The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-24 00:00:00

411.-NY,PIiWg ANOWER MR, MAME,
Li4m4p4TIKCSNifiTER, AT gALVOAND
ONE OF THE MANCHESTER CONVENTION-
ISTS.

Killarney, 18th August, 1841.
SIR,--Your letter of the 10th was redirected to me to
Ballycastle, and from thence to this place, where I received
it last night.
I thank you for the friendly terms in which you invite me
to take part in the proposed conference, assuring me of " a
courteous reception and a respectful audience even to hear
me in opposition to your opinions." Independent, however,
of now impracticable distance, and apart from the merits of
the question to be brought under consideration, I am com-
pelled to decline by the terms of your printed address con-
vening the assembly. In it you say, For a while, let us
lay aside our sectarian and partizan differences, and, on the
hallowed ground of Christian charity, assemble for the pur-
pose of bettering the condition of famishing multitudes."
In what you call our sectarian differences, are involved all
the eternal truths of the Christian religion—truths from
which alone can emanate anything deserving the name of
Christian charity. To admit the possibility of meeting on
the ground of Christian charity, without reference to Chris-
tian truth—nay, on the express condition of laying aside for a
while all that many among us consider to be God's own word—
would, in my opinion, be to countenance the infidel liberal-
ism which implies that Revelation is useless, without having
the honest boldness to say so. Believing as 1 do, that all
Scripture is giver by inspiration of God, I feel bound, what-
ever enterprise I undertake, whatever subject I discuss, to
do all on Christian principles, or, in the language of the
Apostle, to " do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" ; and,
therefore, I cannot consent to place myself in any circum-
stances where I must lay aside for a while all reference to
the great and glorious truths which Christ lived, died, and
rose again, to establish and promulgate.
The corn-law question is a national one. It may be dis-
cussed on Scriptural principles ; and our Saviour's prophecy
that, until his coming again, " nation shall rise against na-
tion, and kingdom against kingdom," may preserve our
Christian statesmen from the flattering delusion of abjuring
patriotism as a prejudice, and embracing a cosmopolitan
phantom, which they would in vain persuade the statesmen
of other nations to embrace ; while the Apostolical injunc-
tion to " provide for our own, specially those of our own
house," may suggest to a paternal government the wisdom
of not exposing the multitudes of our fellow-countrymen to
the risk of famishing, by leaving their provision dependent
upon foreigners : but you must excuse me when.' say, that
I can anticipate no benefit to the world, to their own coun-
try,_ or to themselves, from a conference of men who stipu-
late for the exclusion, during their conference, of all the
essentials of Scripture truth, under the name of sectarian
differences.
This is not too strong : for your printed address is " to
the ministers of ALL religious denominations th-oughout the
United Kingdom " ; and no arguments are required to prove
that their sectarian differences involve all the essentials of
Scriptural truth, including the inspiration of Scripture itself.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Your obedient servant,
HUGH WNEILE.
Rev. J. W. Massie.