The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-11-27 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVE KPOfjL g7I.4ND4RD.

Stu,—ln the Albion of Monday last a "Scotchman" has
taken it upon him to address a letter to the Session and congre-
gation of the Scotch church, Rodney-street; animadverting on
a sermon which the Rev. Dr. Barr addressed to them on the
evening of Sabbath se'nuight. The niemberS of that congre-
gation will, no doubt, appreciate as it deserves this tfuly con-
temptible effusion of anonymous slander and Misrepresenta-
tion ; whilst the friends of religion of every denomination must
unite in deprecating such an attempt to control the indepen-
dence of the pulpit, even though disguised under the pretence
of a professed regard for its purity. But the sentiments ad:
vanced in the discourse above referred to, merit a wider circu-
lation than among the members of the Rodney-street congrega-
tion; and the following extract, containing that portion of it
which the Albion has dubbed with the epithet of "political
preachiog," may suffice to expose the injustice of the character
which its meek and modest correspondent, the enlightened and
impartial friend of the church of Scotland, the consistent ad-
vocate of liberality and toleration; the amiable pattern of truth
and charity has condescended to give of it : e
"The great duty of contending 'far the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints,' includes an endeavour to maintain
the purity of our faith in opposition to errors of every descrip
tions, whether the errors of the church of Rome, or the errors
of nominally protestant churches. But this must be connected
with a determination to assert the authority of our faith in
position to every existing immorality, after the example of
Noah and the patriarchs, ufElijah and the prophets, of Paul and
the apostles, by raising a loud and decided testimony against
the practice of wickedness both in our language and by our
example. Aud in contending for the faith we are undoubtedly
called on to unite in upholding the institutims which are ap-
pointed for the continuance and extension of our faith, in oppo-
sition to the efforts of those who aim at their subversion.
"Had a number of discontented Jews combined to overturn
the constitution of that church which God had set up among
them, • had they attempted to carry their design into execution
by insisting that the provision which had been made for the
maintenance of religious ordinances should be appropriated to
other purposes, can it be doubted that they would have been
dealt with as conspirators against the best interests of the cons.
minty, and as rebels against the righteous appointment of
God ? The same course followed now lionesses the saute eha-,
raster, and involves the same consequences. This is a question
not of mere opinion, but of principle,; confines' to no one party
in the state, but demanding the support of the wise and good of
every party. It proposes to detenitine whether or not, as a nation,
we shall recognise the government of Go,l, and acknowledge
our dependence upon him, whether the people shall be supplied
with the means of religious instruction, or he exposed to the
hazard of perishing through lack of knowledge—whether the
faith of the gospel shall be upheld and perpetnated, or shall be
discarded and degraded from the high place it has hitherto occu'
pied as the national belief. This, I say, -k.stipmealaw of vital
importance to every inhabitant of the British empire; and in
cunteuding for the existence of our ecclesiastical establishment,
in vindicating it from the calumnies that have been so plenti-
fully heaped upon it, in warding off the attacks which are so
recklessly directed against it, in exhibiting its claims to the
confidence, affection, and gratitude of the people, and in ex-
tending its benefits more widely and abuittlantly among the,
people, in pursuing this course we are but ti.ttelopting to dis-
charge the duty of every British subject, unit more especially
the duty of every British christian by contending 'for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints.'

"Let the page of history supply an example for our imitation
in the zeal and magnanimity of our covenanting fathers. The
faith for which they so nobly contended has been delivered unto
us, and we owe it to generations vet unborn, that those sacred
rights and religious privileges which they secured for us shall
be maintained and handed down by us in all their. integrity.
In the prosecution of this hallowed contest many sacrifices may
be required; but these, were they far more painful than there
is any reason to apprehend, can never supersede the obligations
of duty, nor justify the compromise of our convktions and our
principles, nor ought we to count life itself dear to us that we
ma.y hold fast our profession, and fulfil ourworki end serse our
generation by contending earnestly 'fur the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints.'

"But the earnestness here enjoined must not be confounded
with the fury of blind enthusiaAtn; still less ought ft to be mis-
taken for the vehemence of party spirit. We discliim all sec-
tarian views and partialities. We desire to see the church of
our fathers triumphant, but only as the means of sectring more
extensively the triumph of the christen'. It is not in the cha-
racter of churchmen, but in that of christians that we are to con-
, tend; and with that kind of earnestness which is the frtiit of
christian principle and motive—an earnestness coutroPed by
wisdom, restraining it from violent and thoughtless impetuosity
—an earnestness tempered with charity, correcting every ten-
dency to intolerance and severity. What a e do for the faith
of the gospel must be done in the spirit of the gospel. , The
sane earnestness with which we contend for the faith 'Mist be
' exerted in cultivating the holiness of the gospel. _ Let ns live
under the influence of the faith for which we are called to•ton-
tend, in the conscious belief of its truths, in the constant
servance of its ordinances, and in the conscientious perf4m-
ance of its requirements; above all, in the the habitual exer-
cise of that love to the brethren which is the fruit of faith, and
without which all our professions of faith, and all our exertions
in contending for the faith are empty formality, and an im-
pious mockery of God. In the peculiar circumstances of the
present lime it may appear no easy matter to act up to our spi-
ritual relations and obligations ; but let us remember that
nothing in the conduct of our christian brethren can exempt
us from the duty of brotherly love. They may, as we believe,
act an unworthy part; but so long as we thin!: them Christians
we are bound to love them; and to express our love by praying
for them, and otherwise doing them good as we may have op-
portunity, A CHUCf-IMAN.