The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-17 00:00:00

TO MR. JOHN MACDONALD.

beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of
the 13th instant. There are many reasons why I cannot
accept your kind invitation to take part in the contem-
plated discussion, to be held on Tuesday evening in Circus-
street. You are probably aware that on every Tuesday
evening I conduct a controversial meeting in Bond-street,
where Roman Catholics, priests or laymen, are allowed
half the time of the evening to defend their own views of
the subject under discussion. Allow me respectfully to
invite you and your Roman Catholic friends to attend this
class and the ono held on Friday evenings in Cornwallis-
street. You will perceive that, bad I been disposed to
attend the meeting to be held on Tuesday evening, a pre-
vious engagement would prevent me. There are, how-
ever, otter reasons why I must decline your invitation.
You omit to state what arrangements and regulations you
have made for the discussion; what evidence do you give
that it would be conducted in an impartial manner? The
subjects you have announced for discussion relate to the
"doctrines and abuses of the Church of England." The
doctrines of the Church of England are contained in the
39 articles. Is it to be expected that any one should be
called upon, in one or two short addresses, to defend all
the doctrines of the Church of England, in answer to ob-
jections and arguments advanced by an opponent who has
probably been preparing his speeches for weeks ? Can he,
in so short a time, be expected to expose all the misre-
presentations which it would be possible to bring forward
on such occasion ? Ido not say that you will pursue this
course, but I think you will perceive, after one moment's
reflection, how utterly impossible it is for any satisfactory
results to attend a discussion upon a subject so vast and
indefinite. Again, you will not, I trust, conclude that I
have no regard for the welfare of your soul, when I inform
you, as I have more than once done so at my class in
Cornwallis-street, that I cannot consent to meet you in a
set discussion, until you can satisfy me that you are an
authorised expositor of the Roman Catholic religion.
When a layman meets a clergyman in discussion, in the
event of his arguments being overthrown, it is easy for
Romanists to say, " We never supposed such a person
competent to defend the doctrines and mysteries of our
holy religion ; he is merely a layman, without any autho-
rity or influence in our church." I shall be most happy
at any time to see you or any other Roman Catholic, pri-
vately, at my house, for the purpose of considering any
objections you may entertain in reference to the " doc-
trines and abuses of the Church of England." If, how-
ever, you still believe that a public discussion will be
attended with good results, I beg to state that I am pre-
pared to meet you for any number of nights, if you can
obtain the written permission and sanction of your priest,
or if he will take the chair for you. With respect to time,
' place, and subjects, we shall have no difficulty in arranging
these when you are thus officially sanctioned. It is im-
possible to say, from your letter, what are the corruptions
and abuses in the Church of England which you intend
to expose. That there are some abuses in our Church, I
do not deny—that there might be improvement, I fully
believe—that there is no professing church free from
abuses, I think will be generally admitted—that the
greatest abuses are inseparably connected with the Church
of Rome, I think it would be easy to prove. In the Church
of England' they belong to her administration ; in the
Church of Rome they aro inherent in her constitution.
I shall feel greatly obliged if you will inform me, at
your earliest convenience, whether your Priests are pre-
pared to authenticate you as the defender of their cause.
Sincerely praying that God may lead us all to a saving
acquaintaner, of " the truth as it is in Jesus,"
1 remain, Sir, faithfully yours,
JOSEPH BARD SLEY.

29, Huskisson-streel, May 16th, 1853.
P.S.—I shall forward you a copy of the newspaper con-
taining your letter and my reply, and, as you are probably
intending to inform the meeting, on Tuesday night, of
your own letter to me, I trust you will not consider roe
unreasonable ill requeating that mitie be read et the
sane time,