The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-09-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

.
Si n,—l perceive from the notice in your Pridars numbers
and the letters of the Rev. R. M'Ghee and " PhileSethes," that
the stale trick is again attempted to be played off by Priest
Maguire of challengipg a protestant clergyman to a public con-
troversy on the respective doctrines of the Reformedand Roman
Catholic Churches. 1 hope, if this "eminent," controversialist
has really made the challenge, that he will not be ,Suffered to
sneak off, nor " shirk the question," in the .contemptible man- ,
ner in which I am fully aware he has done before, according to
the statement furnished by Mr. M'Ghee and others.: I am on
this occasion fully impressed with the weight ,of the ,remarks
contained in the letter of your correspondent " Phi/alethes"
with regard tofizing this slippery point to something like a tans
gible ground of discussion. It is impossible to grapple with
shadowless premises and empty assertions. Let Priest Maguire
reduce his propositions to any one, two, or more substantive
points for argument or discussion, as suggested by "Phila.
lethes," and I pledge myself, should no minister of the Church
of England come forward to enter the lists with him, (and which
I cannot for a moment imagine would be the case,) to find a
layman who will be ready to contest the ground with him, inch
by inch, upon any authority or authorities he may think fit tO
select whereby to maintain his propositions.
If this preliminary point is not acceded to, both you and your
intelligent readers will easily decide the value of Priest Ma-
guire's renewed challenge. 'He has now the opportunity of
acting the part of sincerity, and of upholding the doctrine of his
church, if defensible, openly, manfully, and'svihout erasion, and
in a form which will stamp its credibility with something like
sincerity in his hands. If he does cot do this, I say, without
hesitation, he is a false and cowardly advocate of his own creed;
for he has no right to propose any subject for discussion which
he is not fully prepared to sustain upon a legitimate basis, and,
to wrangle for even as becomes a jesuit, "ad majorem Del
gloriam." Let him in the first place, it he seep fair discussion;
suspend the saving rule, the shelter of his chisf4,tbat when she
wishes to reserve " a dogmatical pointilliSpippeeks but once,"
and, on the authority of , her best historians, - " her.decree is
irrevocable." Let him take one leading rule of, faithri4e; de-
clared authority and force of unwritten and ALuautisUrize4 „tijkci.-
tions,,,witli the divinely-insgired authority.4yanly. Writ. `,04 , ti:ti
i
prised in the canon of the Codaca of I'veut, 4th se.ssion7-46 .._
Scripture;. and, as this is aS i Itlject, of importance 0..4' ' li* . 1 .;.Li
at the- present moment, I sin confident, through:TM,' ,' i' .•
of your widely-circulating
,journal, pii-uty of proteflots; 0 .1'4,,'
Id
tors will be found. Should he dpcline these seVeral;o'e ; i ~4
cloven foot of his design will be manifest, and he will' ttiliiietcili, ,?.1-d:
cause he pretends to vindicate before an enlightened plibliC.
~ 91.1
I remain, sir, yours respectfully, CANDID US :
e"c
I,l'--
Cambridge, Sept. 18, 1836. ." -