the Army and the Public, ignorant of the facts of the case, as having remonstrated against firing mere Military Salutes and Military Salutes only; and as such to have been unfaithful to his clear military engagements. And this suppression of facts, misrepresenting the conduct of your Petitioner, was persisted in, although objected to, by letter to the Deputy Judge Advocate, as contrary to the principles and practice of the Army, and to common Justice, when the charges were presented to him for trial. That a Roman Catholic, and a Foreigner, in the Malta Fencibles, was selected President of the Court Martial.

That your Petitioner has also to complain; that his sentence is directly contrary to the evidence, which unequivocally proves, that the "not carrying into effect the orders to fire salutes" by your Petitioner, was under the positive sanction and direct orders of his Commanding Officer, and NOT from disobedience of orders, as stated in the charge. And on the second part of the charge, the evidence as fully shows, that so long as mere salutes were required, your petitioner never objected to such order, but that he proceeded to act on the order; proving his determination not to object to such an order as that set forth in the charge. The evidence of his own letter also proving, that the hesitation and remonstrance were distinctly expressed against tolling a bell, and "carrying into effect part of the ceremonies of idolatrous worship," for which the firing as well as the tolling were required; and never against firing mere abstract Military Salutes as set forth by the Prosecutor, contrary to the plain facts of the case, and to the truth of the documents on which the charge was framed. Your Petitioner also complains that the official approval of the Sentence gratuitously asserts his " refusal to obey orders," and his "direct disobedience of orders," further misleading the Army and the Public, to his great injury.

Your Petitioner by these means having been not only

deprived of his Profession and prospects in life, but set forth to his Country as guilty of unfaithfulness to his public engagements, and of the highest contumacy to his superiors; and your Petitioner having at various times, up to December 1831, presented Memorials to the Military Authorities, in vain praying for a recommendation of his case to the gracious consideration of His Majesty, he has felt it his duty to submit his case to your Honourable House, humbly praying your Honourable House may be pleased to adopt such means as may seem most advisable for investigating this transaction, and to obtain a revision of the hard sentence under which your Petitioner has suffered the loss of his profession and prospects in the world, after the best twenty years of his life zealously and faithfully spent in his Majesty's service.

And your Petitioner shall ever pray,

THOMAS ATCHISON.

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SERMON VIII.

Sunday, May 17, 1835.

THE TRUTH AN OFFENCE.

MATT. XV. 12-13.

Then came his disciples and said unto him,—“ Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?"

But he answered and said,-“ Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." WE find, throughout the history of our blessed Lord, as recorded in the Gospels, that although he came upon earth with no other object in view but the salvation of men, yet that he was hated of men ! although he left felicity and glory, in order to render us capable of participating in that same glory and felicity; us, who had forfeited felicity and glory through wilful sin and transgression; us, who had left our FIRST LOVE, and were gone astray like sheep that are lost; us, who had abandoned the

paternal roof of our heavenly FATHER, to run riot in the world, till we find ourselves in the condition, which every man, when he is brought to his senses, will find that he is in, both by nature and by practice ;

Although (I repeat it, my brethren) the Godhead became Incarnate, in order that he might be enabled to seek and to save that which is lost; although he did so humble himself as to be born of a woman, of that nature, and exclusively of that sex, moreover, which first of all was guilty of dereliction from his love; although he did all this, and infinitely more, for the sake and for the salvation of his selfish, ruined, wilful, haughty wanderers; yet, they did not acknowledge him, they did not want him; [alas! my brethren, how many are there that do not care for him still?] They sought the

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young child's life" as soon as he was born; they massacred two hundred infant martyrs in order to make sure of slaying him; they tempted him, they provoked him, they derided him, they sought to stone him, they persecuted him from city to city, they laid in wait for him, to catch him tripping with his tongue, until the time came when he must be delivered into their hands, and when they fell upon him like hungry lions, and glutted themselves with his blood, as it were "the blood of a lamb that was slain!”—And yet, Why was all this? were

they a peculiarly wicked and cruel set of men? or, was he verily guilty of all the crimes which they endeavoured to lay to his charge? They accused him of stirring up the people, they accused him of presuming to find fault with them, the rulers of the people, without a sufficient warrant which could authorize him in so doing. Nay, "they laid to his charge things that he knew not," and they destroyed him upon that plea. I inquire again, Why was all this? And what was it that he really did, that could so inspire them with a mortal hatred of his person, of his doctrine, and of his name? answer this," HE SPOKE THE TRUTH ;" and he did so, not in an abstract general way; and so that he might not hurt their feelings; he applied it to themselves; he addressed them PERSONALLY; he took advantage of every opportunity to point out to them what was wrong, and to explain to them what was right, and this was what they could not bear; and this was what they would not submit to, or put up with. It was upon one of these occasions, (which is recorded in the second lesson for this morning's service) that, after he had spoken to them, and applied the language of the prophet Isaiah to their case, (it is worded in our text,) "His disciples came and said unto him,-Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?" And, indeed, upon one or