The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

riving at a crisis in the history of England's Protestantism
—the circumstances of the case forced it upon us—to re-
consider the subject, and to ask ourselves, " What is it
we advocate ? Is there anything essentially wrong in the
Protestantism we advocate and recommend ?" Was there
any attempt to withhold the Bible from the inhabitants of
the land ? That was popery. Did we advocate the dis-
semination of the Word of God in the language which the
people understood among all classes of society ? That was
Protestantism. What was it we denounced ? We de-
nounced any attempt on the part of Romish priests to sub-
stitute the offering of the sacrifice of the mass for the one
sacrifice of the cross. That was Popery. We advocated
the atonement of Christ's death—the cne death he died
on Calvary—as a sufficient atonement for the sins of
the world. That was Protestantism. We denounced
all attempts to teach the people to bow down to
idols and images, to relics, and to the other senseless
things they worship—the homage of the knee, of the
body, and the worship of the lip, which belonged to
Almighty God alone. This was done by Papists, and
this was Popery. We, on the other side, said that divine
worship should be addressed to Almighty God through the
mediation of His Son ; and this was Protestantism.
( Hear, hear, and cheers.) We denounced those who
attempted to bring the Virgin Mother of the Lord Jesus
Christ into the position of intercessor, or the apostles
and canonised saints as mediators with Jesus Christ on our
behalf, that he might be with God ; we advocated, on the
other hand, the Scriptural doctrine, that there was but
one mediator between God and man—the man Christ Jesus.
This was our Protestantism. (Cheers.) He felt, then,
after an examination of the principles of Protestantism,
there was no reason why any individual connected with
the Church of England should, believe there was anything
essentially wrong in the principles thus advocated and in-
culcated upon the people. Our Protestantism was pure
Scriptural truth. Then as to expediency ; and we must
consider this subject in two bearings, first as to the feel-
ings of the individual, and then in its prospective effect
upon the welfare of the country. It was true there were
reasons for individuals wishing to retire from what they
called the public agitation of Protestant principles, but
was it profitable to the country that we should give up
our meetings ? If ever there should come such a time
when we from expediency must give up our advocacy—
whether from the Popish camp or from a traitorous go-
vernment—he was determined to cling to the wreck of
Protestantism! (Cheers.) And if, in an evil hour, any of
those bright advocates of Protestantism, who had pre-
sented themselves at different times upon our plat-
forms, should be persuaded to withdraw their con-
nection with the associations in existence, and he
hoped still intending to exist, he had no hesitation
in declaring that expediency, like the tail of the dragon,
would sweep them away, and their name would go down to
posterity connected with disgrace, with want of courage,
and with change, and all this was traitorous to the faith of
Christ. (Tremendous cheers.) There was a time whe❑
Sir Robert Peel thought proper to change his sentiments
and his conduct in reference to the claims of the Roman
Catholics of Ireland. The position he held in the country
previous to that change was higher than it ever had been
since ; and though we were obliged to tolerate him at the
head of our Protestant government, because we could not
replace him with a better, he forfeited our confidence the
day that he changed. We never could think of him as
the same man again (hear.) Lord Stanley told him a
startling truth, when he (Sir R. Peel) was in opposition;
that his name would go down to posterity connected with
change and with nothing else; and he (Mr. James) had
❑o question in his mind, that when Sir Robert Peel
should go to his rest, his name, while it would call forth
approbation upon the score of intellect, tact, and policy,
would still be connected with something like treachery to
the Protestant faith and Church of England, while
the name of Eldon would be gilded with glory. (Tremen-
dous cheers.) The genius of popery, after the most mature
examination of its character, he was fully convinced was an
emanation from the regions of darkness. It came from that
place in which dwelt misery and woe for ever. It brought
in its hand a quill plucked from the wings of a demon, dip-
ped in wormwood ; and it wrote destruction to the souls
and to the bodies of mankind in every land. Whilst the
genius of Protestantism was an emanation from the man-
sions above ; it came down from the place of the great
God, with a quill plucked from the wings of a cherub in
its hand, dipped in the love of Emanuel, and it wrote
upon the pages of our hearts and our faith '• Peace and
Salvation to the ends of the earth, through the blood of
the Lamb for ever and ever. (Immense applause.)
Mr. SAMUEL PHILLIPS DAY, from Youghall, late a
monk, followed with some details of the system of popery
in Ireland, and of its effects upon the population. He put
forward the celebrated motto,—" No peace with Rome
till Rome makes peace with God."
The resolution was carried, and the meeting separated
shortly before eleven o'clock.

MISS WELLER'S CONCERT.—As announced, Miss Christiana
Weller's " farewell concert'' took place last night, at the Royal
Assembly Rooms, Great George-street, and was most nume-
rously and respectably attended, a large concourse of the elite
and their families being present. The services of some of our
first local performers were called forth on the occasion, includ-
ing those of Miss Whitnall, Miss Joseph, Mr. Lewis (who ably
presided at the piano), and Mr. Percival (the flutist.) Miss
Whitnall and Miss Joseph sang the several pieces allotted to
them with great taste and feeling, and were on several occasions
encored. Mr. Percival played a fantasia, in which he exhibited
great taste and much execution, on that difficult and rather
imperfect instrument—the flute. Mr. Lewis sang one of his own
songs, to his own piano accompaniment, with deserved ap-
plause. The great attraction of the evening, however, was
Miss Weller's performances on the piano. We have before bad
occasion to notice the extraord:nary talent of this young lady
as a pianiste, and our admiration of her powers—which could
not before be increased—were doubly confirmed. We have
not, at this late hour, the space, had we even the ability and the
scope, to do her justice in detail ; but we cannot do less than say
that she possesses a mastery over the instrument, which is of rare
acquirement in a life-time, and the more astonishing at her early
years. This is to be accounted for from a peculiarly fine ear, great
natural taste, superior tuition, and indomlable perseverance.
Miss Weller is, in fine, a musical genius, and such is her com-
mand of finger. and of enneoption. that in nlay,,, tti o ~0000 of
her favourite, Thalberg, and other great masters, she diverges.
in spite • f herself, into adornments the most beautiful and well
timed, which the composers themselves would be delighted to
hear. She also exhibited her powers as a composer with equal
effect. We regret to say, that owing to the evident indisposition
of Miss W., an apology was made for her non-performance of
one of the pieces in the bill, and was heard with regret. The
concert concluded with a duett, by Clement', Miss W. being ac-
companied on another piano by her younger sister, Miss De-
laney Weller, a most interesting and promising performer. The
precision, force, execution, and variety of intonation with which
this was executed by the two sisters, sitting at a considerable
distance from each other, held the listeners in silent admiration.
Miss Weller has announced this as her " farewell" concert. We
hope this only means "farewell" for the present ; and that, as
we are proud of her as belqnging to our town, she will, after
acquiring new laurels in the south, revisit the " glimpses" of
" the good old town," where, we feel assured, she will ever be
hailed with a hearty welcome by all the lovers of musical talent.

The Rev. Dr. Cramer, Principal of New Inn Hall, and
Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford,
is appointed by her Majesty to be Dean of Carlisle.
The Rev. Mr. Ward was summoned before the Vice
Chancellor of Oxford on Saturday, and requested two
day's time to consider whether he should avow himself
the author of his notorious and scandalous work.