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not despond , but hope . When he surveyed the course of public opinion , he saw the surface only affected ; the deep current beneath flowed on , and would flow on for ever . The shocks of tyranny assailed the great cause of freedom , only as a storm shook the mountain tree
to make it strike deeper root thau ever , and fix it more firmly against future hurricanes . The friends of liberty looked forward with confidence to the issue of their war with ignorance and oppression , because they had knowledge with them ,
and error could not withstand it . Truth , freedom and piety , shall finally and gloriously and universally and soon prevail . The worthy Secretary then , amid . st the loudest and most enthusiastic applause , concluded his able and eloquent address He had spoken upwards of three hours .
J . H . Brown , Esq ., LL . D , and barrister at law , observed , that as to the question of the legality of rating places of meeting for the poor , he was of opinion , that the proper way for Dissenters to obtain relief was open to them without any new law . Everv species of beneficial
pioperty was rateable to the poor . Beyond all doubt peisonal property was rateable , and the sole reason why it had been left altogether unrated , was because it was impossible to estimate its value . The parish officers of Manchester had never rated places of worship . They had
always acted too liberally . At Liverpool , where it was attempted , it was abandoned , because in the next article it was proposed to value all the shipping in the port . That was the manner in which , in all other places , Dissenters should resist such encroachments on their liberties .
The gentlemen who filled the benches at quarter sessions were not trained to all the niceties of the profession , anil it was not surprising , therefore , that a bench of Welsh justices . should have acted as stated by their able and eloquent Secretary . As to out-door preaching , he ( Dr . Brown ) was satisfied that it was no part of
the law that Dissenters should preach at any hour in any place they pleased . Their excellent Secretary had advised them to apply to Parliament for an act for the better explanation of the Toleration Act . Now he , ( Dr . Brown , ) speaking from his professional experience , was bound , in candour and justice to the Society , to state , y >^ at of all acts those which were
pas $ ftyjPfor amending other acts were the liiost perplexing and unintelligible . There was an ajk to amend and explain another consisting of only sixteen lines , and yet lie knew of five or six cases having 1 gone to the Court of King ' s Bench as to the meaning of those exphanarory lines . The fact was ,- the ingenuity of a lawyer , he was sorry * to say , would easily find , in any sixteen'lines of an explanatory act ,
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at least sixteen doubts . If he appealed to Parliament it should be to do away with toleration altogether . It was impossible , in the 19 th century , that men could be punished for exercising the rights of conscience . Nor was it enough not to subject him to punishment . He claimed to be exempted from every kiud of
penalty and prohibition . Every office should be open to men of talent and integrity , whatever their religious faith . In all cases where Dissenters entertained any doubt as to the feeling likely to prevail at the quarter sessions , he recommended a certiorari to remove the case out of the jurisdiction of the magistrates .
The Rev . M . Wilks , in a brief speech , complimentary to the noble Chairman , movedu That this meeting cannot separate without expressing their peculiar gratitude to the Right Honourable Lord Dacre , their liberal and much-honoured
Chairman , for his long and true attachment to the cause of civil and religious liberty , and for his past and useful efforts to promote permanent peace and constitutional reform , and all those public principles in public men , which will best render their native land admired , beloved and honoured throughout the earth . "
This resolution was most enthusiastically applauded , and their unanimous approbation of the conduct of the Chairman was testified by the whole assembly rising from their seats . The Chairman , as soon as silence could be obtained , said , that at no time
under no circumstances , was it possible to address such a meeting as that which then presented itself to his view , without considerable anxiety and agitation , which were not a little increased by his dread , that something in his conduct or manner had led to the conclusion that he had
felt impatient during the very interesting proceedings of the day . He had experienced , he assured them , nothing but gratification and delight . To his shame he confessed , that a meeting of tha £ important and enlightened character , which in future he should not fail regularly to attend , was unknown to him till he was
invited to it by a gentleman who had that day proved- himself to be one of the most enlightened , able and eloquent public orators of the country . He ( Lord IX ) couJd not but be most happy in acceding to the invitation , and proud he was that he had attended in pursuance of it . 13 y
the kindnes 3 of their Secretary he had received a copy of the resolutions then passed : When he received it he felt some difficulty as to the line of conduct he should adopt , not because he hesitated in expressing his concurrence with them in every--principle laid down jn-. theiay'but because he considered them as ^ o wmy
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310 Intelligence . —Protestant Society : Lord Dacre ' s Speech .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1823, page 310, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1784/page/54/
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