The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-06-21 00:00:00

.d hundreds of applications to become
y could not listen to, because their friends would
t. There were thousands and thousands of chil-

iptural education, but they had
During the three years
they had raised funds to

inns of receivi
y had been in existent

. _
the amount of £19,000 from their own resources, and they
now came to ask the aid of England, to enable them to open
schools to receive those children who were craving at their
hands the food they required. The rev. gentleman then made
an eloquent appeal to the meeting, and he thankfully acknow-
iedged, on behalf of the society, the contributions of Liver-

members of the Church of

irist in Ir

ad are placed, by

the withholding of public aid from any system of education
in which they can conscientiously concur, are such as to re-
rt of a Church Edit-

quire the ft

of Christ's church I wish to observe, by way of parenthesis,
I do so deliberately and advisedly, because I think it is a
great misrepresentation to assert, and a great mistake to be-
lieve, that the branch of the Romish church which is prevail-
ing in Ireland is the primitive church. (Hear.) The primi-
tive church is the reformed church, professing the same doc-
trines, and maintaining the same discipline which were
taught and prescribed by the apostles, and by St. Patrick too, a eau.._
if the truth were known. (Hear, and cheers.) Its bishops was, he it...„,
are the successors of the primitive bishops of Ireland, and in -'F to tht
so far as apostolical succession has any claims to spiritual
allegiance, its bishops have a claim to the spiritual allegiance
of the people of Ireland. (Cheers.) When, then, I see a
society so sanctioned, and professing such an object, I think
I- see a means for the emancipation of Ireland, which,
to use a common phraseology, deserves and de-
mands the support of every friend to the cause of civil v,
and religious liberty throughout the world. (Hear.) The ag
cause of this society is the cause of religious liberty, claiming wit,
and asserting to the people the free use of the word of God, upon
in opposition to those who would deny them that free use. gle at
(Cheers.) Its object is the same as that which the Great to brin
Head of the Church declared to be his object in his sermon they hat.
to the people of Nazareth, when he took the following pas- day, whit
sage from the book of the prophet Isaiah :—" The Spirit of when Ron
the Lord is upon me, because he bath anointed me to preach introduce s,
the gospel to the poor; to heal the broken hearted; to preach a day when ..
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the rank of defer.
blind ;to set at liberty them that are bruised ; and to preach with its flotilla,
the acceptable year of the Lord." (Hear.) The object of sons, in coming
this society is to preach deliverance to the captives, the re- seemed to have d,
covery of sight to the blind ;to set at liberty them that arc In that day, when
bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord—(hear); tish soldiery, and, N
and I trust that the Spirit of the Lord will be upon it ; that fire into every heart,
it will go forth through the length and breadth of the weak woman but I ha\
land, armed with the sword of the Spirit, which is of England, too, and
the word of God, achieving the peaceful triumphs of Parma, or Spain, or any
the cross, and setting the captives free. (Loud cheers.) I vade the borders of my rt
trust that by this society, in unison with that which I believe words of a queen ; and le to them-
has recently been established for the preaching and explana- attempt that was made in dent days in
tion of the word of God to the native Irish in their own of the land to which God en such a lin,
native tongue, Ireland may at length be emancipated, and you met that attempt as ,at to be met,
become really free. (Hear.) For myself I can honestly say, cated the land, you vindi ,d the cause of S.
in application of the words of St. Paul, that "my heart's tion ; and here in Engla you have provid
desire and prayer to God for my brethren is, that they may which God has blessed t there shall be
be saved," because I bear them record that they have a zeal your Scriptures, that i, ur schools of na
for God, but, as 1 think, not according to knowledge. the voice of the Wort ;od sounds still.
(Hear.) lam anxious that this knowledge should be corn- In a place like this, t ,t became not hi
municated to them ; and I believe it can only be communi- principle engaged i .:ause ; but whal
cated to them through the word of God, that they may know for ? To shew that I done our duty
the truth, and that the truth may set them free. (Hear.) we should not be with merely p
And now, as I think it more than probable, from the pre- people and rescui en land from
sense of a highly gifted and highly valued friend and bro- that we should is we had the
ther minister whom I see here to-day, that you may hear principle not ntraiened t
something of Popery, in reference to the proceedings of the British langu 30ken the sa
day,—l wish, in conclusion, to say a very few words upon it gave freedom i captive, shoe
myself—words to which I request your particular atten- dom blessed !airing the Bi
tion, though perhaps they may not be exactly in the terms This was th' we had to do,
to which you have been accustomed upon occasions like into two pa• that it was ri,
this. (Hear, hear, hear.) You must not suppose from that there a circumstan
this I am going to speak lightly of the errors and cor- can justif it of the Bil
ruptions of Rome, neither that lam going to sanction them. there wa .o it. There
(Cheers.) If that is done I will leave it to others who will us it wz, iat because
do it, and who have much more spirit of belief than I. This, been, r be, are alik
however, I wish to say, as I said before, and this I wish to tural i ople, so it
repeat publicly,— my deep and solemn conviction is—in for it Irornote ag'
this, moreover, I believe I shall have the concurrence of all estal :cation. 1.3
my clerical brethren who hear me,—that if Popery is to be re- dm, ,at, which
stored in this country, its restoration will not be owing to yes there wa
its own intrinsic strength, but to the weakness consequent sc ag the peo
upon the divisions of Protestantism. (Hear.) It is impos- .. nan Coal(
Bible to view the Protestant countriesabroad backsliding into v .e was kn
the lowest depths of heresy; it is impossible to view the ' imbent up
whole Protestant world torn to pieces by intestine divisions ; carried.
it is impossible to view men of pious, and amiable, and cul- ART mot
tivated, and, perhaps you will say, of weak minds. seeking )bation 0
refuge in what you will consider to be the stagnant wr ged all •
Popery, because they are seeking peace in true religion I ptural kr
like the dove, when first sent forth from the ark, the} lEILE st
no rest for the sole of the feet amidst trouble, and wars, he- think (he said) that the proper business, as well as the con-
resies, and schisms ;it is impossible, I say, to witness all venient time, of this day is spent, and that a very few words
these things without feeling deep apprehension. (Hear.) may suffice from me in seconding this resolution. Though
The principle of Popery is unity; the principle of Protest- the society upon whose behalf we are assembled hears an
antism seems to be division, as if its name were legion. Irish name, and though Ireland be especially the direct field
(Hear.) And we must take care lest the principle of unity for its operations, yet it is a British cause, affecting England
prevails, as it very frequently does, over the principle of di- as well as Ireland. (Hear.) In saying this, Ido not wish
vision. (Hear.) Now I, in my ignorance and simplicity, to detract from the Christian character of English sympathy
can find no cure for these divisions but this, that every one in aiding us in this cause ; neither is it to detract from that
who loves the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth Christian character and sympathy to have a reflection upon
sh9uld unite upon the platform of the primitive church, as one's self. We are called upon in Holy Scripture to remem-
exemplified in the doctrines and discipline of that branch of ber them that are in abundance, as abounding with them ;
it which is, by God's providence, established in England and and we are to consider them that are tempted, as being our-
Ireland—(hear)—a church which, as a human establishment
has, no doubt, and must have, its imperfections, because has,
also in the body and liable. Uport the same principle
I venture to ground an appeal to you, to consider the neces-
what human establishment has not, but which in doctrine cities of the Irish poor, as being yourselves exposed to dan-
and discipline is built I believe upon the foundation of the 'ger still. (Hear.) You have been highly flattered to-day
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief by the encomiums passed upon what has taken place in this
corner stone, and out of which, therefore, I think men need town. lam thankful to see that much for which we have
not seek an imaginary perfection, which cannot 'be found. reason to be thankful to Almighty God did take place in this
The principle of religious unity may, I believe, be found in town ; but the cause requires watchfulness still, and if we
obedience to episcopal government as limited by the word of relax the system of efforts by which the good cause has been
God, and with the Bible as its code of laws. In the same won, we have no reason to suppose that good results can be
way, by way of illustration. I may observe that the principle maintained. (Hear.) The principle will be strengthened
of civil unity may be found in obedience to the monarchial in us by the exercise of it towards others ; and in the day of
our own prosperity we are invited to aid the cause of the
government limited by the laws of the land. If the clergy
will make it a sacred principle to obey their bishops, those poor Irish, who have inflicted upon them still a system with
ruling over them spiritually, the storms that now threaten which you were threatened, from which your children were
our beloved church will pass away like a summer cloud. at once delivered, and from which now your town has been
If the laity in the exercise of that faith and humility delivered. You have heard to-day a condensed history of
which is so salutary to the human mind, will consent to be the education of the poor in Ireland. You have heard that,
guided and instructed by a clergy thus scripturally governed, for twenty years from 1806, it made prodigious progress—
the Church of Christ in this country will be like a city at scriptural education made prodigious progress—such pro-
unity in itself, and it may bid defiance to the gates of hell. gress that the priests of the Romish schism were alarmed ;
(Hear.) But I know that in this lam expressing a vision- but how could they stay its progress ? The direct and pro-
ary wish, and therefore I need not trespass any longer upon per mode of attempting it was by influencing their own peo-
your time. I know, in this respect, my words will seem to pie, but that they could not do. It is in evidence before you
the generality like the sounding brass and the tinkling um_ that the Roman Catholic people of Ireland were determined
gal, or the voice of the charmer to the deaf man's ear ; but to have scriptural education for their children. How, thee,
still, though they may be destitute of power, Ido hope that could the priests stop it? They attempted it by influencing
I may not hesitate to lift up the voice of charity i and when the British government. You have heard how they sue-f
I appeal to you in behalf of a charitable society for the scrip- ceeded. They succeeded, not by avowing an intention of
tural education of the Irish poor, 1 trust I shall not appeal stopping it, but by propounding a mode which seemed more
_
in vain. •I shall now conclude my observations by calling on fair, considering the condition of the whole populantion it
d diere-
the Rev. Thos. Walker to move the first resolution. (Hear). commends itself as more fair in some resp
The Rev. THOMAS WALKER,
tin moving the first resolu- fore the national board was conceded.
sec •tbut, as in
tion, said he bad the honour to before the meeting as other concessions, was attended
with-ucilairied out, but
the agent for the Irish Church Education Society the ob- other cases, the concession has been fully. -
This, I say, you have
jects of which had been already so ably stated it • ex- the security has been all forgotten.
by their
cellent chairman. Its design, sim.,_
ply :vas,. to
, afford au op- had laid before you in evidence to.daY ; and
You have been told that many are hopeless of
portunity
• to the people of Ireland of'
receiving an education be done? ou
education in Ireland, be-
founded upon the word of God, whereby they might be made any national supportfor scriptural This- concession, like

colon.
the Irish poor.
The REv. DR. O'SULLIVAN seconded the resolution in a
speech of nearly two hours length, which it is of course im-
possible for us to give anything but a meagre outline of. He
said that thb advocate of the Irish Church Education Society
in Liverpool appeared under very peculiar circumstances. In
a cause which seemed pre-eminently a cause of principle, he
was, he might almost say, prohibited from applying
himself to the consideration of principle, because
---,eared in a place where the principle of the cause had
• 3:-.4-oa. He stood in the place where the
-vas put upon its trial, and
,ad had judgment pronounced in its favour ; he stood in the
place where an attempt was made to introduce Romanism
under the mask of liberality in scriptural education, and
where that attempt was met in a spirit worthy of the nation •
against which it was meditated. It was not in such a place,
with recollections of that great struggle pressing themselves
upon the speakees mind, with the victors in that great strug-
gle at his side, that a man would come forward and attempt
to bring up again the question of principle, on which already:
they had spoken their judgment so decidedly. There was a
day, which the annals of our country must commemorate,
when Romanism, in a form more undisguised, attempted*to-
introduce superstition and intolerance into this good land—
a day when Spain, which at that time was elevated into the
rank of defender of the Church of Rome, covered the sea
with its flotilla, and sought to disturb the land with its trea-
sons, in comit'., down against the land which Almighty God
seemed to have designed as the defender of the faith. (Hear.)
In that day, when our Queen rode through the ranks of Brii,
tish soldiery, and, with her words and bearing, struck fresh
fire into every heart, she said, " I know I have the body of a
weak woman but I have the heart of a king ; aye, of a king
of England, too, and think it foul scorn that a prince of
Parma, or Spain, or any other country, should dare to in-
vade the borders of my realm." (Cheers.) These were the
words of a queen ; and let him say to them—" you met the
attempt that was made in more recent days in a spirit worthy
of the land to which God has given such a line of sovereigns ;
you met that attempt as it ought to be met, and you vindi-
cated the land, you vindicated the cause of Scriptural educa-
tion ; and here in England you have provided by exertions
which God has blessed that there shall be no fetters upon
your Scriptures, that in your schools of national instruction
the voice of the Word of God sounds still." (Loud cheers.)
In a place like this, then, it became not him to speak of the
principle engaged in this cause ; but what had be done this
for ? To shew that we had done our duty but in part--that
we should not be satisfied. with merely protecting our own
people and rescuing our own land from the foul scorn, but
that we should, as far as we had the power, make the
principle not to be contravened that wherever the
British language was spoken the same principle that
gavefreedom to the human captive, should make that free-
dom blessed to him by leaving the Bible free. (Cheers.)
This was the work which we had to do, and it divided itself
into two parts. To show that it was right we should do it—
that there is nothing in the circumstances of Ireland which
can justify an abandonment of the Bible, and to show that
there was hope we could do it. There were men who told
us it was hopeless, and that because the powers that have
been, and the powers that be, are alike opposed to the scrip-
tural instruction of the people, so it was useless to contend
for it—it was useless to promote agitation in the hope of
establishing scriptural education. Dr. O'Sullivan then ad-
dressed himself to this point, which he successfully contro-
verted by showing, that there was in reality a desire for
scriptural education, among the people of Ireland, though it
was opposed by the Roman Catholic priesthood, and he
urged that when this desire was known to the administra-
tion, they must feel it incumbent upon them to meet it. •
The resolution was then carried.
The Rev. J. H. STEWART moved the second resolution;
which expressed the approbation of the meeting at the efforts
of the society, and pledged all present to support it in its
"",rts to spread true scripturalknowledge among the people.
M'NEILE seconded the resolution. 1

/, which Shalt provide religious instruction for

principle of scriptural education

xters of
and
find