fur the Island, consisting of seven persons, of whom
the Romish Bishop was to be one.'
'No 2. Is a letter from the acting Lieutenant Governor,
Col. Cardew, to Lord Glenelg, dated October 28th, in which he
informs him, that he was obliged to put off the installation of
the council, as the Bishop bad refused to take the oath, till
he knew the Pope's pleasure. In this despatch the oath is
inclosed, which is the identical oath now taken by the Ro-
mish members of parliament ,from Act 10, Geo. 4, Cap. 7. I
need not read this oath, as I shall advert to it just now.
"No. 2. Is the copy of a despatch from Lord Glenelg, to
the Governor of Malta, acknowledging this letter, desiring
him to fix another day for the installation of the council;
that if the Bishop should attend he was to be sworn, but, if
not, the council was to be installed without him. But his
Lordship adds, 'I will not give up the hope that the expected
communication from Rome may at no distant period remove
the existing difficulty. Whenever that time may arrive, and
the Bishop be prepared to take the oath, you will cause him
to be sworn in as a member of the conncil, and he will take
that place at the board which it was originally intended he
should fill. In the mean time the council will proceed in the
exercise of its functions, as it is perfectly competent for it to
do, notwithstanding the absence of so distinguished a member.
—I am, &c., &c.,
(Signed) GLENELG.'
"No. 4.- Is a letter from Col. Cardew to Lord Glenelg,
dated 27th February, 1836, in which he informs his Lordship
that the answer from the Pope to the Bishop had arrived, and
he encloses that answer. The answer is here in the original
Italian, with the translation of which I shall read some ex-
tracts. It begins as follows:—" Most illustrious and rever-
end Sir,. it is with real regret that I have been obliged to
delay until the present moment a reply to the contents of your
Lordship's letter of the 21st May last, and the subsequent
ones of the 23d Sept. and 31st of October, namely, upon the
lawfulness of the oath required of you as one of the mem-
bers intended to form the Council created by his Britannic
Majesty to assist the government of these possessions.
Having expressed your unwillingness to do anything, or to
take any part in that affair, without first being informed of
the opinion of his Holiness upon the subject."
" I must here observe that the translation does not convey
the sense of the original Italian, for it is not the opinion of
his Holiness upon the subject, but it is L'oracolo del sus
Sanlita, the oracle of his Holiness, the opinion of the Pope
is an oracle upon the subject. The letter then states that
the Bishop's application had been submitted by the Pope to
the holy congregation, and it was their opinion that the
Bishop should not accept a seat in the Council. I shall not
detain you by reading the whole of the document, and their
reasons on the subject, but I shall give it to ble inserted
in the authorised report. As regards the oath the letter pro-
ceeds :—" In this view you will see an obstacle to your be-
coming a member of the aforesaid Council, and will find a
still stronger one as regards the oath which for such purpose is
required of you.
The form of the oath transmitted to me in your letter of
the 21st of May having therefore been examined ; and
having received on this subject the requisite information, it
is found that the said form is not approvable by the holy see,
and that it has never been approved of.
"Now let me call you to mark this fact, that this oath,
taken by the Romish members of the British parliament,
and devised as the only security. against their efforts to over-
turn all that is dear to the protestants of this empire, is now
declared by this direct authority and communication from
the pope himself, not only never to have been approved of,
but that it is not to be approved of by him. (Hear, hear.)
So that you have, as you have seen by all the principles of
the Romish church, laid before you at our last meeting, and
to-day, that since in every oath the Roman catholic must re-
serve the right of his superior in his conscience, thst the pro-
hibition of the superior, prevents, or takes away the obli-
gation of any oath from the conscience of a Roman catholic:
and you have here the unquestionable testimony that this
oath is disallowed by the authority of the Pope himself. It
is therefore clear "as Might, that vou decide according to the
evidence of indisputable fact, when you shall' pass the reso-
lution that this oath is null and void; that it has no obligation
on the conscience of any man who submits that conscience
to the authority of the Pope of Rome. (Loud cheeers.)
The Bishop said, he appears to have been a conscientious
man; "he did not choose to take an oath which he thought
he could not take lawfully without inquiring the pleasure of
hit master the. Pope. He addressed a letter to the govern-
ment, requesting that his attendance might'be dispensed with
for the moment.
"Tile next- document in these despatches is a letter from
the Bishop of Malta himself to the chief Secretary of the
Island, requesting permission to resign his seat at the coun-
cil, in consequence of the communication he had received
froth the Pope. And this document concludes with the ex-
tract of a despatch from Lord Glenelg to the officer adminis-
tering the government at Malta, acknowledging the receipt
of the answer sent from Rome, sent to the Bishop of Malta,
together with the Bishop's request; and his lordship con-
cludes his letter thus:—
' I have now to acquaint you that I have had the honour to
lay before his Majesty the Bishop's resignation, which his
Majesty was graciously pleased to accept. It is, however, a
matter of deep regret to me that the Bishop should have
found himself under the necessity of adopting such a course ;
and more especially because the same motives which have
influenced his decision in this instance will apply with equal
force to every other ecclesiastic in the island who may belong
to the communion of the Romish church.'"
Now you know, this is an official Parliamentary document.
Then comes the form of the oath. I need not read to you
the oath, as I shall have occasion to refer to it just now.
The next is a copy of the despatch of my Lord Glenelg,
dated Downing-street, September, 1835. In this, Lord
Glenelg desires the government to appoint the council with-
out the bishop. The bishop does not choose to attend: Lord
Glenelg expresses his regret, but he says—" I will not give
up the hope that the expected communication from Rome
may remove the existing difficulties, and if ever the time
shall arrive when the Bishop can lawfully be appointed a
member of the council, you will cause him to be nominated
as such." The next is a copy of a letter from the government
to Lord Glenelg, informing him that the Bishop had read an
answer from the secretary of state from Rome, and enclosing
the answer. Really it seems as if the Povidence of God
had marvellously blinded the eves of the Bishop that he
should enclose this answer to the government of Malta • but
he encloses the answer sent from the Pope to him. And
what is this anwser? is is here in the Italian and trans-
lated also :
Extract from the Evangelical Letter of Pope Gregory XVI.
to all the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops.
" God forbid, dearest brethren, God forbid, whilst we are
pressed by so many evils, and threatened by such dangers,
that pastors should be wanting to their charge; and, stricken
by fear, abandon time sheep, or, casting off all care of the
flock, sink into idleness and sloth. Let us, therefore, in the
unity of the spirit, defend our common cause, or rather the
cause of God, and let us unite our vigilance and our exertions
against the common enemy, for the good of all the people.
" You will discharge this duty faithfully, if, as your minis-
try demands, you attend to yourselves and to doctrine, calling
frequently to mind, that the universal church is not shaken by
any novelty whatsoever; and that, according to the admonition
of S. Agatho, Pope, nothing of what has been regularly defined,
ought to be retrenched, or changed., or increased, but that all
should be preserved incorrupt both in meaning and expression."
Now mark, the oath, the identical oath taken by the members
of the British parliament—that oath on which our whole
security depends, that oath Was sent to the Pope of Rome to
know whether the Bishop of Malta might take it. The
Pope sends it back, and declares that it is not approved
of, and that it has never beer, approved of. Then
there is a letter from the Bishop expressing his regret
at his inability to take part in the council. Now, I must
turn back for a moment and ask some questions on
this oath. Does the Pope of Rome allow to her Majesty's
Roman Catholic subjects to "faithfully promise true alle-
giance to her Majesty, to defend her to the utmost of their
power against all conspiracies that may be made her against
person, crown and dignity," dues the Pope allow the Roman
Catholic members of Parliament to take that oath? No.
Does the Pope allow them "faithfully to promise that they
will maintain support and defend to the utmost of their
power the successors to the crown ?" No. Or that they
shall faithfully keep any of the promises they swear in the
oath, the taking of which entitles them to sit in the House of
Commons as members of Parliament? No. The doctrine
is taught in Maynooth that the Pope has and ought to have
—an indirect power at least—in these realms, and under that
authority the laws of the Pope of Rome are at this moment
set up as the laws that. govern Ireland. Does he allow them
to swear that they will "defend the settlement of property
within these realms ? No. Does he allow them to swear
that they wilt not endeavour to "subvert the Church Estab-
lishment?'' No. Does he allow them to swear that they
will not endeavour to disturb or weaken the Protestant
government ?" No. Which of these articles is there that
the Pope refuses to let them swear, or does he allow them to
swear any of them ? I ask this question not merely in re-
ference to the Popish hierachy, or the Popish members of
Parliament, but I ask this question in reference to her
Majesty's Colonial Secretary, my Lord Glenelg. Now
mark tlie words of the despatch of Lord Glenelg. He " re-
grets that the Bishop should have .foutut himself under
the necessity of adopting such a course and more especially
because the same motives that have influenced his decision
in this instance, will apply with equal force to every other
ecclesiastic in the island, that may belong to the community
of. the Romish Church." Lord Glenelg now on his
own confession, that this decision of the Pope must
influence every ecclesiastic in Malta, must have known that
it would influence every ecclesiastic in Ireland and England,
and every ecclesiastic in all the colonies, Did he not know

that ? Unless, indeed, the Pope is Pope in Ireland a
Malta, and in the Colonies, and not in England. And yns
what did he do ? He took these documents—l am sorry h e
lordship is not in hearing—that declaration of that foreign
tyrant, that an oath of allegiance was not to he taken by -
Popish ecclesiastic—what does he do? He takes and draws-
the money from her Majesty's loyal subjects—front the Bri-
tish churches—he takes the public money and he endows
Papal bishops with it, who he knows in his heart are not
loyal. (immense applause.) 1 said last time I was here, if •
1 were a member of the House of Commons I would impeach
Mr. O'Connell, and it' I was a member of the House of Lords
I would impeach Lord Glenelg. (Continued cheering.) He,-
knowing Members of Parliament took that oath—he knew •
that oath was disallowed, yet he took that despatch, and he
cushioned it in his office till it was dragged out by the honesty
and integrity of the Lord Bishop of Exeter. I know not.‘ •
what the noble lord may feel or think about this. I know U.... L:4.
I was in his situation 1 could not feel that 1 had acted as a
faithful subject to my sovereign, or that I bad discharged my • _
duty to my country, or my duty to my God. Now the ques- •
tion comes whether this decision of the Pope, and this oath,
has any reference to the Itoman Catholics in Ireland. I be; , t•
lieve that there is not a child in this meeting that will not lay
his hand on his conscience—upon his heart, and say that he
can faithfully pass this resolution, that the oath devised by •
the British Parliament to secure the Romish members to act. .
with loyally to the British sovereign, and with safety to the
British constitution, is demonstrated on the most undoubted • .
evidence to be null and void—to have no obligation on
the consciences of those that take it, and therefore to be utterly
worthless in principle. Yuu have established on all the
documents of the Romish church, that every oath is taken
with a reservation in the canon law, and that every oath is -
utterly null and void if it is against the liberty of the church
of Rome. You have the actual oath taken by the Roman
Catholics of these realms—you have that very oath submitted
to their superior, to whom their conscience must subserve,
and under whose laws they are governed—and you have-a .
positive declaration from the Pope himself, that he does not
approve the oath. I really know not how much further we
may go in demonstration of any fact: The last part of this-
resolution is the most painful. We have been speaking of
principles—now we must speak of persons and facts :
" That this oath has been already violated by the basest
acts of secret and open perjury, and that this meeting con-.. :
siders that the permission—the toleration—of this crime by_
Parliament, is a dishonour to the British senate, and a dis- > _
grace to any free and Christian nation."
I.say it has been violated by secret perjury. I must-first =
now advert to the Irish Romish Bishops. They were exa-
mined before committees of both Houses of Parliament.
They were examined especially by. the commissioners of _
education. Dr. Murray was examined, Dr. Doyle, Dr.
Crotty, Dr. Higgins, Dr. M'Hale, and a great many others .
besides. They were examined as to particular Papal.bulls,-
-
whiCh involved the liberties and properties and lives of all
Protestants so far as they can be subjected to the attacks of
Papal power. They were examined first as to the Bulla Sine
anno. It is a bull which is published at Rome on a particu-
lar day, and by that bull they are all excommunicated. Dr.
M'Hale swore that that bull had never been read in Irelaud,
while at that moment it was contained in the 6th volume -of
Dens' Theology, which was a standard for all the priests of
the country. Dr. Doyle swore that it had never been - -
enforced in Ireland, while in this very book--Reiffen--
stuel, there is a chapter on the subject, declaring that
it is utterly and entirely false that any man, should pre- .
some to say that that bull is not in force in every 'part
of the world where there were Roman Catholics for it tobe so
with. Now I come to what is spoken, for we shall come to .
examine their truth by and by. Dr. M'Hale was examined
as to the third canon of the council. That is a most atro-
cious canon ; it not only excommunicates all heretics, but
holds them up to slaughter and persecution. It declares
that the subjects of kings are not to render obedience to .
their kings, if heretics; and it commands all monarchs to ex-
terminate all heretics out of their lands. They were exit. -
mined as to that canon, and by both houses of parliament, -
and by the commissioners of education in Ireland. They de-
nied that that canon was in force in any part of the world,
and they endeavoured to throw doubt on the existence of the • •
canon, while in their own books the document is given at
full length, as having been adopted in a council under Pope --
Innocent the 3d. They were examined on another bull. -
There is a certain bull of the pope in which it is stated that
no property whatever, taken in an unjust manner, but ought --
to be restored immediately, without, any moneybeingqtaid,..
to the original owners. And it was stated that thsepViests--,--
had maps of all the properties in Ireland which woriiifor4
merle is the possession of catholics, and that as soon asi t-- .
was in their power they should endeavour to throw •ofl-.tint:.--',
British power and get possession of these properties. - These:,-t isi
men denied the application of this bull to Ireland; Butirerewa
it was laid down in their examination that, whereas these.,
bulls were not in force in Ireland, the reason was they were=
not published there; but they would acknowledge Allot
wherever these bulls were published, there they- were inlcirce.. •
In 1826, having evaded all these examinations, the Ronran.i. --
catholic body got up an address from all the Roman catholic:, ..
in Ireland, stating that they abjured` all the principletilhat.,r
had been imputed to them, of persecution, and so on - ,
Extract from the Oath and Declaration of the Roman Ca- • :
tholic Bishops, published in 1826. .
"The Catholics in Ireland not only do not believe, but
they declare upon oath that they detest as unchristian and •
impious, the belief that it is lawful to mnrder or destroy any .
person or persons whatever foi or under the pretence' of their
being heretics;' and also the principle ' that !to faith is to
be kept with heretics.' Ihey further .declare, on -oath,-their .
belief that, 'no act in itself unjust, immoral, or wicked, can
ever be justified or excused by or under pretence or colour
that it was done either for the good of the church, or in
obedience to any ecclesiastical power whatsoever;' that
it is not an article of the Catholic faith, neither are.they
thereby required to believe, that the Pope is infallible and
that they do not hold themselves bound to obey any order in
its own nature immoral, though the Pope or any ecclesiasti-
cal power should issue or direct such an order; but, on the
contrary, that it would be sinful in them to pay any respect„ -
or obed once thereto.' fhey do not believe that the Pope. "
of Rome, or any other foreign prince, prelate, state, or, po-,
tentate, RATH OR OUGHT TO HAVE, any temporal or
civil jurisdiction, power, superiority, ur pre-eminence, di-
rectly or indirectly within this realm ! They further solemnly,
in the presence of God, profess, testify, and- declare, that they,
make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain'
and ordinary sense of the words of this oath, without evasion, ' "
ti
equivocation, or mental reservation whatever, and without!:
any dispensation already granted by the Pope,-or any autho-
rity of the See Of Rome, or any person whatever, and without
'-inking that they are, or can be acquitted before God or

3 ~ ~ ~'3,~

AL1N11,44

man, or absolved of this declaration, or any part thereof;
although the Pope or any persons whatsoever, shall dispense
with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void
from the beginning."
'The Catholics of Ireland, far from claiming any right or
title to forfeited lands, resulting from any right, title, or in-
terest, which their ancestors may have had therein, declare
upon oath that they will defend to the utmost of their power,
the settlement and arrangement of property in this coun-
try, as established by the laws now in being! They.also'
disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure, any iuteniion to
subvert the present Church establishment, for the purpose of
substituting a Catholic establishment in its•stead. And fur-
ther, they swear that they will not exercise any privilega to
which they are or may be entitled, to disturb and weaken the
Protestant religion, and Protestant government in Ireland:"
As soon as they hadiattained the object for which they gave
this oath—namely, the possession of political power, then
what did they do? How could the Pope approve that oath,
for here is a letter from the Pope, addressed to the Rotnish.
Bishops of Ireland, published by Coyne, and translated by
themselves, in which he says " that they will dischate their
duty faithfully," &c. All the canons were to 'be preserVed,
and what was the retult of ihis in Ireland? Why in that
very year when they received this letter from the Pjpe, they'
had that book published as a supplemental volume to Dens'
Theology, which never has been printed before dut•orthe
Papal states, in wnich every one of the bulls that, they had- -
denied, and laws that they had abjured, and canons and
councilsthey had sworn through, are published and set up
as canon laws in Ireland. The rev. speaker then read a
Popish bull, proving that the authority of the Pope in Ire- .
land was not merely spiritual as had been stated, but was inre-
ality a temporary authority. For by a breach of that au-
thority, the lay population were liable' to excommunication,
and when excommunicated, the ignorant population consi-
dered themselves, and were considered by their neighbours'as
cursed, and that the curse of God was upon them, and none
could remove this curse but the Pope himself; so that the
poor Roman Catholic was under the 'impression that .there
was no deliverance for his soul except at flte feet of
a foreign tyrant. Would any one pretend that this was
no temporal government for men. The execution of this
sentence was secured; for if a priest refused to exe-
cute the commands of the Court of RoMe he was sus-
pended at once from his orders and his offices, and left with-
out the means of support as a vagabond on the face of the
earth. Would any one say that this cord,' not be executed
in Ireland, let them look at the case of Dr. Mulholland who
had been suspended from his orders and had no redress, and
when he complained to Mr. O'Connell, Mr. O'Connell's re-
commendation to him was "to go back and submit to the
Bishop of Rome. There was liberty for them. There was
tyranny indeed. How was this oath kept by these Bishops?
They gave it openly that the Protest-ints might he blinded
by it, while they secretly published their laws for the slaugh-
ter and murder of the men they were cajoling, for the sub-
verting of the state to which they were professing loyalty'and
for their destruction of the property they had sworn to pre-
serve. But, now their secret perjury was tnined into open
perjury. Now these men had thrown off the mask; now
they came out against the church of Ireland. They swore
to do nothing to injure that church at that time but now they
came out and called on the people to come out and extir-
pate it from the country. Dr. Murray and then Di. lkl`-
Hale rang the tocsin against tithes openly and trampled on
their oaths, and well they might, they had reserved in their
oaths " the right of their superiors." But perjury was a matter
of play to a Popish bishop. A layman perjuring himself must
go to a priest for absolution, and a priest must go to a
bishop for dispensation ; but a bishop might conveniently
grant that dispensation to himself. (Laughter.) He should pais
from the violation of oaths by the Popish hierarchy, to the
consideration that these oaths had been openly and shame-
lessly violated by the Popish members of the British Par-
liament. Mr. McGhee then proceeded to contend that an
oath was violated when the plain, and ordinary meaning
that words were intended to convey was evaded, and
when the impression that it was known that these words
made was kept up with the parties to whom the oath was
made, whilst those who made the oath intended to deceive
them. This was perjury; and this was the definition of per-
jury given by the Romish church herself. He then proCeed-
ed to contend that Mr. O'Connell had been guilty of foul
perjury and jesuitical evasion of the plain and ordinary
meaning of the words of the oath he had taken as a catholic
member of parliament, and would prove it so, not from Mr.
O'Connell's reported speeches, for reporters might have mis-
represented him, but from his letters written coolly at Derry•
nane by himself. Mr. M`Ghee then quoted extracts from
Mr. O'Connell's letters advocating the abolition of tither,
and the building of glebe houses for Roman catholic priests.
This Mr. O'Connell had contended was not against his oath,
and trying to subvert the Protestant religion for tithes and
glebe houses were not the Protestant religion; but be had
sworn also not to subvert the Protestant estallAment, and
tithes did constitute a part of the Protestant establishment.
But Mr. O'Connell had been very careful not to illude to this
part of the oath he had taken. He concluded after an elo-quent address which occupied him two hours and a quarter
in the delivery, and which we greatly regret our limited
time and crowded columns oblige us to curtail of its fair pro-
portions, with so moving the address..
The Rev. HUGH M'Nuir.E then came forward. and was
received with loud cheers. He said,—My reverend brother
has called my attention to the concluding clause of this
resolution. He says, he has left it for me. But I may truly
say, that although he has treated only the preceding clauses
in the close, careful, logical, and consecutive method which
so remarkably characterises his speeches, yet in the tone
which pervaded his entire address, he has anticipated this
final clause, and exhibited in the strongest light the disgrace
and the dishonour attaching to the toleration of such
flagrant crime as that of which he has proved the Remark
Catholic members of the British Parliament guilty. (Cheers)
To awaken the high aspirations of Christian feeling, to make
plain and prominent the demands of Christian truth, to ren-
der the presence and authority of God practically and pdwer-
fully influential over the minds and lives of men : to kindle a
quick and sensitive abhorrence of evil in the heart, and to
shed around the whole character the soft and trariquilizing
and fruitful atmosphere of the love of righteousness and, true
holiness—these are the lofty objects of the gospel of the grace
of God, these are the results among men for which the"faith-
fnl ministers of Christ are content to labor. Content did
say? Nay, these are the ends at which they aim with jos,
not counting their tune, their talents, their sleepless nights and
Studious days, their lives dear to themselves in Cemparison
with the soul-satisfying delight of finishing 'their appointed.
course with faithfUlness, and the ministry which they have re.-
ceived of the Lord Jesus. (Cbeers) If thep theylind thaftitege
high principles, this lofty tone, ibis holy atraotphere, these