The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-12-02 00:00:00

THE SET. num?
_ogNaris ON LAY

Wolk:

The tat. reef or of St, Mary's, speaking at Use =oust
meeting of the Bristol Scripture Readers' Also*tattoo
on Monday, said last year he brought down on his
bead a clerical storm because be ventured t suggest
that it was possible that there were some departments
of Middles work which might be better done by lay
readers than even by the clergy. He would apologise
to his rev. brethren for supposing that was the caw,
for hi had the highest recitation f their verratile
abilities, and the public showed their appreciation of
thew The speaker haring enumerated the many
things a olergymao wee supposed to do, added that he
hoped noise of them =ere had attempted the millia-ry
department. (Linghtw.) Bot, seriously eireakiiiir,
thaw varied and versatile talent., and the advantage
which their lay Maids were dirpoeed to take of them,
were turfing them in a Veil wimp danger. re=
ware in very fair way of being oudel from the sweat
and sacred branch of the ministry of the Word, via.,
the home risitatioa if their fl rcks--(appleuse)—and he
wall oar of the old-faslitooed people who clung to the
belief that the personal inflow= of the home visits-
Boa was more valuable than mar of the modem ap-
pliaaoss of erwrilleaMoa. (Applause.) He did not
want to oedemata. them, bat he did not believe they
would take the *sori of the personal knowledge not
*sly of ladlviduaWbut of families, by honie visitation.
(Applause.) 11 their lay Meads were so penned=
of the importation of their taking up the varied—lse
would not my escalar—but spiritual eagagementa,
they were boated in oonimou fairness to supplement
theca in maintaining snob a large body of faithful and
devoted Scirlmt.re readers =oh es that society pro
Mad. L ) it Imo otherwise, and the
Mara had whole of their time at their disposal,
and if their strewth were tea times what it was, they
could not oompass the work of home visitation.
They should have a doses Scripture readers where they
new had on. to brim the Word of Lite home to their
fugitive and transient populations. Yet they were in
a fib way of having to =duos them and not to
lames= them. Prom which of the districts in this
great city were they in • position to withdraw one
Were these deys in which they coda afford to do so?
Were there ever days In which the powers of evil
ware labouring with more todelatigable activity to
sow tar. =loop* the people I He believed that
in their city they bad laldel lectures delivered,
aad the press was pairing out a tide of impure
literature which was setarsting the very ground.
Oa the other head they bad =a Church
of Lau &bowleg lam. awl activity. They had la
Bask midst Jesuits oast oat of other land. labouring
with veal asdvily, and bs feared In may owns
making Protestants the sorb for
carrying out their work. Were they prepared to leave
the workiog mares to the enal.saries of evil, to those
lof doubt and soperstition ? (Appleuse.) Ckli would say that they were not prepared to do so
—thee what better agents oozed they sailair than
those afforded by the society I (Applaties.) He
moved tb• ecloptioa of tbs report and the electiust of
the committee,