The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-29 00:00:00

Mr. Stowell's late trial, Mr. Nangle writes :—" The same
means which have been employed by our opponents to injure
the good cause, should be used by us to frustrate their inten-
tions. With this view, I deliberately publish the fellevyinir

.. && qua. ASJA
statement. I challenge investigation in a court of In
the party accused proceed against roe for libel. and I

to produce legal proof of the ;11

missionary settlement in the island of Achill, Ireland, do
hereby declare that the Rev. John O'Flynn, Roman Catholic
priest, formerly of Achoury, but now of Curry, in the dio-
cese of Achoury, and county of Sligo, Ireland, and also the
Rev. Michael O'Flynn, R.C.C., of Ballisadare, in the same
diocese and ctiunty, did;• in the exercise of their office as
priests of the Church of Rome, require one of their parish-

_ _slier had become
posSessed, and to perform stations successively at Croagh
Patrick, Baal, and Lough Deerag, which stations were en-
joined in the way of penance, in order to obtain absolution,
and which were to be performed by crawling considerable
distances on the knees, to the laceration of the person.' "
This is precisely the sort of statement that has been denied.
Mr. Nangle reiterates it. He gives the names of two priests;
he gives their residences ; and pledges himself to make good
in. a court of justice, by legal eviuence, the fact that they
commanded a parishioner to burn the and inflicted
penance upon others, to the laceration of their persons.
(Hear.) Now, much has been made of the verdict against
this statement, in Manchester. There they had no op-
portunity, because the man in question could not be
broughtinto court, to make good the evidence against
the priest : here, if they be sincere, let them take Mr.
Naugle at his word, and let them prosecute him for a
libel. (Cheers.) I must recollect it is not to address you
at considerable length, but rather to preside whilst other per-
sons addressed you that I came here this evening. (Cries of
go on.") You say well in the requisition sent to me, that
our protestant constitution is assailed by outward violence,
as well as undermined by secret treachery. You do well to
combine in its defence ; but, .my friends, it is my opinion,
deliberately formed—and I have no hesitation in expressing
it to you now—that our constitution in its present condition
cannot be defended. Serious breaches have been made in it,
and if we would permanently and successfully defend, we
must immediately and resolutely repair. (Cheers.) If our
efforts are to be conservative at last, they must he restorative
at once. (Renewed cheers.) My friends, a broken break-
-water soon ceases to be a breakwater at all, and only reminds
us by its crumbling ruins that once there existed a break-
water. (Cheers.) The sea is in perpetual motion with open
violence, foaming fury at the top, and secret undermining at
the bottom • the effected breach becomes every day the grand
breach, and is truly in vain to attempt to defend what
remains in any other manner than by repairing what is
damaged. (Cheers.) What is it then that has been damaged,
and what is it then that must be repaired? I answer, the
essential protestantism of our constitution. (Loud cheers.)
—the civil and ecclesiastical ascendancy of protestantism.
(Renewed cheers.) I am well aware of the uproar caused
among the ranks of the liberals, by that old-fashioned
I word, " ascendancy." (Hear, hear.) I am welt aware
how the vocabulary has been ransacked for epithets to
represent that word, as the basest of things to be ap-
plied to mankind. I well know that what the vocabulary,
as supplied by Dr. Johnson in his dictionary, lacks, Billings-
gate and Derrynane have supplied. But, suppose that after
all ascendancy of some kind would be enough ; suppose upon
inquiry it should be ascertained that the essential laws of
human society do repudiate a level as truly and as invariably
as the laws of external nature repudiate a vacuum ; suppose
it should be found that the system of British liberty, based
upon the common law, upon the statute book, and admi-
nistered by trial in open court and verdicts by sworn juries,
could not rest upon a level with the Roman system, which is
baied upon the canon law of the papal court, and adminis-
tered by inquisitors ; suppose it to be found, I say, that the
two things cannot co-exist upon one level, and in equality.
One must be pre-eminent. What is to be done then? I
know full well the answer men will give us if the question be,
" Shall we have ascendancy or shall we have equality ?" If
a bona fide, well ordered, honest, fair, permanent, equality
of privileges—and here let our liberals be honest and fair,
and give us credit for what we say—do not let them wilfully
shuffle, and stifle this part of our statement, and fasten upon
some parts that they think will give them en advantage : let
them take it as they find it—all of it—(hear) ;—well, I say,
if it can be shewn that real, bona fide, true, honest, perma-
nent equality of privileges can be enjoyed—that man owning a
foreign sovereign, and man repudiating a foreign sovereign, can
stand upon an equality of privileges in the realm of our sove-
reign ; if it can be shewn that there is no reason why
equality should not be maintained, I for one would joyfully
advocate equality of all civil privileges for all persons what-
ever. (Cheers.) But if equality cannot be had, if the thing
is utterly impossible, if no ingenuity of man can put trial's
and falsehood upon a level and keep them there, if the power
of man cannot put error—fatal error—and saving truth upon
a level—if no man can make a divided allegiance and an un-
divided allegiance to remain upon a level—if these things
cannot be, and there must be an ascendancy, if one must be
uppermost, and the question comes which must be upper-
most—we turn upon the liberals and ask them " which will
you have—will you have English liberty uppermost, which
allows you your liberty, or will you have Romanist power
which deals in thumb-screws, and racks, and tortures ? "
(Cheers.) I believe that from the nature of man, and from
the constitution of human society, ascendancy of some kind
is as truly and absolutely inevitable in societies as it is among
individuals. Look at any class in society as men, as indivi-
duals. Can you have equality—permanent equality ? Im-
possible. Look at them : their heads are of different shapes ;
their intellects are not upon an equality, their persons are
not upon an equality, their eyes do not look alike. (Cheers.)
No ; it is impossible to maintain equality ; there is an ascen-
dancy in person, in figure, in stature, in manners, in talent,
—all show that equality is impossible. So it is in society.
Equality cannot be. There must be ascendancy. And if
there is to be anything of political ascendancy, as we have
shown yoult is indispensable, then in the name of common
sense what sort of ascendancy will you have ? (Cries of
" protestant ascendancy," and cheers.) Aye, protestant as-
cendancy to be sure. (Loud cheers.) I solemnly and deli-
berately think and say that both the welfare of mankind, the
progress of human society, all the advances of the human
species, the movements of all improvements—improvements
in science, in agriculture, in commerce—the welfare of
mankind—nay all that is for the temporal as well as
the eternal peace of man and for the eternal glory of
our God, all call for aristiani protestant ascendancy.
(Hear, and loud cheers.) How is this to be had; how
is it to be regained in this city ? There are various things to
be done. There is one line of effort which I think I may
very properly suggest to you, in order to meet some of the
taunts and sneers of some of our opponents. - They are ever
more throwing out taunts that the right sort of christianity is
that which shows love to one another—that the right sort of
religion is that which teaches mercy—not that which enables
man to perform these duties. I entirely agree with this in
its own pr.per place. "By this shall all men know we are
Christ's disciples if we have love one to another," and one of
the marks of that love is • you shall in no wise suffer sin by
your brother, and when he does in any wise offend reprove
him." Now what I want to impress upon all assembled in
this place this night—a n ighty and important multitude,
though I should not at all wonder if we hoar by and bye it
was not half full—here it is, however, with above four
thousand witnesses to being quite full. (Cheers, and a
Voice, " Aye, five thousand.")—Somebody said five thou-
sand, but Ido not like to exaggerate—l want, I say, to im-
press upon you that one mode at which we must aim, in or-
der to regain our Protestant ascendancy to this—bear with
me whilst I tell you, for I show my love in so doing—it is
this—that no Protestant man be found at any time in a state
of intoxication (cheers); that no man possessing Protestant
principles be found at any time breaking the Lord's day,
absenting himself from a place of worship, idly in
the streets upon the Sunday—that no man profess-
ing Protestant principles shall ever be found commit-
ting fornication or adultery ; that no man professing Pro-
testant principles shall ever be found going beyond or de-
frauding a brother in any bargain ; that no man professing
Protestant principles shall ever be found stealing anything
however small. (Cheers.) . These are features of Protestant
ascendancy. (Continued cheers.) These are the fruits—
I shall not go into doctrines, and go into the roots—but let
the roots be judged and known by the fruits. (Loud cheers.)
Yuu are willing to appeal to the Bible; and if you were not
willing to appeal to it, I should not be your chairman. The
Bible then says " by their fruits shall ye know them ;" and
if you allow temperance, prudence, honesty, truth, chastity,
integrity, and sabbath keeping; if you allow these things to
be shewn more or as much by the poor, deluded, and de-
frauded Romanist, who will believe that Protestantism de-
serves ascendancy ? But if these things spew upon_ you,
they prove the tree to be good. " Make the tree good," says
our highest authority, " and its fruit is good." If you give
practical proof that these principles are in you, rest assured
it is not too late yet, by this method, to regain Protestant as-
cendancy in England. (Loud cheers.) ebelieve that it can
not be regained in any other way. I believe that by our men
in authority it is not to be regained, because one and all of
them, or nearly all—l beg pardon, there are a few glorious ex-
ceptions—but nearly all, of all parties, have proved faithless
to the great principle of Protestant ascendancy ; and the only
way to regain it is, by cultivating the Protestant democracy.
(Cheers.) That is the way to regain Protestant ascendancy.
It is to be regained by the people, or it cannot be regained
at all. The power is given to the people—the middle classes
of society have the power ; and if they will become a Protes-
tant people, we shall have Protestant ascendancy again, the
Bible in the ascendant, and the principles of the Bible su-
preme- in the legislation of our country. (Cheers.) Who
appoints our legislators ? You and such as you select them.
You and such as you, showing such fruits as I have describ-
ed, may well send forth your representatives—men that shall
stand up in the House of Commons for the principles that
you follow up in your several departments in life. It you
will first bring forth these fruits yourselves, and then select
representatives like-minded with yourselves, we shall have a
regenerated House of Commonsa Protestant House of
Commons. (Loud cheers.) We are using our efforts for
this. I claim, and I am glad in this immense assembly to
claim it, as it is in all justice due, a high regard at your
hands for the labouring clergy of the Established Church,
who are working this matter with and for you, and with all
the powers of our minds and bodies striving to have Protes-
tant ascendancy. (Cheers.) The Protestant AssoCiation of
Liverpool was drawn into being by the clergy of the Esta-
blished Church, and the Protestant Association of Liverpool,
which commenced with a small beginning, in a little room,
has extended, like the prophecy concerning the Jewish na-
tion—the little one has become thousands, aye, tens of thou-
sands. (Loud cheers.) Behold such a meeting as this,
which can be called at a few days' notice, for the purpose of
forming a branch association. - (Hear, hear.) Aye, the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal; but scripture
tracts—scriptural arguments--scriptural sermons—and
I believe that God blesses the preaching of the gospel
amongst the people. I believe that it is the faithful preach-
ing of the gospel which shall be the first thing to break down
the iron hand of the Romish tyranny in England, and which
shall be the first thing to reinstate protestant ascendancy.
(Loud cheers.) I believe that, as the pulpit won the Re-
formation, the pulpit is destined, under God, to keep and
restore the Reformation. (Continued cheering.) Yes, Eng-
lishmen, let it never be forgotten that you owe the Reforma-
tion, under God, to the bishops and clergy of your church—
to men like Cra'smer, Latimer, Ridley, Hooper—men who
perilled their lives to death rather than bow down to the
tyranny of Rome, rather than be deprived of the cup in the
communion, rather than have Latin prayers said to English
ears. (Continued cheers.) Now, what is your just return ?
Why, rally round your clergy. Uphold their hands. The
loud shout of applause is very well in its place ; but that will
not do. • if the members of our congregations will admire our
true protestant preaching, and will give us the shout of their
applause in public meetings ; if any of these same men are
bringing forth—what shall r call it? I may call them with-
out offence Popish fruits which are bad fruits—if we find.
them bringing forth bad fruits, what shall we say? The
enemies of our cause will throw it in our teeth. " See,"
they will say—" this comes of your fine Protestantism—there
is one of your congregation found drunk in the streets every
night." it was said of George Whitfield, that he was re-
proached with one of his converts being found drunk in the
streets the other night; he replied, " Aye, you did well to
call him one of my converts : he was not one of God's."
Some of our weapons are of this character. Here is your
true Protestant Sentinel. (The reverend gentleman here held
up in his hand a copy of the last number of the Protestant
Sentinel, the appearance of which elicited loud cheers. The
rev. gent. said he was happy to be able to state that this little
publication of the Liverpool Protestant Association had al-
ready obtained a very extensiae circulation. He hoped that
all would give it that encouragement which it deserved by
largely purchasing it. The price of it was only one penny.
It was published on every third Saturday in the month ; and
the number that he held in his hand was that of Sept. 19). I
feel grateful, continued the rev. gentleman, for the kind at-
tention with which you have hearkened to these observations,
and I now leave you by calling upon the gentlemen appointed