The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-07-08 00:00:00

chapter, that the Jew should not envy the Gen-
tile, nor the Gentile the Jew, the Rev. Dr. observed
that the true spirit of Christianity was a spirit of prefer-
ence amongst the Episcopalians, amongst the Presbyteri-
ans, amongst the Wesleyans, and amongst the Independ-
ents, but not of exclusion, and he prayed that Christians
might enter more and more into this beautiful part of our
religion, by which Christians were taught to bear and for-
bear with one another. (Great cheering.) True it was
they might be beset with danger, but thus united they
would be able to meet and conquer it. This reminded
him of a saying of Louis IX., when threatened by inva-
sion from the Mahomedans, he said, " Well, we shall
live as conquerers or die as martyrs." He trusted this
spirit would animate the Catholic church throughout
the world, that all her members would either live as
conquerors, or should they be brought to the test of
being required to give up their faith, it would please
God so to strengthen them that rather than give up
their christian faith and christian love they would die
as martyrs. (Hear, hear, and loud applause.) Let it be
their delight to anticipate that period when they would
enter a world where there would be no Episcopalians,
no Presbyterians, no Independents, no Baptists, no
Wesleyans, but a world of christians filled with light, filled
with love, and therefore conformed to their Divine Head,
and blessed in his presence for evermore. (Loud cheers.)
The Rev. Dr. BURGESS, the representative of the
Foreign Aid Society, then rose and addressed the meeting
at considerable length. The substance only of his remarks
is all that time allows us to give. The rev, gentleman
commenced by explaining the constitution and govern-
ment of what is called the Established Protestant Church
in France, and shewed that though founded by that
" great theologian," Napoleon Bonaparte, and in part
an example of liberality, it was still one which would
not suit the views of English Protestants. The law
restricts its ministers in the exercise of their functions,
and did not allow of the establishment of new con-
gregations without the consent of the state. Thus
practically they were prevented from spreading the prin-
ciples of the reformation ; and in these restrictions lay the
difficulty with which M. Roussell had had to contend
with. The Rev. Gentleman went on to point out the
leading features and the practice of the Foreign Aid
Society, and showed that although an instrument of
great usefulness, there were cases (several of which he
mentioned, and amongst them that of the effort making
by Mr. Roussel) in which their regulations would not
permit them to do all the good which they wished ; and
he recommended the formation of a society, in Liverpool,
which would co-operate with the parent society and which
could apply itself to these cases which the society did not
reach. The Rev. gentlemen then proceeded to point out the
the necessity of pursuing with determination the task of
evangelizing the Continent of Europe. Protestantism
had acted too long on the defensive and ought now to
take an aggressive attitude. He knew that there were
men in England in the present day who, to effect that
union, which had been so eloquently advocated by pre-
ceding speakers, would unprotestantize the Christian
Church. He was for another plan and would unpoperize
Rome. He would not go so far as his rev. brother
M`Neile and say that Romanists were not Christians.
That church, however, had become so corrupt, that it had
lost most of the essentials of a Christian church ; and it
was the duty of every supporter of the Gospel to endea-
vour to carry the light of truth into the darkness of that
church. The rev. gentleman, who was listenedto with
great attention, sat down amidst great cheering.
The Rev. HUGH M'NEILE then rose, and was received
with unbounded applause. He said, late as it had become,
and inconvenient, doubtless as it would he to many friends,
to prolong their stay in that room, he could not bring him-
self to read the resolution which had been entrusted to
him without making a few preliminary observations. He
was reminded this day of the names of Boutangu, Martyr,
and other kindred spirits, with whom our exiled reformers
took sweet counsel in Basle, Zurich, and Geneva, when in
the days of Mary England was crushed under the iron hand
of popish intollerance and persecution for the truth's sake.
(Cheers.) He was reminded, too, of the affectionate
tone of brotherly and Christian sympathy which charac-
terised the correspondence and fellowship, when Jewel,
in all candour and frankness, wrote to tell his Presby-
terian brother of his appointment to the bishopric of
Salisbury, and that brother responded with unaffected
sympathy to congratulate the bishop, and ernplore the
Divine blessing upon his labours. (Hear.) It was one of
our high privileges, and one which we should not foi feit, to
live in the inheritance of the good name which our re-
formers won for us. He was not prepared to recede one
step, no, nor half a step, from the principles, and, might
he not add, from the practices of the British reformation ?
And while Bishop Jewel, in his defence of our Episcopal
Reformed Church, was dear to him, the principle of episco-
pacy distinctly announced, and, as he thought, scripturally
maintained in that book, more precious than gold and
silver, he did at the same time most unfeignedly hail last
Saturday as one of the most auspicious days of his life,
ashen he was privileged to receive to his house, to his hand,
and to his heart, his Presbyterian brother from Geneva.
Here there was no dividing—no disturbing influence
arising from other sources—collateral sources. Here
they had fair play to show what christian union was, be-
cause the elements which arose in our home atmosphere,
not belonging to our christian union, but inseparably
linked with our christian sympathies, and which hindered
the church at home from that union, did not apply to the
church abroad. (Hear.) Out of doors, at home, they
had not fair play, and why? He liked honesty. He had
obtained a very bad name in Liverpool, but it was
because he liked honestly to express his opinions. (Loud
cheers.) They were all politicians—that was a fact, and
he did not see how, as Christians they could avoid being
so, because owing to the nature of the constitution under
which they lived they had political duties to perform, and
Christians were bound to perform all their duties, and to
do so in conformity to the divine commind—" Whatso-
ever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of
God." Was a man therefore to goto his counting-house as
a Christian, and to the hustings as an infidel? (Loud
cheers.) Here they observed, was a disturbing influence,
and there could be no political union in this country.
(Cheers.) They had intue Church ofEngland some wonder-
fully high politicians, who were for divine right and such
things—men who had the impudence to tell them that the
glorious revolution was a curse instead of a blessing.
(Hear, hear.) Men who said the commemoration of that
event ought to be celebrated as a day of mourning, al-
though the church had appointed that it should be kept
as a day of thanksgiving. (Cheers.) How then could
christian men hold communion with such ? On the other
hand they had some very low church politicians, real radi-
cals, who wanted universal suffrage, and such things, and
who, to obtain that, had actually made common cause
with Papists and Socinians, and how could christians fra-
ternize with such men ? (Cheers.) It would indeed be a
triumph for christianity if it could be devested of all
these influences, and a line could be drawn to show how
far they could fraternize as christian bretheren, and where
they should stop. (Cheers.) His christian brother on
his right (Dr. Raffles) had asked whether there could be
union without compromise: he, (Mr. M`Neile) however,
would ask him, could there be union with a papist
without compromise? That was his opinion,
and why should he find fault with him for say-
ing so. Could there be union with a S ,cinian
without compromise ? (No.) Very well ! He (Mr.
M'Neile) loved honestly, and when they talked of Chris-
tian union, he must exclude on the one side the Romanist,
and on the other the Socinian, because they not acknow-
ledge either to be Christians. (Loud cheers.) Mr.
Burgess had alluded to him (Mr. M`Neile) and said he
would not go so far as to say the Church of Rome was
not a christian church, but be called it a corrupt church,
having none of the essentials of christianity. (Hear.)
Now that might sound very charitable, and kind, and
proper in the ears of some, but it seemed to him the same
thing as denying it to be a Christian church, for where was
the difference between a church having none of the essen-
tials of Christio.nity and a church not Christian ? He
liked honesty, and there was an honest table before him—

work, but suppose some one took the timber away, and
placed stone in its place, and for the nails supplied mor-
tar, what had they then ? " Oh," said his rev. friend,
" I will not say it is not a table, I will only say all the
essentials of a table are gone. (Loud cheers, and laugh-
ter.) He had attended a great many Protestant meetings
in that place, and he thought the present a good one.
(Great cheering.) They had bad a famous Protestant
speech from the Historian of the Reformation
—a speech which fully corroborated all he had been say-
ing about the intolerance of Popery—which indeed had

be',4i acknowledged in that room, but denied out of doors.
(Hear.) Now, they had heard, from an eye witness, of
gentlemen being imprisoned and condemned to the Ral-
lies for merely reading the Bible. (Hear, hear.) This
was in Savoy ; and could they have union with
Savoy ? where was Christian union to end ? Oh how

sweetly men could talk of Christian union, and love,
and charity ; but, alas ! the millennium Lad not come
yet, and therefore they need not go far out of that
room without findir, that the devil reigned as the
god of this world, and would continue to reign until the
glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ." (Cheers.) This was the truth, and what was
the use of disguising it ? They must have honesty or
they could not have unity at all. (Hear and cheers.)
But although he boldly bore his testimony against any
union with either Romanism or Socinianism, he chal-
lenged his most virulent enemy to point out a single in-
stance wherein he had lifted up his hand against either
Presbyterians, who hold the gospel, against Independents,
against Wesleyans, or against Baptists who hold the head.
(Cheers.) He loved them all. (Continued cheering.)
The rev, gentleman then paid a high compliment to the
Church of Scotland, declaring that although he disap-
proved of the disruption in that church, yet he hailed the
seceders as having set forth to the world a noble example
that religion was really and truly a practical thing.
He then went on to show the inconsistency of our rulers
with regard to their recent measures, as showing to the
world that Protestantism was no longer defended in the
Senate or the government of the country, but expressed
his gratification at the strong feeling which had been ma-
nifested throughout the country ; and in conclusion ob-
served that he was happy to find the dissenters joining in
the good work, not only, he trusted, with their money,
but with their prayers. (Hear, hear.) Thus another
door was opened, and he called on the meeting to
implore Almighty God to raise up faithful pastors, that
what had been done by M. Roussell in one depart..
ment in France might be accomplished from the
Nledeterranean to the Baltic. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
The rev, gentleman concluded by moving the following
resolution :

sth. That this meeting cannot separate without expressing
its unfeigned praises and thanksgiving to the God of all grace
for this season of delightful union and brotherly love—and with-
out offering up earnest prayer—that it may be as the commence-
ment of a new era in the Church of Christ, when laying aside
all malice, and all guile, and hypocrises, and envies, and all
evil speaking ; all who all upon the name cf the Lord Jesus,
both their Lord and ours, may love one another witivft-ore
heart fervently.

v i
A hymn having been sung, and the blgifilqr • c-
by the Venerable Chancellor, thaibektivg
little after 12 o'clock. k