^. w, ,0. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ 4rs V] ^ /}. A # A m v^ ^ y^ <^ - la 2.2 .If 1^ 2.0 1.8 1.4 1.6 Photographic UljlClU-iCO Corporation ^< .^< \\ % .V signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffi&rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 d partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE SUPEEMACY OF THE BOVEREIG A. SER. MOIST PUKAOHID IN TBR <#KX AIR AT THE GeOVE ADJOmiNtJ THK RlOHMOSO iliLh Railway Static H, OS iMi. .:24th May, 1855; being the Thirty -sixtji Anmvbe8ak.y of thb BraTK-nAY of la Post iratifltts ilajtsli tfeen. iictom; THE REV. J. GILBERT ARMSTRONG, B. A., (irnVMUmr OF WGOD-«MBOE AK» TUr.T.AMORE 5 one of the «RAND^HAPt.AIIM i>V THE OllANOE INSTnOTION Of BBM ..I NORTH AMfHIOA : COUNTY CHA»I.«m YORfC AND PKBL: CHAVI.AIN AND KNiaHT CO«PANIrt« OT THE ROYAr, OROBR OP THE SCABtET FOR LIS COUJaTf or YORK, EtXJ., Wre., ET€.) TORONTO: OMPfiONT A CO., ■PRlNTBim KlPfO STHRF.T BAST. ^1855. THE SUrREMACY or THE SOVEREIGN. A. SERjMOnsr Pai;ACHED IK THR OPEN AIR AT THE GrOVE ADJOININQ THE RICHMOND Hill Railway Station, on thk 24th May, 1855 ; being the Thirty-sixth Anniversary of the EiRTH-DAT of ftr ilast §vmm Ifejtstg ^mm WxMr, BY THE REV. J. GILBERT ARMSTRONG, B. A., (incumbent of wooo-BRicee and tdllamore ; onb of the orand CBAPLAiNa or THE ORANGE 1N8TITDTI0N OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA I COUNTY CHAPLAIN OF YORK AND PEEL: CHAPLAIN ji ND KNIGHT COMPANION OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF THE SCARLET FOR THE COUNTY OF YORK, ETC., ETC, ETC.) ! 1 TORONTO: THOMPSON d( CO., PRINTERS, KINO STREET EAST. X855. PREFACE. At a meeting of the Orangemen of the District of Toronto, (held, according to notice, on the 29th May, 1856,) at which were present, the Grand Master, the County Master of York, several Masters of Lodges, and other Grand Officers and Mem- bers of the Institution, a resolution was unanimoudy carried, requesting me to furnish to a Committee, (to be immediately ap- pointed,) the manuscript of the discourse which I had preached on the Queen's Birth-day, at the Richmond Hill Railway Station, in order that it might be printed and puLhshed by the Institu- tion. In this request — expressed in most polite and flattering language — and procee<:ling from so high a channel — I felt it my duty to acquiesce. But the sermon having been delivered extemporaneously, and no portion of it having been previously committed to paper, excepting the mere heads of the subject^ I have been obliged to reduce it to writing, from the notes of a Reporter, who happened to be present when it was preached, and by the aid of a memory by no means the most faithful Should, however, the proofs and arguments herein adduced, be the means of awakening an investigation amongst Romanists, into the absurd and unsci iptural doctrines and practices of their religion; of staying, omon^^i professing Protestants, those who are wavering in their profession of allegiance to their Sovereign, and of "strengthening those who do stand," I shall consider myself more than re-paid for the time and study which its pre- paration has involved. X GILBERT ARMSTRONG. Christ's Church Parsonage, ) • Wood-bridge, Vaughan, j* June 2nd, 1865. THE SUPREMACY OF THE SOVEREIGN. / Peter il 17. "Fkar God— HoNoua the King.** On the present anniversary of the nativity of our most Gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Victoria, it is to me, my brethren, a- subject of the deepest gratification, to be, by a gracious Provi- dence, permitted to address so large and orderly an assemblage of my fellow Christians, upon the duty which we, as loyal sub- jects of her Majesty, are now desirous to discharge, in the most becoming manner. To us, and all who have the privilege of living under the broad and glorious canopy of the British constitution, — a con- stitution, remember, the most excellent and auspicious of all others, because the most agreeable to the example and dictates of Holy Writ, — it becomes a duty of no mean importance, to hail every event which calls to the recollection past favours from the hands of our all- wise Creator and supreme Governor. And, therefore, is it our special duty, at this time, with joyful and grateful hearts, to commemorate the birth-day of our beloved Queen ; who, from the period of her accession, down to the pre- sent eventful crisis, has ever swayed the sceptre with "justice and mercy," over the iand of our forefathers, as well as over this portion of her Majesty's other dominions. The passage of Scripture which I have now placed before you, involves, in the most explicit and convincing language, this important duty ; to which I would invite your serious attention. The apostle Peter, in our text, seems fully to sustain that character which divines usually give him, of bringing forward 6 the most prominent duties in the most "terse" and emphatic language. The text embraces, in a few words, doctrines of grave chflracter nnd respond*! bility. In the first place, we are commanded to " fear God ;" and in the second, to " honour the king." And, as the style of St. Peter's composition so much, in many places, resembles that of ^t. Paul's; so we find that, like that great apostle, not only does one sejitence refer to a preceding, but, in many instances, the one is so closely linked to the other, in its meaning and construction, that it would be hard to separate the one from the other, without material detriment to the instruction sought to be conveyed. Indeed, we might justly go farther, and say, that, at times, it would seem as if certain passages were in- dissoluhly connected ; and that a separation would altogether endanger the doctrines involved. And surely, if, in any one passage more than another of his valuable epistles, the observation holds good, that before us is the example ! Such is the grand and beautifully expansive genius of our "pure and undefiled religion," — such its wide and comprehensive character, that when, with the " heart, and soul, and strength," we love our God, and, as His creatures, render Him a wilHng and ready obedience, by this veiy act w o, at the same time,, discharge all our duties to our fellow-beings, whatever may be their rank or station in this world. God is holy, wise, just, and gracious ; and, therefore, when He is pleased to adopt us as His children, and when we are enabled confidently and faithfully to look up to Him as our Father, and to endeavour, by His grace, implicitly to do His will, and imitate His divine exampie, we are, in pursuing such a course, not only discharging our duty to our heavenly, but also to our earthly* parent and sovereign ; that is, so far as weak and fallible beings can discharge their duty. But let us proceed, at once, to consider th* two-fold duty contained in our text: Firetly, by ascertaining what ia meant by ^^ fearing God/* and and Secondly, wbat we are to understand by ^^ honouring our Queen." I. To ^fear Ood" must, from what we have already observed, be laid down as a command of the first and greatest importance; and, consequently, to despise Him, on the other hand, or to reject His laws, a crime of the most heinous and awful nature and consequences. But what is to "foar GodT' Is it to tremj)le with awe, indescribable, at the bare thought that such a Being exists! la it, with feelings of consternation, to shriek and flee when dan- gers, dark and appaling, seem to overshadow our teirestrial pilgrimage ? The man who is buried deep in the mire of heathenism, dreads the very idol to which he attributes the agency of every awful catastrophe; be that idol the sun, or moon, or any other imaginary deity ! The untaught savage feels alarm at the fleet and sudden flash of the vivid and briUiant lightning; and is, aa it were, struck dumb, as, far and near, he hears the thunder'* rolling peal ! The poor, wandering Indian, — a stranger alike to civilization, as to the blessings of the everlasting gospel, — becomes terror-stricken, as the huge trees of his rude fcrest-home yield their instant obedience to the hurricane's turbulent and destruc- tive mandate ! But, my brethren, are these evidences of this portion of our text,— of the " fear of God ? " Oh, no ! they cannot be. When St. Peter tells us to ^^fear God," he means (as the words might be more intelligibly, and perhaps more literally^ *.ranslated) to honour God, — to prize him above all others, — ^to esteem him as a being deserving of the highest adoration, — to obey him as the only Sovereign " worthy (as St. John says) to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." In short, to pay him homage as the majestic Architect and supreme Governor of all things in heaven and in earth, — the " King of kings and Lord of lords." This is what it is to " fear God," according to the Scriptures; which, we believe to be our sole and unerring guide in the paths I of duty. And the more carefully and seriously we "mark, learn, and inwardly digest" tbem, the more clearly will we be enabled to see our duty ; and, therefore, learn to fear God as He would have us fear Him. The whole of His revelation presents to our view and contemplation, one transcendently b .aitiful and instructive picture of all that He hath done, to unfold to us His omnipotent and omniscient character,— that He is our " God and King" from everlasting to everlasting. The very creation of this world which we inhabit; of worlds of which we know but little;— yea, of worlds of which we know nothing;— the creation of our first parents; the once lovely and blissful habitation of Paradise ; the vaulted heavens with all their resplendent glories; the whole of earth's treasures, animate and inanimate; could we analyze and understand with tolerable accu- racy, these or even tl 3 simplest of them, would furnish us with an inexhaustible aj'gument of the power and majesty of Deity and inspire us to fear Him, honour and obey Him, in our true position as the humblest of His creatures. But we must pass on to the latter portion of our subject which commands us to honour the King; especially as a topic flowing from the former and one most worthy of our reflection on this memorable and propitious anniversary. II. We have stated that the first duty involves the second ; or in other words, that if we fear God, we must as a matter of course honour the King. Why then proceed now to prove the latter portion of our text? A moment's reflection will show us that the answer is plain and intelligible. We cannot lose sight nor fail to be convinced, of the fact that the duty of fearing, (or oheying) God, involves at the same time the duty oi honouring the King, or Queen; inasmuch as the diity of rendering submis- sion to our earthly Sovereign is one strongly approved of and in fact commanded and enforced hy Almighty God Himself But my Brethren, when we consider the weakness of the human understanding—how sloiv we are to follow a direction, unless it is again and agiin laid down, exnlainod and Anfmoprl • flmn xxAW we see the necessity of establishing each p^int with the greatest clearness, and of giving text after text to convince, even the humblest comprehension, that the latter duty, is one flowing dii'ectly from the former. Such a course indeed characterizes the sayings of our Blessed Lord Himself; and in the writings of His Apostles, are every where seen, proofs of the duty of unfolding, in the most intellir gible form, God's will to His creature man. Let me proceed then to show you the Scriptural ground, both from the old and New Testament, on which we base the doctrine of our allegiance to our earthly Sovereign ; as well as further briefly to exhibit evidences from holy writ of the marked displeasure of the Almighty against a disloyal or rebelliom spirit. In the first place, if we retrace the line of old Testament his- tory, we shall find that from the call of Abraham down to the coronation of Saul— a period of about 800 years — the Hebrew, or Isrjelitish, nation were under a Theocracy, or the immediate government of God. He regulated their labour, enacted their laws, (both civil and ecclesiastical) and gave effect to these laws by punishing the wicked and rewarding the good ; and from thence appointed earthly kings and judges for the regular admin- istration of His extraordinary Providence. And to show the high respect which was due to Sovereignty and the exalted estimation in which the Kingly office was to be held, we find abundant proof in the history of the prophet Samuel. When it pleased the Almighty to give to the people a King, Bamuel anoints Saul, and says to them " See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people" ? And all the people shouted and said God save the King! And again, during the reign of Saul, we find David» although he had at times been ill-treated by the monarch, paying the greatest possible allegiance to his majesty. He frequently speaks Sovereign jn, auutiitcu ^■w%M ^^vki-k iB^£«fni-ki mfty be citedj from the many others, to show not only this^ but % 10 the manner in which those wei-e punished who raised the sword against the King. When the Amalekite had slain Saul, David on hearing the melancholy news rent his clothes; and he said to the young man (the Amalekite) " how wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed ? And David called one of the young men and said, go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David 8aid unto him, thy blood be upon thy head ; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, Saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed.'* Again in the book of Exodus we have Moses laying down, amongst the laws which the Israelites were to observe, that of submitting to Supreme authority. He there (xxii chap.) says « Thou shalt not curse the rider of thy people." And again Solomon, \h^ wisest of men and tho last of the Kings of the " Utiited Monarchy;' says (in Ecclesi- astes X. 20) " Curse not the ^%, no not in thy thought; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wing-g shall tell the matter; and in the book of Proverbs he says to hia Son (xxiv. 21) " Fear thou the Lord and the King; and meddb not with them that are given to change." Instances, almost numberless, might be further adduced to prove the obedience, or allegiance, due to the Sovereign, not only from the books already named but also from those portions of the old Testament which give us the history of the separate Kings of Judah and of Israel; as well as of the whole Jewish people until the period of our blessed Lord's nativity. But it is our duty, in justice to our subject, to see what is said on tho duty of loyalty in the Mw Testament records. And here, in the very opening Gospel, have we the command of our Saviour himself :_« Render, (He says,) unto C^^ar the things which are Cesar's; and unto God the things which are God's." St. Paul tells the Romans, (xiii. 1,) to " let every soul be sub- ject unto the higher powers." For, (he says,) « there is no power but of God ; the powers that be, are ordained of God. Whoso- ever, therpforp I'pcJcfiifU fU/j y^^..r«.. :-j.-ii ii f , !,_.?.,,^^,u tne pviTci, rusisLULii me oramanctj of God; and they that resist, shall receive to themselves dauma- f i "*. 11 tion." Wlierefore, ye must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. In the same Apostle's first letter to Timothy, (ii. 1 and 2,) he says, " I exhort, thorefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men ; for Kings and for all that are in authority ; that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.^ In addressing an Epistle to Titus, the same illustrious apostle enjoins upon him to put those under his charge in mind to be sub- ject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, and to be ready to every good work. And in a former part of the epistle, from whence our text is selected, (13 and 14,) St. Peter says, « submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake; whether it be to the ICin^j as supreme, or unto Governors, aa unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil- doers, and for the praise of them that do well:" and in the verse of our text, he says : — " Honour all men— Love the Brother- hood—Fear God— Honour the King:' Where, then, is there the slightest ground for exception to the duty of loyalty ? Do not the passages which I have already quoted— and there are many others on the subject, in the Bible— prove in the plainest and most comprehensive language, that we are bound as a duty—^ high and holy duty, because enjoined by God Him- ge]f_io pay allegiance to our King or Queen, as the case may be, — to that monarch whom Providence may think fit to entrust with the reins of our country's Government. But, not only is Holy Scripture most expressively clear on this duty, but also therein have we remarkable instances throughout, of a rehellious spirit meeting, not only with the disapprobation, but the actual punishment of the Almighty I The very fact recorded of our first parent's rebellion against his Creator and Sovereign's injunctions, ought to be sufficient to strike with awe those who would dare indulge in the exercise of a like obstinate and sinful principle ! The wicked antediluvians be- come more and more hardened and insubordinate; and they per- ish beneath the awful deluge, w -nch the anger of a just God poured storm-the awful precui^or ofhis anser-rend! 1 « ''^'' ""■ «nd the host of "blood-stained PhaS- T^Jl^ZtT'' thousands ofS,i;i isv :— l'^"^ "^ cut down by the hand of th« ai • ux . ■^^•^^"tes, who were So far, then, hare we seen from the word of truth fl,«t Jf ■ duty which adn,its of no modification, that we^el fl^^. " just requirements." ^' "' "^^"^ ""'«'^^ *» ">-" !"« But there is one point which must be strictly Wt • • by those who would desire to do wli '^w' rrl^S he subjec of my discoune; and that point I h vreLefvour^ clearly to lay down in the observations whi,-!, T , "''*™'"^ made this day in your hearin„ ad 5 received mstruction from Him, on eve^ "jot and il" „f « r:: M rr'^"- ^°"' '^ ""= ^'^^^, a^d 2t'' 'I'^.-'IT'^ ^°^ ""'-'^ «- ""'y '"'■«h I »- this e.n i,».u.u,any conquering, but also every other duty devolvns upon us as professors of Christianity; then are we >,■ 13 most reprehensible, should we in anywise slight it, or treat it with indifference and contempt. But, my brethren, so far as you, as a body, are concerned, I have no reason to ask you whether you consider the authority which 1 have this day quoted, as valid, or otherwise. I know that as pro- fessing members of Christ's Catholic or Universal Church, you hold the Bible as the only guide for your conduct ; and that you believe that " whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not required of any man that it should be believed as an article of Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." Yet, there are others, in this, as well as in the land of our fathe]*s — I regret to say mant/ othere — who differ from us on this subject of the first importance; many who, while they profess to hold the Bible as God's revelation, and to attach to it the highest importance; nevertheless, so strain its passages, gloss over many of its most direct injunctions; and so accommo- date to themselves whatever they please of i<^s contents, (to suit their own peculiar creed and discipline,) that it appeal's a sort of mockery to appeal to it at all, as even a portion of the stand- ard of their belief. And, moreover, my brethren, in addition to all this, the persons to whom I allude, take in numerous 07'al traditions, (the authority of which is most questionable^ to form an addition to the Bible, and with the Bible to complete their religious creed. Now my object in making these remarks, towards the conclu- sion of my discourse to-day, is to show you, before we separate, that the duty of loyalty, as it is clearly laid down in the Bible, cannot be faithfully held by those do not take that sacred book as the only Standard of their religious faith. The class of Christians to whom I have just alluded denominate themselves the Church of Rome ; and I am ready to show you that they cannot, to be true to their creed, yield to our most gracious Queen the allegiance which the Scriptures demand of her subjects. The Romish creed, lays down that the " Pope is Supreme^^ — that he has universal authority (nof jurisdiction merely over Rome, but over all the world) ; that he is the sue- 1^, n,y Brethen. it requires „o argun.e„t to pr v ^ you t£"' rehg,on wh,ch reoogni.es no o„. o. ,„,,/« 1 'X ^"^ ^ /■op., cannot recognize the Queen's mpremacv IZllV /o«WA cen ury for example, all bisbops were pronounced eaual- wiri'tf:;':* """-"^ ""^ Bisbop'of ConstlntSl' was oflered by the Emperor Mauritius the tiUe of Univelal ^p ; Grego>7 the Great, of Rome, burst out infunZZ^ ZllTL *'^"''^-<^. «"'*-%. -d said that CZ ^mehr^t !! Strange language you will say, my Brethren from he l.ps of one who, if we believe modem'' EoLnfeteS Papists) was a successor of St. Peter and inherited as such thi. universal power and title! But the truth of the matter is simply that asthe city of Rome grev. « importance, so did ler Bishop, until at last he LZ the ^ou„r and tule which now his votaries give him with X< submission^, me .M power strongly advocated in the notrf ous decrees of the Papal Council of Tren^ which bears the m„tm date of the sixteenth century. "io^ern But that Papists cannot be, (in adherence to their creed) loval subject. IS not only clear from their belief itself; but is also shown fmm *\yr.\« 1-.-^ - - '^ ^ >-'uv ^O «JOU ^ .BGh .u«a„c;i engraven on the pages of history ^^ere we find that wherever and whenever Bomish power can 16 he manifested, there and then without exception^ is tlie subjuga- tion of the monarch to Papal obedience sought to be established. If you would have evidences of this assertion, take up the history of any country in Christendom which pope^-y has visited, and examine for yourselves. Read over the history of England for example. Go as far back as the twelfth century and what will you find ? The Pope exercising his assumed power over the monarch John, forcing him to give to him and his successors the very Kingdom of England; to pay him an enormous tribute and acknowledge him his master! Pass on to the beginning of the sixteenth , century and you find Henry VIII shaking off the power of .Rome, which struggles for the ascendancy. Examine then, towards the middle of the same century, the history of the days of Mary, (called bloody on account of the awful scenes of butchery which were caused by her almost inhuman cruelties.) Then will .you find popery rampant — Mary the wicked Pontifi^s contempti- f ble sli^ve, following out his wishes through his cardinal, who now , a legate from the holy see, and in the chief city of her dominions, (Communicates to the nominal Queen her master'' s stern and (haughty commands. Turn then to the close of the aeventeenth century and you will find an agent is transmitted to Rome by ithe bigoted and ignominous James Second^ to declare his sub- mission to Romish dominancy. Nor in England alone are there to be found evidences of Papal assumption and despotic rule. Ireland, too, has furnished a dark and melancholy history of Popish arrogancy. The disaffection of tho period of James the Second — the awful rebellion of 1798 — the attempt to throw off allegiance to the crown in 1848 (o^ which I was myself a wit- ness) will all be found to be the fruits of the pernicious seeds of Papal dogmas; and all their horrors and massacres will but serve to exhibit the efforts of a people, the majority of whom, are taught, by Popish doctrines, to place the Papal standard in the citadel of our Protestant Queen and '■^faitKs Defender^ These are but a few sketches to illustrate and establish a sub- which volumes ject upon might they X believe, more than sufficient to convince us that where Popery 16 exists, there also mtist exist disaffection — that the very doctrine of the " Papal supremacy^'' and the rigour with which that doctrine must be enforced^ according to the genius of Romanism, is calcu- lated to strike at the very root of Sovereignty itself, and to render the monarch d mere nommaZ occupant of the throne, denominated, perhaps, by them, through policy, the '■'•head of the constitution^'' but in reality as powerless as the meanest of her subjects. Such is Romish doctrine, and such the effects of Romish government ! But it may be said that there are some Papists who are good and loyal subjects ; and perhaps to be found in that assemblage before me to-day doing honour to their Queen. If there are, there will be found none more ready and forward than myself to congratulate them in the discharge of ao high and exemplary a duty ; simply because if I find them so acting, I have then some hopes that they are being led to see the apos- tacy oi their creed and to renounce the superatitious mummeries in which they have been practised. And if the errors in which Papists have been so blindly trained were more boldly and carefully explained on such occasions as the present, I doubt not but that many would forsake their modern and un-scriptural tenets and morose, bigoted, and almost heathenish practices; and endeavour to serve the One living and true God, as alone worthy of adoration ; as well as to pay faithful allegiance to the earthly monarch. But, my Brethren, to conclude. Let me congratulate you this day on youi goodly numbers, and your praiseworthy deportment. What sight is, or can bo, more lovely and attractive than a throng of Christians, assembled together to hail the birth-day of their Sovereign by a religious service — to bend the knee in humility " before Jehovah's awful throne ;" to ask Him to spare our beloved Queen — " long to reign over us" — to thank Him for having caused the true light of the gospel to shine in our land, dispelling the clouds of Papal darkness from our hearts and understandings. A&true an 2 faithful subjects we protest against Romish apos- tacy ; and thousjh our forefathers have bequeathed to us the legacy of a sound faith ; let us not think that it was exclusively ^-^ )> 17 given /or ourselves, but labour zealously that others even in our own days may share in its advantages ; and that untainted it may be handed down to our children and children's children. Nature seems this joyous day, my brethren, to favour our loyal and happy congregation. The stately trees around us, in this sequestered grove, seem to bend over us their wide-spread boughs, clothed with their rich summer foliage, as if to screen us from the heat of the mid-day sun. No storm, with violence, disturbs us in the contemplation of our duty and our privileges. No sickness, loads the atmosphere with its enfeebling and death- bearing contagion. No civil commotion plants its seeds of per- turbation in our hearts and minds: peace and unity, and brotherlv love, seem, on the contrary, to cement each heart to heart, and hand to hand, in our happy and contented assemblage. There are many, my brethren, who, no doubt, would speak of our congregating here to-day, with terms of the utmost ridicule and contempt; and who, did power and influence enable them to accomplish their desires, would have us, if possible, for ever scattered from each other's society ; but even the approbation of such could not be esteemed by us as of any advantage or con- sequence; for those who could treat with indifference an injunc- tion so ancient and scriptural as the allegiance to the Sovereign, are unworthy of the ver^j name of men, or of christians. Others there are, who, while they would have us esteem them for their loyalty to the Queen, and their respect for the laws of our con- stitution, are all the while but wearing the mask to achieve an object; and who, could they attain their darling purposes, would show themselves at once in all the deformity of their anti-con- stitutional deception, and having clambered to the eminence, would, perchance, according to ancient precedent, kick the Crown from off a British Monarch's brow ! Let us not for a moment flatter oui-selves with the idea that Rome is not what she had been. Let us not imagine that she • is idle or indifferent at the present. She is c-cr awake, ever active; watching with intense aesiru lu gm tn. a.-. — ,.- And if Protestants are not forward in taking the vantage ground, 18 if their sentinels are not continually at their posts, if like mighty ^ men of christian valour, they do not, by their action and exam- ple, contend for the pure faith — the "faith that was once delivered to the Saints" — they may have good reason, by and .by, to regret their apathy and drowsiness; too late will it be ihQw to endeavour to recover their position, when a wide spread gloom shall have obstructed their path, and the sword oi per- secution guaided them in on every side. "We should, this day, thank God, my brethren, that such an awful state of things does not now exist, though it may be apprehended ; but that the glorious and uninterrupted rays of Gospel light shine in our favoured land; and that we are per- mitted by the mercy and loving-kindness of God, to celebrate the Birth-day of our Protestant Queen, in peace and quietness: in peace, while the glittering sword of war, in a foreign land, stands unsheathed, full-drawn, portending desolation ! in quiet- ness; not the serfs of despotic rule, but under the limited govern- ment of our amiable and beloved Victoria, who, as a " nursing mother," (in the language of Scripture,) is not too high exalted on the throne of royalty, to visit, and converse, and sympathise, with the poorest and most needy of her subjects; yea, and grant them every assistance which they may require. But, why need I enforce upon you, my Brethren, true, loyal, and Protestant principles ? Does not your very attendance here, and the attention which you have so far paid to this day's services, now near their close, give strong and unerring proofs of your heart- felt convictions on the subjeect? I have only to look at those flashing banners around me, now unfurling in the genial breeze, to learn your principles — those banners bearing upon them mot- fos and embhms of your Orange cause, glorious with life — and to feel, as I love to gaze upon them, that whatever others have done, OT may do, you have not iovgei\jen past deliverances Long may your notle and loyal order flourish, (my brethren.) Long f. may you live to wear, on this and all other memorable occasions VOUr Scarlpi.. Qra-ncta a-nA "Rlno Tn^t>.:^^:^ «,1,:^T. V- j-u-«. >- J v-i-.—^-.j ,„,^^ i-JiU\j j-fiaii/ivcxj, TT iliCil XiaVC WCVUr foded, tiiough oft fearlessly exposed to sun and storm— ever €' 19 remembering that they are the bright and glowing marks of an Institution, whose principles are based on the word of Ood alone— evev remembering that they are the colours under which your fathers fonght and bled, to maintain truths unity, and love — to maintain Protestant Ascendancy and no Surrender! And you, my brethren, who, though not belonging to this institution, nevertheless uphold, with then?, the Protestant creed; and who are ready, on every occasion, to unite with them In de- fending both Church and Statk from hostile attacks,— whether of a moral or physical character ; you, I would exhort to " stand fast," in your holy religion, — believing it to be the religion wliich, under God's blessing, has withstood the nipping frosts of many a severe and stormy winter, — the .vily attacks of many a bitter and misguided foe; to bo the eligion against which (according to the Saviour's own prediction) the "gates of hell ^all never prevail." Be thus UNITED and seek God's grace to succour you, and lead you to read and understand His holy word — to enlighten and encourage you — ^believing it to be the corner stone of your Christian edifice. Be this your course, and then darkness shall flee before you — rebellion and persecution shall never cross your way, nor do you hurt ; then shall you go on "conquering and to conquer," till at length, under the blessing of Jehovah, if not in your own days, in the days of those who shall follow you, the prediction of old shall be fulfilled—" Babylon the Great shall M, — ^fall — never to rise again I"