The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-12-24 00:00:00

THE DUTY OF PROTESTANTS.

At the meeting of the Irish Sr:witty, in London, on
Wednesday, the Rev. Dr. M'Neile, oho was received
with most enthusiastic applause, spoke with great effect.
British Christians, he observed, had already boldly and
forcibly discharged the duty of protesting against the late
Papal aggression. But they had more, much more, to do.
The Cardinal Archbishop, his sovereign the Pope, and
their whole staff of parochial priests, would laugh the
protests of the English people' o scorn if they did nothing
but talk. It was the duty of British Christians not only
to protest against Romanism, but to oppose Romanists.
As false religionists, they were to be opposed by true reli-
gion ; as political conspirators they were to be opposed
by legal restraints. (Prolonged cheering.) It was said
frequently and well, that restraints by law were unavail-
ing in matters of opinion. He agreed in that statement ;
and, if Romanism was nothing but a false religion, he was
content that nothing but true religion, reason, and argu-
ment should be used in opposition to it. But, if Roman-
ism was aggressive in act as well as false in word,—if
there aas a bold avowed determination to introduce into-
lerant persecution so soon as Romanists had the power to
carry it into effect,—if there was a system of desertion
from the Protestant ranks, and of increase to the ranks
of their adversaries,—and if, in the face of all these overt
acts, they did nothing but talk, what must the end be ?
Ireland could tell. For the last 50 years Christians had
been prOtesting and Rome had been acting, and deeds,
not words, had prevailed. So it must be in England if,
with such deeds as he had mentioned, British Christians
were content with words. The question was, then, what
should be done ? This question had been frequently
asked, but he was not aware that any very distinct answer
had been given to it ; and surely it was vain to find fault
with Cabinets and Parliaments for not doing something,
if they had no intimation of what that something ought
to be. In answering the question, he thought they might
consider Romanism in its twofold aspect, as a false reli-
gion, and as a political conspiracy. And first, then, con-
sidering it as a false religion, what was the duty of British
Christians ? He thought it was their duty to put them-
selves in possession of how and why it was false, and this
could only be done by contrasting the Romish religion
patiently and in detail with the only standard of truth—
the word of God. The rev. Doctor then proceeded, at
considerable length, to argue that the Papal system is a
blasphemous parody on the scriptural prophecies descri-
bing the kingdom of Jesus Christ that shall be established
upon the earth. Popery was the devil's corruption of
God's prophecy of the kingdom of Christ. Satan offered
the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them, to
Christ, if He would take them as Satan's vicegerent.
The vile temptation was rejected with scorn, but Satan
found another ready to take, as far as he could take, what
Jesus had refused, and that was the Pope of Rome. He
(Dr. M`Neile) would advise British Christians, then, to
make themselves acquainted with the merits of this ques-
tion.
.It was true there were foul abominations in the
system of Popery ; there were secrets of the prison-house
which ought not to be opened to the public mind, and
which were awful and detestable ; but, short of these,
there was much that might be profitably studied. He
also considered it the duty of British Christians to take
care that no more pecuniary support should be given to
Popery. Let the English people at once demand of the
Government and of the Parliament that there should be,
instantly on the meeting of Parliament, a disendowment
of Maynooth College. (Loud and continued cheering
and clapping of hands.) What sense was there in Eng-
lishmen raising their voices against the aggressions of the
Papal power while they were contributing their money
for the teaching of the teachers of all the abominations of
Rome ? There were also large endowments of Popery in
the colonies from the British Treasury, and there were
numerous subscription-lists for Popish chapels and schools
containing Protestant names. Let there be no more
Protestant subscriptions for Popish chapels. This was
also a time when British Protestants should manifest
their sincerity by making exertions and sacrifices for the
propagation of Christianity both at home and abroad.
He had heard it stated lately by a clergyman, who had
made some inquiries respecting the marriages which had
taken place in his church by bans in the course of the
last year; that he found one-half of them were marriages
between Roman Catholics and Protestants. It was the
bounden duty of British Christians to guard against do-
mestic intercourse with Roman Catholics. If Protestants
allowed their sons to become intimate with the daughters
of Roman Catholics, they could not consistently turn
round and say, after permitting such intimacy, " I forbid
any marriage." It might appear very bigoted thus to
separate man from man in the community, but he (Dr.
MI-Neils) was persuaded that half the existing mischief
arose from the carelessness with n hich these matters had
been viewed. He would now ask them to consider, look-
ing upon Romanism as a political conspiracy, what was
the duty of British Christians. He was clearly ofopinion
that there was no intolerance in a guarded and carefully-
arranged self-defence, which went no further than the
claims of self-defence imperatively' demanded. What,
then, did self-defence of the British constitution demand ?
This question was long debated some years ago, and there
was, a wonderful agreement on this point,—that without
some security the free possession of civil privileges by
members of the Papal church was incompatible with Pro-
testant safety. This opinion was entertained by Mr. Pit
and Lord Grenville. The same view was taken by Mr
, •, •

but when, subsequently, Mr. Canning introduced his
scheme of securities into the House of Commons, al-
though it was supported by Mr. Grattan and Mr. Plun-
kett, it was opposed by the Roman Catholic priests in
Ireland, and the result was that Mr. Canning gave way
upon the subject, and the securities were withdrawn.
The question was, could anything practical be done now ?
He would recommend that the people sI

Home should be a sine qua non for the holding of offices
of trust and power under the Sovereign of England. This
was no interference with religion, except as what was
called religion introduced allegiance to man. It was a
requirement every nation had a right to make. If the
Itomsn Catholic were content with protection to his pro-
perty and his person, he should have both fully and freely,
for they sought not to hurt a hair of his head ; but if he
asked for power, place, and privilege, then they might
reply,—" Certainly, if you share our undivided allegi-
ance." Ho would only refer to one point more. He
thought it was the duty of British Christians, in the agi-
tation of this great subject, not to urge to extremes ques-
tions which could not be satisfactorily and finally decided.
He considered' that the question of the supremacy was
one of these.. This question of the supremacy, which
bad been arrogated by the Pope, which was divided be-

tween the PO-pe and the Sovereign in Romish States,
which was separated here, and given entirely to the Sove-
reign, was one of a most perplexing nature. He consi-
a....A Fbnl- tbrk 4,1 • .•

uerea mat toe way of British Christians was to have a
good understanding upon this point, and Lot to urge it
to extremes. It it were pressed too far on the one side,
they might depend upon a recoil. There was a division
on the question among Protestants, and where honest
Protestants were divided moderation, calmness, judgment,
and discretion in the adjustment of the difficulty should
mark their steps. Where the great lines of demarcation
were plain, where Christ had spoken,. and Antichrist had
rejected, he counselled no moderation, but opposition
with all his heart and soul, and might and strength. But
there were questions of a very different character—ones.

tions concerning which he believed the most devoted
advocates of the Protestant cause would feel themselves
in a difficulty,if they were invited to lay down the line of
exactness, and to say what was the authority on the part
of the secular power, and what orr the part of the eccle-
siastical sYnod, in the adjustment of national questions
involved in both.. He was persuaded, then, that he gave
the counsel of a friend when he requested British Chris-
tians to forbear on this question, and to seek rather a
hood understanding than a rigid laying down of the line

Of separation. (hear, hear.)

IMMORALITY OF THE CONFESSIONAL.—We are in-
debted to the Morning Herald for the very timely publi-
cation of the following bull of Pope Paul IV., denouncing,
and thereby admitting on the most unimpeachable
authority, the abominations of the confessional :
" 'Whereas, certain ecclesiastics, in the kingdom of Spain,
and in the cities and dioceses thereof, having the cure of
souls, or exercising such cure for others, or otherwise de-
puted to hear the confessions of penitents, have broken
out into such heinous acts of iniquity as to abuse the
sacrament of penance in the very act of hearing the con-
fessions; not fearing to injure the same sacrament, and
him who instituted it, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus
Christ, by enticing and provoking, or trying to entice and
provoke, females to lewd actions, at the very time when
they were making their confessions." The Herald then
copies from Da Costa the annexed account of the effect of
the bull in the city of Seville. Hew entirely does this
Romanist testimony justify Miranda's pithy. remark,—
" Nature the says) placed two barriers for the preservation
of female virtue—modesty and remorse. By confession
and absolution the priest removes them both.' " When '
this bull (Da Costa writes) was first introduced into Spain,
the inquisitors published a solemn edict in all the churches
of Seville, that any person knowing or having heard of
any friar or clergyman's having committed the crime of
abusing the sacrament of confession, or in any manner
having improperly, conducted himself during the confession
of a female penitent, should make a discovery of what he
knew, within, 30 days, to the holy tribunal; and very
heavy censures were attached to those who should neglect
or despise this injunction. When this edict was first pub-
lished, such a. considerable number of females went to-the
palace of the inquisitor only, in the city of Seville, to, re.
veal the conduct of their infamous confessors, that twenty
notaries and as many inquisitors were appointed to, minute
down their several informations against them ; but these
being found insufficient to receive the depositions of so
many witnesses, and the inquisitors being thus over-
whelmed', as it were, with the pressure of such affairs, 30
days more were allowed for taking the accusations, and
this lapse of time also proving inadequate to the intended
purpose, a similar period was granted, not only for, a
third, but a fourth time. The ladies of rank, character,
and noble families, had a difficult part to act on this
occasion, as their discoveries could not be made of any
particular time and place. On one side, a religious feat
of incurring the threatened censures goaded their con-
sciences so much as to compel them to make the re-
quired accusation ; on the other side, a regard to their
husbands, to whom they justly feared to give offence. by
affording them any motives, for suspecting their private
conduct, induced them to keep at home. To obviate
these difficulties they had, recourse to the measure of
yet, who,no tw looanstbaenindg.
covering their faces with, a veil, according to the fashion
of Spain, and thus went to the inquisitors in the most
secret manner they could adopt. Very few, however,
informed of the discoveries and accusations made by their
notwithstand-
ing this accumulation of proofs against the confessors,
produced to the inquisitors, this holy tribunal, contrary
rs)bsooufl
should,
every
from
one,th putee
thenceforth;,
t }:iat end busi-
nesstoc:e3led
by ordering that all crimes of this nature, proved by
ltweaosivtafideupsel: escaped teiphdreeeeentfiaclteli:o d vigilance
with
th
suspicions
s pt
cei their
sh;u husbands, d s ,
perpetilal si!euce wad oblivion."