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    cc The Petition of the undersigned Protestant Dissenting Ministers , residing in and about the Cities of London and Westminster" Most respectfully shewetli , " That your Petitioners were not parties to the Petition for the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts during the last session of Parliament , but that they were convinced that such a repeal would open the doors to what is called Catholic Emancipation . " That your Petitioners are satisfied with , and thankful for , the privileges tliey enjoy , and they deprecate strongly the conduct of those who , under the name of Protestant Dissenting Ministers , become confederate with the Papists .

    " And your Petitioners do earnestly and humbly pray your honourable House not to grant any further concessions to the Roman Catholics , because they are convinced that the political power to which they aspire would be employed by them to the destruction of civil and religious liberty . < c And your Petitioners , as in duty bound , will ever pray that your honourable House may always enjoy all the blessings which our holy religion can impart . "—P . 25 .

    " The Petition is endorsed as ' the Petition of the undersigned Protestant Dissenting Ministers , residing in and about the cities of London and Westminster . ' All this it is perfectly competent for the parties to say , provided that they do reside in or about London and Westminster , and that they are Protestant Dissenting ministers in the usual acceptation of that phrase . Now we all know that London is a large place—that its fibres extend many miles around —and therefore we would give a considerable latitude to the vicinity of London . But I cannot conceive that London , large as it

    is , has yet got as far as Cambridge , or Gloucester , or Cornwall , and therefore would be glad to know whether the following * names are forgeries , or whether the parties have really approached the legislature of the country with a false pretence . f John Davey , Truro , Cornwall . ' Edward Parsons , Salem Chapel . ' Is this the Rev . Edward Parsons , of Salem Chapel , Leeds , or some person who has assumed his name and that of his place of worship ?* * Thomas Towne , Royston , Cambridge ^ s William Palmer , Dunstable ? 'William Thorpe , Tabernacle . ' Can ' this be our friend of Bristol ? Is it

    possible that in the violence of his zeal against Popery he has forgotten the place of his residence , or what is due to his character ? On what principle of common sense or integrity can persons , living hundreds of miles from the metropolis , subscribe a petition professing to be from the ministers of London and its neighbourhood ? There must be some fallacy in the matter ; for we have too much respect for the individuals whose names we have referred to , to suppose for a moment they would intentionally deceive . Had the petition from the London ministers been subscribed in this manner , it would have been easy to have added hundreds of names to it .

    " Whether a large proportion of the persons signing this petition are entitled to describe themselves as Protestant Dissenting- ministers , in the usual acceptation of that phrase , is a question not very easy to decide . That desig - nation is generally understood to apply to persons who have been educated for the ministry ; who have been , or are , regular preachers and pastors of churches , or who hold some office connected with the ministry among the

    Dissenters . It is descriptive of a class of public men , whose characters and profession are well known as ministers of the gospel . Far be it from me to say that this is not the case with those who have subscribed this petition . They may be all most learned , eloquent , and efficient ministers of ' large congregations , ' though , with the exception of ten or twelve , it has never been my lot to hear by any chance , the name of any one of the ninety-four .

    * Since the publication of the letter , an authoritative contradiction of Mr . Pareons having signed theipetition haw appeared in the World newspaper .

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    The Body . 431

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1829, page 431, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2573/page/63/