The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-04-16 00:00:00

Corrtsponbenct,
TRB DORSET PROTESTANT MEETING.

To the AWiton

I have received a oopy of "a letter to Lord Shaftesbury
by • priest of the Dimas. of Salisbury," which refieots
very unfairly not Col, on his lordship bat on the large
party of churchmen who assembled in the Albirehsll,
lot month, as also many others in England of like
feeling. A considersbla portion of this letter consista
of sneers and unfounded insinuations, the use of which
betokens the weekliesi of the writer's cause. When
he condescends to liken Lord Shaftasberee protestant
warning. against • ritualistic clergymen to the *induct
of the ?herbage who set spies on nor Saviour to
entangle Him in His talk ; When he hippantly hints
that his lordship " sighs for tits good old ways of fox•
hunting parsont and dirty old surplices;" when
he insinuates that his lordship would have
ministers suit their gospel to the people's liking,"
and such claptrap arguments, I can only say that as
they are not worth answering, so they eannot really
hurt Lord Shaftesbury. Neither does the priest
strengbten his OMNI when he proceeds to taunt on with
ha.ing " undefined" objections to high church
doctrines end practises. Their iloctrinos of the
" mesa" of apostolic %accordion, ha., their practise,
of lasses% s.erigcal vsatmenta, ha., ars too well
known to pod enact definition, and if one or two of the
speaker. ware so far carried by II sir Protestant seal an
to use language somewhat inexact, yet every one snow
well enough what they meant, and they were oontend
ing for realities, not words. Again, I my it mud be a
feeble canes that has to carpet wordsusad noun deliberate
writing, but in public speaking, where the meaning was
the really Important thing. And when the writer
comes to real arguments and we may thank him for
avowing (at least, implicitly) the existence of Ritualism
sawing us - he spooks of the usages of the Clittroh for
1,600 years is. before the Reformation, and of the
Church of England after that event, as if they justified
him In these High Church opinions. Now, I do pro-
tent against this MOM. of writing and speaking so
common with that party, as if they were the main
authority of the Church. They quietly ignore the
resent resolutions of our bishops, the nearly universal
customs of the last 900 years, and what is more
Important the teaching of our present Prsy.r Book.
Tbo ululation is not what some fathers, in amp of their
writings, have declared (for thus you might justify
every Popish superstition), nor what some of
our Reformers, just samerging from Popery, have
declared; but whet our present Prayer Book
after full deliberation dasher's, to In oar
church's doctrine, for I am one of those who still
believe that the Prayer book his no such important
'arise.» with the Bible as to require any imstrewsivs
neighs). And I boldly smart that this Prayer Book
nowhere teaches " • mutation or change of the breed
and wino" by eonoworation ; nowhere countenances the
idea of making the Sacrament • searifico of Christ's
body; nor even allows the word Altar at all; alsothatil
nowhere speaks of Christ.' body being more really peanent
in one part of the Pure& than in pother. It is net
only inconsistent with &rioter* but with Ch•rohnien-
ship to trash these doctrines. Moreover I earnestly
, protest against the use of James v. 14. he., as support.
ing priestly confession and absolution. It is bat throw•
ing dual is the eyes of the unwary, and we have bad
enough of it. The mars tyro can sea that we ere
esbortsd to "confess mu faults one to another," but
not to a Priest; that "tho elders (or prsebytors) of the
chunk are to pray over" the sick person, white all
I godly pastors do; but the accompany words do not
"sows* prisally absolution with the infirm of the

slobl"Vnitlee la the private flonfestetsa of ebriatians
iiPeratad ord distinguished from priestly ministration.
Chia move point ; the fervid perorstion of this 1' pd. st"
.57 nomad Tiny eloquent (p. 18), but it will not loar
esingination. Who are they, let nie that have in•
trisluoid "doubtful points or abstrues doctrines," but
thu very party whom the writer represents? Awl
abloh Ulan does mmt to prevent the love of many
*aging sold, or the "Banner of Christ being &mica
through mkt. he who rases • material banner in chereli
oph nnaothoriied promeiions, and psiiimis the mosses
with unwarranted ceremonies ; or be who hap done on
meek by Rigged School. Ri.fortustoty work, Bib'.
distribution, kr., to reach the ?outs of poor de.itsled
'nen, and to glorify the Redeemer in tlicir salvotiou.
I am, Le..
PRESBYTER ALTER SA RUM I:NSIS.
Sherburne, April 13.