The Caledonian

THE CALEDONIAN.

Christian Alliance.

This is an association for the spread of the light of Christianity in those places where the Gospel has been withheld from the people. Its anniversary was held in New York recently. The following were the proceedings of the fifth day, and they show the reader the object and purposes of the association:

Rev. Dr. Bacon, of New Haven, seconded the motion for the adoption of the resolution offered by Bishop James.

'I never expected to succeed a "Bishop." This duty gave him a pleasure he never expected. This is strong evidence of the faithfulness and character of this "Christian Alliance."

I trust the time is not far distant when a Methodist Bishop will lay hands in the Capitol of the Roman Empire. This is a most remarkable age.

What have you not witnessed in the shape of change, [addressing Dr. Beecher,] when contrasted with that of my life, which is but little more than half the length of your own.

The next stage of the progress of opinion after what has transpired during the last half century, must be that of universal religious liberty: other freedoms will be jeopardized, unless this becomes an added and universal. One of the signs of the times, throughout the world, is the spirit of inquiry at the present day. Religious freedom will become predominant in Europe, and become incorporated with the Government. It is the want of religious freedom which causes Europe to disgorge its surplus population upon this Protestant country. Hence it is that emigration sets so strongly from Catholic countries toward our own shores. England is suffering from the surplus population of Ireland, which she is forcing from the down-trodden fields of a land she has oppressed for six hundred years, into that beautiful country.

So with Switzerland. That land, with its free institutions, is jeopardized by the vast influx of men from oppressed Catholic countries. Religious freedom!—What is it? The right of private judgment,—and this is what this Society proposes to teach and enforce for men to act and think under their responsibility to God.

We need to bring home to our minds the remembrance of the beauty and loveliness of religious freedom. We are not going to plot and conspire to propagate religious freedom. Others may do this, but we do not act secretly and craftily as the Jesuits do in the promotion of their dogmas. We pride ourselves on our openness—it is our boast. Now is the time for action. The few years to come, we know not how few are the favored ones we have for the discharge of this duty. The thrones of Europe, how precarious their permanency. They are old thrones, it is true, yet every one of them trembles, with the lightest breath of agitation. The great Liberator of Ireland, is he dismayed or frightened? The British government may have warned the Pope not to permit agitation among its people. It may have warned the old gentleman of its consequences. Hence the sudden tranquility of Ireland. It is this ominous tranquility of Europe which makes the movements of this society so auspicious by which we can water the seed which will take root and grow up, if done at this favored moment.

The death of Louis Philippe will be the signal for a new state of things throughout Europe. He holds in check the spirit of discord and faction in France,—but who will hold it when he is dead? A few years hence and it may be too late to diffuse the light and intelligence which now so happily may be spread throughout the world.

Dr. Bacon spoke for nearly an hour, with great vigor, strength of language, and eloquence, but our outline is necessarily brief.

Rev. Dr. Kirk of Boston followed. I propose to answer this question,—what is the Christian Alliance?

We have been told that the progress of opinion is the progress of truth—this is true. I have no doubt various opinions and doubts agitate this community. I am reminded by this audience of the crowds which stood on the banks of the Hudson when Fulton made his first steamboat experiment—in many a shake of the head and misgiving, no doubt, is in existence.—But we cannot stand still or meekly submit to see the Pope sweep away all the vestiges of Christianity.—

The members of this Alliance feel an abhorrence to spiritual despotism.

Toleration, what is it? Let me think. Let you think?

Who are you? It is despotism to talk of such toleration. The arrogance of some is equally offensive.

We abhor the boasted "sanity of the church."

It is despotism that brings a man into the church, unless he does so from the strongest conviction of conscience.

Mr. Kirk complimented the secular press. He said the Church was a whispering gallery, and the gentlemen of the press who are now preparing to send out our remarks, are doing an important part of our work, aiding us essentially in accomplishing this stupendous object. Editors should be aware of its importance.—

What is the Christian Alliance? It is an expression of the vitality of Protestantism in three of its grand features:—love of spiritual liberty—its unity of spirit and purpose—its Christianlike charity.

1st. Its love of Spiritual Liberty.—It abhors spiritual despotism in its origin.

Its origin is infidelity, which hates spiritual religion, and loves formalism as a substitute.

What is the spiritual liberty which Protestantism cherishes?

It expresses its opinion through the press, conversation, preaching, and worshipping God with others.

There is a holy territory. Whoever invades it, assumes the prerogative of God, violates the most sacred rights of man, destroys true religion, turns the man into an unthinking animal and annihilates all his noble faculties. It admits of instructing, convincing and persuading to religious volition and action by religious motives. It is violated where you introduce human devotion as such, or pretended divine authority. This is despotism. This Protestantism abhors, and we have found the Christian Alliance to express that abhorrence, or rather our love of religious liberty has done it. This is our title—The Christian Alliance for the promotion of religious liberty. Let our banner thus inscribed wave from the Mosque of Omar, the Capitol of Washington, the Cathedral of Westminster, the Tower of Notre Dame, and the Dome of St. Peter's.

Let the weary and fainting nations look up and see its majestic folds, and read the pledge of our holy brotherhood—to labor until death for the world's emancipation. This is one ground for a distinctive organization.

Where will the Christian Alliance direct its eye first? To Italy—the land of Dante, of Arnold, of Petrarch. Rome is the centre of spiritual despotism.

She substitutes fictions for truth, she substitutes a human will for God's, in the religious control of man.—

Her power is compulsion, not persuasion; her alliance is with diplomacy and military power.

In 1815, at a meeting of the German Confederacy, Metternich said to the assembled Princes of Europe, let us set ourselves not only against the popular movement of the age, but moreover labor to restore the black state of things in the feudal ages. When this sentence fell on the ears of Europe they laughed; but a thoughtful observer might have mingled some tears with his smiles. The restoration of the feudal system is the dream of an old man with a withered heart;— but that ridiculous phrase actually describes the policy of Europe; and while it fails, and must fail, to attain its end, the experiment will cost much to poor humanity, and keep back the day of light and freedom for unhappy Europe. The present Pope is personally a poor old man, more to be pitied than feared; but the Roman hierarchy, in which the despotic principle is embodied, which is the choicest instrument of European despotism, is now crushing the energies and wearing out the hearts of our brethren in Italy. Go where you will in that unhappy country, you will see the marks of spiritual despotism as we have described them. But this is, after all, only one side of the case. The traveller sees only the surface. Some of us have been permitted to look a little deeper, and to see what two parties fully understand. I mean the Italians and their oppressors. The inward reality is that while the Reformation is crushed in Italy, its spirit remains unsubdued. I mean not here its evangelizing doctrine, nor its spiritual feeling, but the inborn love of liberty.

There is among us but a limited appreciation of the actual spirit of Italy. Just refer to the fact, that the literature and history of Italy are anti-Papal. The cry of Dante still rings in the ears of his countrymen, when appealing to God against the court of Rome.—

The history of the country is a record of the villainies of the Popes,—of the rise and fall of the Italian freedom. The whole policy of the Popes has been to court the princes when the papacy was overthrown, or its temporal domain abridged. Pepin was invited in to prevent the Lombards from making a nation of Italy. In the 12th century, the Pope, fearing that Manfred would make one blow, invited England and Germany to invade Italy, &c. Charles of Anjou was rewarded with dominion of Naples, by the Pope for subduing his country to himself. The flourishing Italian Republics were overthrown by the intrigues of Rome. What is more revolting to an Italian heart than the destruction of Florentine Republic by Clement VII. Their country was rising again under the French administration; but, as soon as the Pope was restored to his dominion, in the middle section, every thing has been declining. I am not, in all this, alluding to this temporal power as a prince, but his temporal power brought to invade the department of thought, conscience and will in matters of religion. And if any American still believe that Italy loves the Pope, let me try to undeceive him by an assertion, which may steer him on the track of inquiry,—it is not so.

The traveller who looks only at the works of art in Italy, and passes rapidly through the country, may fail to see the indications. But, there are eyes that see them,—there are some in the Vatican that know them. The Italian spirit is sick of the spiritual despotism of the Roman Court. Who is this Pope that strides upon our shore, and is already laying the foundation of his Empire, perhaps, of his inquisition on our mountains, in our valleys? Who is that with great swelling words? Is he the representative of the Italian mind and heart—and is he the revered Bishop of souls whose pious example and labors have endeared him to the holiest of his countrymen? Has he left behind him thousands of happy subjects, millions praying for his success? No; none of all this.— Foreign bayonets, and the policy of the British cabinet force his tyranny on his discouraged country.

No; his plans, his policy are execrated by the best and most enlightened of Italy. Foreign gold, and gold wrung from an oppressed people is carrying on his war among us. The Italian mind is struggling to keep pace.

What means of emancipation does the Christian alliance propose?

1. The union of the free hearts of the human race, simply for the moral effect of union.

This is another answer to the question, why no existing organization accomplishes our purpose. They are either confined to evangelical sects, or they propose an object which cannot enlist the sympathies of enlightened nations for want of our evangelical views.

But liberty, spiritual liberty of conscience, is a watch word to ring throughout the earth and heart of every papal country. The name of Christian Alliance has already, I believe, rung more powerfully on Italy than all our missionary and anti-papal organizations. Why? Its banner bears a word most dear to their hearts. It proclaims we are with you in heart, struggle on, pray on; we are with you. An English prelate, bidding adieu to the pope, saw the Constitution of Christian Alliance, &c.

If you do not believe, read the Bull. What sent its warning here among the free-hearted American churches? How came the old gentleman to expose his terror so early? Many here think the alliance is a feeble affair. Well, surely, if anybody ought to know, it is his holiness. The priests of Rome do not conceal their consternation.

Supervision of the Pope, and correspondence with him. There is probably, not a man in whom we have greater interest; and yet how little we have done to cultivate his acquaintance.

To deal with the masses, you cannot rely on powers of earth. They are against you. But masses are with you. I say masses; for there are no people in the political sense, in Europe. The Pope sends his edicts and agents to deal with the people. We shall send ours to deal with the intelligent few and uneducated many. We have as much interest in them as in the Chinese. We will go to Italy, and tell the multitude of its miserable population. Establish schools, chapels, newspaper presses, circulate books, bibles, &c. Place these cheap at the doors of Italy.

What now commands admiration of sensible men in Italy? The first volume would overthrow all respect to usurped authority of Church in the majority of minds. We can send the Italian Bible, with other books, which will stop the mouths of Jesuits.