On this page
-
Text (1)
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
the British Constitution was , that all the subjects of the British monarch had equal rights ; and if George the Fourth was a truly British monarch , he would be anxious to give them . He held that it
was a libel on the king to say that he was uufriendly to the civil rights of any portion of his people ; and he trusted that we should ere long see it refuted by hjs sign manual to a bill . for the Emancipation of the Catholics . ( Cheers . ) The Duke of Wellington had recently told them that there were difficulties in the
way , and that these difficulties were very great . He could not , however , believe , that they were perfectly insurmountable . The chief difficulty was the reconciling the rights of the many to the feelings of the few ; but was this any difficulty in the way of men who were determined to do as they would be done by ? Was it a difficulty for a Christian nation to do an
act of justice ? Perhaps , in the very next session of Parliament , the Bishops might free the Duke of Wellington from all these difficulties ; they would tell the Lords that no temporary considerations should prevail against the immutable principles of justice and equity ; ( cheers and laughter ;) and it was to be hoped , that when my Lords Eldon and Wiuchelsea heard these admirable Christian
sentiments from the consecrated guardians of the Christian faith , they would acknowledge that their zeal had been too warm , and join in removing the scruples of their followers in the Upper House ; ( renewed laughter ;) for it was there , in the seat of hereditary wisdom , that they had the chief obstacles to apprehend . The
bishops would tell them that the measure Was one By which the Protestant interest could not possibly be endangered , if , by Protestant interest , they meant the interests of the Protestant religion ; and that , if dangers might accrue from it to the Protestant Establishment , their kingdosn was not of this world , and such considerations had nothing to do with religion . For his part , he could not see how
concession could trench on the integrity of the Protestant religion . Nay , these gentlemen must be aware that , by the continuance of these restrictions , they obstructed the progress of Protestantism . How was it possible , he would ask , that the Catholic , suffering from generation to genera tion under the Church , supporting it , and deriving no benefit from it , should love that Church ? Could he believe that the Church was interested about his
salvation that denied him the rights of a man ? yCheers . ) He held , that the way to advance the Protestant religion was to re-
Untitled Article
move the Catholic disabilities . There were a great many societies who had been engaged in the work of converting the Catholics ; but they had only riveted the chains which they pretended to break . And why "was this — why had they not succeeded ? Because almost every man who ^ i ad distinguished himself in the
attempt was an enemy to the civil rights of the Catholics . No , the Catholic said , you pretend that your object is to save my soul , and confer an everlasting benefit upon me;—that may be ; your professions are large , but the accomplishment ; of them is doubtful ; but , as an earnest of . your good-will , will you grant those civil rights which will be of great and
immediate service to me here ? No , is the reply ; you are unworthy to receive such a boon ; I will not give you the rights of a freeman , but I will give you salvation . Precisely such was the language which the conduct of our converters spoke to the Catholics . They asked for bread , and they gave them a stone ; they asked for a fish , and they gave them a serpent . ( Loud cheers . )
Men could not be converted unless they were fairly treated . If he v » ere about to make a convert , and were to commence by tying him neck and heels upon the floor , the subject of his polemics would not feel himself in a very comfortable situation ; he would say , 1 am perfectly able to argue with you , but do not feel disposed for argument in my present situation ; have the kindness to remove these cords . If I refuse ; if I tell him
plainly that he shall not be unbound till he is converted , tha . t he must emancipate himself , I may talk over him to eteruity , without producing any impression . ( Cheers . ) But if I assent to the fairness of the proposition ; if I place him on an equal footing—if we stand on the ground of our common humanity , my arguments
will have a fair chance ; a man not wronged can scarcely look fairly in the face of his fellow-man without being moved with some sympathy for him ; no hostile feeling steels the mind against conviction ; and I thus may icake a convert of a man by kindness , where , by a contrary treatment , 1 should have hardened him in error . There can be no
conversion till there is justice ; if this were conceded , the Catholics might then in time merge in tlie Protestant churches . He should delight to see them so merged ; lie did not , he could not approve their religious tenets ; he wished to see them converted , but the first step to their conversion must be to grant them their civil rights . ( Immense cheering . ) This
Untitled Article
138 Intelligence . —Sat / ord Chapel Anniversart / .
-
-
Citation
-
Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1829, page 138, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2569/page/66/
-