"be ye fishers of men," we find them every where fishers of women. Their own sex, old and young, they see with indifference, swim by their nets; but closely and warily are their meshes laid, ' to entangle the female of every age,

Fathers and husbands! do ye not also understand this? Do ye not see how, in the mental bondage of your wives and fair companions, ye yourselves are bound? Will ye fondly sport in your imagined liberty, and say," it matters not if our women be slaves." Will ye pleasure yourselves in the varied paths of knowledge and imagine that women, hood-winked and unawakened, will make the better servants and the easier playthings? They are greatly in error who so strike the account, as many a bankrupt merchant and sinking mechanic, not to say drowning capitalist, could bear witness. But, setting aside dollars and cents, which men in their present uncomfortable state of existence are but too prone exclusively to regard, how many nobler interests of the mind and heart cry "treason!" to this false calculation?

To-morrow evening we shall consider those interests, which will naturally present themselves during our investigations on the subject of free enquiry. In what just knowledge consists we have cursorily examined; to put ourselves in the way of attaining that knowledge, be our next object.

END OF LECTURE I.

Printed and Published by RICHARD CARLILE, 62, Fleet-street, where all Communications, post paid, or free of expence, are requested to be left.

2

The

Lion.

No. 9. VOL. 4.] LONDON, Friday, August 28, 1829. [PRICE 6d.

Liverpool, August 23, 1829.

HAVING partaken with our worthy host, of the North Star, Byrom-street, of his beef and vegetables, pudding and pie, ale and wine, I sit to commence this fourteenth bulletin in a very spiritual mood. If all were well elsewhere, I should certainly feel that all is well here. Profiting by experience, we resolved not to hurry on any public proceeding in this town; but to wait for the excitement that necessarily attends our presence and challenge as Infidel Missionaries. We have found this arrangement to answer our expectation; and we are about to enter upon a very interesting and important course of discussion with the Reverend David Thom of this town. The walls of the town are thus placarded :

IMPORTANT DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE REV. DAVID THOM, AND THE INFIDEL MISSIONARIES.

"The discussion is to commence on Wednesday evening, August 26, 1829, at the Ball-room of the King's Arms hotel, Castlestreet. Doors to be opened at six. Discussion to begin precisely at seven, and to be opened with an oration by the Rev. Robert Taylor.-Admission by tickets only, which may be obtained from the Reverend disputants and their friends.-N. B. Any clergyman or competently-educated gentleman, by sending in his name, and placing himself on the rostrum with the disputants, will be allowed to take a part in the discussion."

The Rev. Mr. Thom is a gentleman who was lately connected with the Scotch Kirk, in Rodney-street, in this town. He is a man of great talent and restless enquiry, and unites more of avowed philosophical principles with his priesthood, than has

Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 62, Fleet Street. No. 9.-Vol. 4.

been found in any other man. He is Christian entirely on what he calls the internal evidence or divine character of the Old and New Testament. He values no other kind of evidence, nothing that is historical or merely human; for he very justly observes, that all these are nothing, unless the books have an internal superiority over all other books. He finds such a delineation of character, of example and instruction, in these books as make up, in his imagination, the beau ideal of human perfection. Beyond this point, he values nothing that is called Christian doctrine. The immortality of the soul, future state, rewards and punishments, heaven, hell, and devil, are declared by this gentleman to be both unscriptural and unchristian. I find no difference in the sentiments of this gentleman and myself, except that he makes the books of the Old and New Testament to be of super-human origin. The nature of our discussion will therefore run thus:-Mr. Taylor will open in a statement of the historical defects of the Christian religion; Mr. Thom will assert the sufficiency, and I the insufficiency of the internal evidence; and the discussion will turn entirely upon the sufficiency or insufficiency of the internal evidence of the super-human origination of the books of the Old and New Testament. Notwithstanding the known and admitted talent of my opponent, I feel this to be the easiest task of the kind that I have yet undertaken. In addition to the names of the preachers lately printed, we sent our circular challenges to the following:

David Jones.
John Kirk.

William Knowles.
James Parry.

T. W. Peill, B. A.
S. J. Phillips.
John Porter.
Mr. Prest.

William Pulford, D. D.

Thomas Rowland.

John Scott.

William Shepherd.

David Thom.
John Thomson.
William Tyrer.
John Williams.
Calvin Winstanley.

The Rev, Richard Latewood Townsood, sent back his circular through the post; another crabbed old preacher dropt into the post two anonymous and insolent notes, as his answer to our challenge; and one returned the circular, after taking the precaution to cut out his own name. The Rev. Mr. Thom came to us like a gentleman, and as a bold and honest man should come, expressing a hope that we had talent enough to unchristianize him, and declaring his desire to submit his Christianity to the fire of the most free and talented discussion. It is quite a pleasing novelty to meet such a gentleman as this Christian preacher; for he gives irresistible proofs of his sincerity. Educated in all the nonsense of the Scottish Kirk, he has honourably attained his expulsion, by disclaiming its doctrines; and this has been done at a great pecuniary sacrifice.

We find here, a Jew converting society about to hold its annual meeting, on the 25th instant, and are trying to put our feet into it for discussion.

To Mrs. John Gladstone, and Mrs. Admiral Murray, patronesses of the Ladies' Branch Auxiliary Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, and to Mrs. Molineux, as treasurer, a copy of the following letter has been sent:

"Madam-Presuming only on the accessibility guaranteed by the announcement of your name as patroness of a public institution, I beg leave most respectfully and earnestly to entreat the high honour of your consideration of the merits of a cause, in which the claims of the cause of your adoption, are most essentially involved; which rises as that falls, or must fall as that rises.

"If Christianity ought to be promoted, the cause opposed to Christianity, ought at least to have its merits understood and its pretensions considered, as supplying by contrast the only strongest evidence of that propriety.

"You cannot be uninformed of the fact, that while few or none, who had once ranged in the adverse ranks, have ever gone over to Christianity, thousands are every day renouncing the faith they once professed, and are either privately confessed, or publicly avowed Infidels.

"Among these latter are the Infidel Missionaries, who are now travelling through the country, with convictions as strong, with a zeal as ardent, and with a purpose as determined, to resist the promotion of Christianity, to wean all minds from it, and to set all hearts against it, as was ever yet engaged in its defence or devoted to its service.

"The Infidel Missionaries were once Christians; and he who now addresses you, stands in the order of the apostolical succession, as a priest of the Church of England.

"It is respectfully presumed, that the superior evidence and extended information which induced in their minds a change of conviction, which they have followed through great personal

sacrifices, and maintained in writings which, in any estimation, bear testimony to the diligence of their research, and the candour of their enquiries, would induce a similar change in every other mind equally accessible to evidence, and open to demonstration.

"It is submitted, that, at any rate, truth cannot be endangered; and that nothing that is true will ever be found to shrink from the concussion of adverse opinion.

"The honour of your attendance on the public oration to be delivered, and the discussion to be held by the Infidel M ssionaries, (as will be duly announced) is earnestly entreated. The Missionaries trust that they have such arguments to lay before you, in demonstrafion of the fabulous origin of Christianity, and of the forgery of the Christian scriptures, as only once engaging attention, will infallibly ensure conviction, and induce you to withdraw your patronage from such an association.

"154, Islington.

"I am, Madam,
"With sincere respect,
"ROBERT TAYLOR,
"Infidel Missionary.

"P.S. The Infidel Missionaries take the liberty of enclosing a copy of their circular as sent to the clergy of all denominations, n all stations of their mission."

Tuesday night.-In proportion as our arrangements for the discussion with the Rev. Mr. Thom have been frustrated, the interest of the inhabitants of Liverpool has been growing, until it has reached such a feeling of anxiety, as was hardly ever before felt in the town. On Monday morning early, I learnt, that the mayor had threatened the infliction of his vengeance on Mrs. Jones, the proprietress of the King's Arms hotel, for affording us the use of the ball-room. The reason stated was, that as she held her lease from the corporation, a clause of which required the consent of the mayor for all public use of the ballroom, she had neglected to seek that consent, and had consequently infringed her contract. This was the reason assigned; but I subsequently discovered, that Mr. Mayor, with his little mind, had more pungent motives to frustrate our purpose. Anxious to conciliate all parties and to assuage the alarm of Mrs. Jones, I waited on his worship on Tuesday morning, and, by letter, endeavoured to win his attention to an explanation of our situation, purpose, &c., as public men, and as disputants. He shrunk instinctively from my conversation, put on an insolent manner, and declined saying any thing upon the subject, with a I have nothing to do with it." I soon found that he had something to do with it, for I went and engaged the Royal Amphitheatre for three nights, the finest building of the kind in the