7 MARCH 1840, Page 7

The George Street Assembly-room in Edinburgh was crowded on Monday

last, by a meeting collected to address the Government on the coulliet of the Civil and Ecclesiastical authorities, and Site the immediate

settlement of' the question respecting tlw in of it into tha Church. Dr. Chalmers, the great champion of Non-littrusion, made a characteristic speech ; some striking passages of which we copy from the Edinburgh papers-

." We are members of' a civil and political community I, slow ; and in all things with regard to this relationship we profess, and by God's grace we will endea- vour to make good, our etitire subjection to its head on earth. But we anu at the same time members, and some of us ministers of a spiritual community ; and in all that relates to this relationship we profess, and also by Cod's grace shall make good, our entire subjection to its (1reat Head in heaven. We conic not here to sound the tram pet of disobedience, or make a boastful declaration of whom we disobey. We come to an assembly of our fellow Christians, to lift Hi your hearing a solemn proclamation of whom we do obey ; we stand before you SIM of the Church which Providence has set up in this realm for the christian good of the people. We profess to submit ourselves to her authority when we obey the commandment= Go and preach the gospel unto every crea- ture under heaven.' She, within the limit of her domain, passes her sacred or- dinances for the religious government of our Scottish parishes, for the religious and moral wellbeing of our Scottish families. This is our principle, and this

is the form in which we would propound that principle; but let there be no

mistake—let there he no disguise. Should any earthly power—should the Court of Session, vested with legitimate authority in the things of Caesar, stretch forth her hand to interineddle with those tanitatiaeh things of God— then, if the character of such an act receive its ilk-Lig-nation from the urgent principle which prompts to the perfinanance of it, let our act be named by what is our actuating motive—obedience to the head of the Church, rather than by what is not its actuatimt motive—disohedience to ths Court of Session. Still, whatever imputation be east on our iirinciples, let no imputation rest on our conduct. If the Church command :tint the Court coun- termand the spiritual services of any of our office-bearers, then it is the duty of all ministers and members of the Church of Scotland to do prceisely as they should have done if no interdict had come across their path. Such being the principle, and such the determination on the one it with equal demonstration on the other and opposite :hie, this emitest was inevi- table. What the result may be, it is impossible to 1,:11; l•ut we may at least notice the sanguine ealeulat bin of one who 1nay to termed the most relentless of our tulversaries, who has most signalitud himself both in the war of persecutions and in the war of panantlets, and who, with the various engmery of law at his command, of jr.•:•,:s after process and

interdict after interdict, is labouring Lod for the i.1 his own pro-

mise, that what firmness has done ls kre it will Now, my Lord, what is the precedent and pandit:I in 11: til ii bit it ]., he looks with so in tilt complacence and ttit'.nut liilcc to the future ? It is to the experieee.• s it-di-watered e.•ntury—that dreary period, at the commencement garden, and at the conclusion of whlelt ! t c. ti :•:: .•11 a moral and spiritual wilderness. That perhal it'. lit a 1,,,.: r yea,- -I tees perpe- tuated through a series of t g4k tia ii11, ve» from the

tabernacles they loved, neil the tines of the AIM in more

than half the pulpits of stetitland. 'nit it it •a as t: • in obsequious clergy, backed in (hit It tyrannical ,,.e:slohs ministers were forced tit the poiht of the latyeact ns. The cold,

jejune, „lifeless ministry which

:lig the church .,1:detv cm the hearts of our people, who heard, find I.in-d of their fathers, went to evang,•!1, ..: . ale. It is well that the lessons of a pure mat ik , there. ThiS alleviates lint cannot r,:,•,tiv 1:;if

„. place in the

clerfty of the establishoo ot. Every ti,:e1ine io I haist Iv 1, a :,teat national hist itio ion is sure to be follitived a t1eelen shin of itt t 0111- families; am/ in consequence we had in a great measere lost Ilk old characteristics of the Christian artient and village pattiareli ; thane eimit. • „1"....ies of the Scottish peasantry, which ean only flourish \.:,, I, 11., e is a s a.: s• si,a,11.isatirigttlourn; or deep pietv to uphold them. Mal ti II

Aml trhich at one time ovei spread the of the :

lids shows the gmelly upshot of such syste.i , 1,y :Che high !Mild ut MajOritit'Sjut 2ih.. (.11/11*C.:, . ThiS is the golden age which the enemies of our rt and re- establish, and, flushed with the Te111C1111:-.-I.C,.. ilath (MCC -. have they given forth this Wiltdil,(11'd 10 thca done, it will do tied. It must be admit r: ti •. thing in thig contemplation tittcd to disturh, if not to am - the last it holly into despair, let us carry an appeal fralo a .: c y entury to the tApeilelit,.. 0111' ; before. Let its g0 ii Cellthry kick t.1 t I I t t tiu 'theeill 11C (1111111iVI.I, it r:.1:1 10 ,e1,1 anti to :-.±co. its niir;:.:ot edi.1 ;1 I: First

of the Second Clittri..s; and, last c. (harks, and to 11:t ap its dark,: I, • . 1-.1 ;lens and moors, when pasteii hy 11;v ..st :,s1 monarch,

who, itt the react:leo of :1 ratiOn'S u. I n There wes :111firacs, :lett agewhich teo. followed, and width are mentioned \v.:: ,-esson of our se age from which \re desire to catch our • Church's degeneracy, left from :hat t c ittt its St Iliggleg, Which began in martyrdom, anil -1,1 a., religiotts aud civil libertits of the country,—v.-litil the vt neraliie : mattyrdom, and Argyll laid. hi, Iteml on the hiloec, and ttriiiuilmih I ,c lint 2U the torture, and Whell 10 the It-1, , • and of both sexe;, amidst the ertkitles vl -.• on the po- ' •.. • ■ of all ages potation. Ye5,111.-TO theP. I.ti I mu i tresolve, the unconquerable 1‘ ill,..,;!S mull CNC1/71,:i.. ..1 I.. t L.11 existed between the lir:linos; of principle end iit„;:1ui i .,-1 111.1V ellan,O its 141!), from the l•mits and the s,:::!vs 1 : . . of the seven- teenth celintry, to the tines alt,1 imprison:de a aT akes of the obeetesialt sittury. :Nlay the star:: of our tmecst,a's ilest mai on their children, and teaeli them nobly to dare and endure :el the contest their spiritual liberties: In one g'iorieus ri.triispect of those suffer- ings and triumphs we may gather str, mei) auk to OUT ad- versaries their own ha:tie-cry, tint \chat tirnincss In,t his II011e, it trill do :maim But let us never forget, my Lvi, thlt the same :dell tells us 20 (001 Ur, Inell and be strong., t :is 11; in Ili,. VA•I'., I tAl let all VOUS' things be done with charity. AlthottL.;i: i -- , d,•.:' t.1 ::!,. • kments of the