passed. I, therefore, who am for the total abolition of tithes, voted for the abolition, in the first instance, of part only." I shall only trouble you with one other evidence of the anxious desire of Mr. O'Connell and his friends to co-operate with his Majesty's Ministers in the reform of the Church. It will be found in the Resolutions submitted by him to the General Association in Dublin, on the 19th of January last: "That it is the opinion of this Association, that it is the first duty of the representatives of the Irish people to realize, if possible, entire religious freedom for the Irish nation, in the next session, by obtaining, if that be practicable, the total abolition of the blood-stained impost of tithes." '—“ That, if it shall prove impracticable to obtain the entire abolition of tithes in the next session, then it is the bounden and sacred duty of our representatives to fall back upon the next best measure, the abolition of part, provided the same be accompanied by the appropriation clause."-" That in thus supporting the Ministerial plan of last session, or a more enlarged one, if practicable to enlarge it, the Irish Members do assert and maintain the principle that the entire should be abolished upon the first practicable occasion." Now, I would appeal to the common sense of every man who hears me, if those statements, assertions, and Resolutions are not a publicly placarded declaration of war against the Protestant Establishments of the country. I would appeal, my friends, to your principles as Christians, your consciences as men, your common sense as rational creatures, whether such statements, assertions, and Resolutions as I have read are not in direct opposition to the terms of the oath taken by Mr. O'Connell and the rest of the Roman Catholic Members of Parliament. Then, if so, they have forfeited the pledge which they hypocritically tendered to this Protestant nation, and been guilty of the grossest perjury. What, then, I would ask, is the duty of Protestants, consequent upon such a discovery? I must assert it, Sir, as my solemn conviction, formed after much serious reflection-formed upon a deliberate view of the whole question-formed as in the sight of the omniscient God—that it is the duty-the sacred, the solemn, the bounden duty of the Protestants of Great Britain, to demand with one heart and one voice their expulsion from those seats which they have so fradulently usurped. (Cheers, accompanied by the rising of the auditory, and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs for some time.) It is, I repeat it, the duty of the Protestants of this Christian country to demand-and to demand without delay, the repeal of the Act of 1829. To that duty, Sir, the Protestant Association has pledged itself, and it now calls upon this Meeting and the Protestant public to second its efforts. It calls upon every man and woman present, to entertain the design and to promote the effort. What is the nation to be doomed, session after session, to witness an exhibition of deliberate perjury, elevated to public observation upon a legislative platform? Is every moral and religious sanction which can give force to law, and security to society, to be publicly outraged by But the constitutionally accredited guardians of the State? Are we to sanction, in the framers of our laws and the constitutional guardians of the national morals, the public and shameless violation of truth, honour, and common honesty? And are we, Sir, to hear without indignation and rebuke a defence of such conduct, by the Prime Minister of the Crown? If the Christian and moral feeling of the nation has really sunk to such a pitch as can tolerate conduct like that which we have lately witnessed upon the part of statesmen, the Protestantism of England is hopelessly, irrecoverably gone-gone for ever. I feel assured, not only from the expression of feeling in this Hall, but from the utterance of the public sentiment upon the same subject in other places, that there is a righteous indignation arising in the country, which will soon vent itself in a language not to be misunderstood. We must, Sir, pledge ourselves to salutary Protestant agitation. We must agitate the repeal of the Relief Bill, from the centre to the circumference of the empire. We must unceasingly exert ourselves in this great Christian and constitutional effort, until the voice of Protestant Britain responds to our appeal. (Mr. Gordon sat down amid loud cheers, which lasted for a considerable time.) FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES. I. That the influence of true religion over a people forms the best security for their individual rights, and the surest basis of national prosperity. II. That the British Constitution acknowledges in its principle and laws the Sovereignty of Almighty God, and the Supreme Authority of his Holy Word, and has provided for the Scriptural Instruction of the people by its religious establishments. III. That in opposition to this principle of the Constitution, doctrines have of late been propagated, that religion is unconnected with the duties of Legislation, that in the eye of the State all religions are alike—and that support should be equally given or denied to all. IV. That under cover of these doctrines, the Members of the Church of Rome are zealously exerting themselves to destroy the Protestant character of the Constitution, and that the first object to which they direct their efforts, is the overthrow of the Established Churches, as forming the main obstacle to their ulterior designs. V. That to counteract these efforts, all who venerate the Word of God, and value the British Institutions, shall be called on to co-operate in pointing out to the people the peculiar dangers of the present time, and in taking measures to inspire them with a just sense of the blessings and benefits of the Protestant Constitution. RULES. I. That the Association be under the direction of a President, Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Committee, not exceeding twenty-five, who shall have the power of appointing Secretaries. II. That Annual Subscribers of Ten Shillings and upwards, and Donors of Five Guineas and upwards, assenting to the Fundamental Resolutions, be Members of the Association. III. That a General Meeting of the Association shall be held at least once in every year. IV. That the Committee be chosen annually, out of the Members of the Association. V. That the Office-bearers be, ex officio, Members of the Committee. VI. That the Accounts of the Association be audited annually, by three Auditors, to be appointed at the Annual Meeting. VII. That the Committee, of whom five shall be a quorum, shall have power to regulate all matters relating to their own Meetings, or those of the Association, to fill up vacancies in their body, and generally to conduct and manage the affairs and funds of the Association. Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the objects of the Association will be received by the Treasurer, Robert Williams, Esq., 20, Birchin-lane; at the banking-houses of Messrs. Herries, Farquhar, and Co., 16, St. James's-street; and Messrs. Hoare, 37, Fleet-street; also, by the following booksellers :-Messrs. Rivington, 3, Waterloo-place, Pall-mall, and St. Paul's Church-yard; Messrs. Hatchard, 187, Piccadilly; Mr. Nisbet, Berners-street; Messrs. L. and G. Seeley, 169, Fleet-street; Mr. Dalton, Cockspur-street; Mr. Baisler, 124, Oxford-street; Mr. Shaw, 27, Southampton-row; Messrs. Forbes and Jackson, Islington-green ; and by the Secretary, at the Office of the Association, No. 2, Exeter Hall. Macintosh, Printer, 20, Great New Street, London. SPEECH OF THE REV. HUGH MCNEILE, IN DEFENCE OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH, AT THE SECOND ANNUAL MEETINg of the prOTESTANT ASSOCIATION, AT EXETER HALL, MAY 10, 1837. THIRD EDITION. LONDON: PUBLISHED FOR THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION, BY HATCHARDS, RIVINGTONS, SEELEYS, NISBET, DALTON, BAISLER, SHAW, AND FORBES AND JACKSON.. 1839. No. X. [Price 2d., or 12s. per 100. |