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that Protestant Liberty,' and then, expressing his disgust, immediately left the Chapel.

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“ Mr. Bateman came forward, and exhorted the Congregation to retire in peace; for, if not, the Trustees would employ force. With the exception of a very small number, those who were present obeyed this suggestion, and retired, some remaining in the yard to discuss the events of the morning, and the rest proceeding to other places of worship. The uproar was such as to defy our powers of description, and the females were so terrified that they fainted away on every side.

"We understand that the demands of Mr. Campbell and his friends are, that the Trustees shall be chosen annually by the Members in Society,-that they shall render an annual account of the state of the funds,—and that the appointment of the Minister shall be vested in the people. Mr. Campbell intends to continue to demand the pulpit, and to sue the Managers, at the expiration of the quarter; when, we presume, the matter will be referred to a Court of Law, if it do not, in the mean time, become the subject of a slower process in Chancery. Thus has the peace of two of the largest Congregations in London been, we fear, irremediably disturbed, by the assertion of a power which Churchmen will wonder to find exercised in a Dissenting Congregation, and that, too, by the honorary Secretary of the Society for the Protection of Religious Liberty! We believe that the whole of this account is substantially correct.”*

THE LATE MOORFIELDS UPROAR, AND J. WILKS, ESQ., M.P.-Is this the voluntary ssytem or is it not? If NOT, who are the leading voluntaries? Here we have a most disgusting exhibition in a place set apart for Divine Worship-an exhibition that would bring discredit upon a pothouse-men bellowing, women fainting-the hymn of praise drowned in a hiss-human passion silencing the accents of devotion-the vulgar ejacu lation, like an honourable bray in the House of Commons, interpolating "Oh, oh," to the words of prayer and penitence-and the whole scene more like the pit of a theatre than a temple dedicated to God; where the sighs of the wounded in spirit are the incense, and humility the symbol of contrition; even there coarseness and brutality-lawyers' clerks and indignant partizans mingle their voices as if at Greenwich fair, where

These are excellent specimens of some of the excellent proceedings resulting from the excellent system of Congregational Independency, but particularly from that excellent feature of it,-popular election. This is the system, too, which we are told is founded upon the Scriptures, and these are the people of "tender consciences," and who tell us that the Word of God is their only rule of faith and practice. Can such pretended Churches be Churches of Christ? Are such people the Servants of Christ? Are they not rather slaves to their own depraved passions? Can any person imagine that that system is of God, which, if followed out, leads in its "legitimate operation to the positive silence of an Evangelical Preacher?" Can that system be of God, which, if followed out, leads in its "legitimate operation," to the positive breach of that command, "go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel?" If it be of God, I ask again, shew us the parts of Scripture upon which it is founded-produce clear and express passages-passages to the point from the Word of God. Bring forth your strong reasons from that Holy Book, and they shall have that respect and humble deference which they deserve. But that is impossible, you know you cannot bring forward one single, clear, unequivocal text in support of Congregational Dissent-not one in support of the election of Ministers by the people; the whole system, in all its bearings, is founded not upon the rock of God's Word, but entirely upon the sand of human passions; and therefore it will not---it cannot stand: like other erroneous systems, which have long since bid the world good night, it may last for a time, and only for a time, it has no

liquor and licentiousness are equally abundant. If we can draw from the above very painful and disgraceful scene any instruction, it amounts to this, viz., that without a governing power Chapels would become as great nuisances as beer-shops. There was no act of homicide committed here as in an Irish riot. Mental agony was inflicted, but no lives were lost. The sensitive were astounded-the devout were horrified-the casual spectator was disgusted-the prophane were amused-the mere world-worshipper laughed. What cared the passer by, or the really pious, for the conflicting pretensions of Mr. Campbell and Mr. Mulley? It was a revolting spectacle altogether.-LIVERPOOL Standard.

principle of perpetuity about it. Many systems of religion have been invented by human reason, but never one so ridiculously foolish as yours; it is truly "a rope of sand;" it has not in it that principle of cohesiveness, without which no society, whether religious or political, can possibly hold together. It is founded in direct opposition to everything like unity. And no better could have been intentionally devised for the express purpose of counteracting the mediation of Christ, when, in behalf of all his disciples, he prays, "That they all may be one."* There is little doubt that Satan, the first Dissenter, did intentionally act with this view in setting it on foot, for he is the father of all heresy, schism, and discord. In short, the sinful notions, that every man has a right to choose his own Minister, and to worship God as he pleases, or not to worship him at all if he prefers it, are three propositions on which Infidelity is firmly based; they are destructive of all Christian worship and union, and consequently destructive of Christianity itself. Such a system, therefore, must be most dreadfully, and most dangerously wrong. And that it is so, I will in my next, endeavour to show, even from the testimony of Dissenters themselves. In the mean time,

I am Sir,

Your most humble Servant,

L. S. E.

* John, xvii. v. 21.

LETTER IV.

ON THE PRESENT STATE AND UNSCRIPTURAL NATURE OF DISSENT, AS SHEWN BY DISSENTERS THEMSELVES.

SIR,

I now proceed to shew as briefly as possible, and from the writings of Dissenters themselves, that your system of Congregational Independency is in a far different state, both as to its purity and prosperity, from what you wish to be generally believed. I do believe that the Jesuits have little more artifice to palliate the frauds of the Infallible Chair, than Dissenters have to disguise the errors and proceedings of the Conventicle. In Dissenting works, designed for more general reading, Dissent is extolled as the very pattern of purity and excellency, and as in a state of prosperity and glory; but in some other works, designed particularly and expressly for Dissenters, a very widely different tone is adopted; the truth then comes out--Dissent is then confessed to be in any thing but a flourishing condition, and every Dissenter is most earnestly exhorted, and almost commanded, to do his utmost in the employment of talents, time, and money, (the main spring of all,) to uphold "the Cause," and support the "Interest." The warmest and most intelligent friends of Dissent, and even some of its most

bigotted adherents, begin now, however, to discover and to acknowledge that Independency is fraught with many and great evils. They deeply feel, and bitterly lament, its numerous distractions and divisions. They groan under their baneful effects; they see them destroying the glory of" the Cause," and are anxiously desirous of applying a remedy; but they find it impossible; they see that the evils of the system flow naturally from the system itself, and admit of no possible cure without destroying the cause of the evils-the system itself. And many of the ablest of the Dissenters strenuously plead for the immediate and total abandonment of it, in hopes that some of the materials of which the "Interest" is at present composed, might be rendered useful in giving weight to a more substantial and a more sensible system. But of this their hopes are vain: for the notions of democracy have taken such deep root in the minds of their people, that they will never submit to any order or authority, or to the least encroachment upon what they have been so foolishly taught to consider their just rights. Some propose that the whole body of Non-conformists throughout the kingdom should form themselves into a sort of" consolidated union." Others advise county or district associations, or unions; but all to no purpose ; for the question is, and ever will be how are they to be" consolidated ?"How are they to be united ?-How are they to be bound together ?—All attempts to bind together a set of people who are ever taught that individually they have perfect liberty to do as they like, and are under no obligation whatever to attend to the dicta or advice of any mortal in existence, any further than it may please themselves, must ever be fruitless and vain. The people, I know of a surety, are most scrupulously jealous of the slightest appearance of domination on the part of their Teachers; and should they even be courted into some kind of a union, they know it is merely voluntary, and will consequently be united no longer than matters go on to please them, which is in reality just no union at all.

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