The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-07 00:00:00

IRREGULAR CLERICAL MINIS-
TRATIONS.
(From the Daus Serq).

A great stir him been made throughout the Church
of England hecamie two if its chit piestorii, hurling
themselves beyond its jurisdiction, have preached fuel
prayea to their fellow f hristians inthemanner towhith
the latter were acinstotnol. 'Without a ill:410y artith•hil
trailrlo4 it win hi with. rn-cnn
unde,,tatal, tire troll'' which ihe tninistrAtiol,i of the
of Winchester and the Archloishop of York, in
the ('lurch f 4arn!rarry, hat, e,l I,nl to inimy good
Chimihmen. That the pulpits nit every church rile ,ithi Inc
gum tied against unauthorised int:ult.', we all
expect, and, until nimi, it has generaiiy been
when they have Alpe:wed to be unorpe.l that
any outcry has bevir made. A few years ago
Bishop ciihinso we. announced to preach rue Sunday
after le ion in a !arid' church in leicestenshire, but an
inhibition having been nerved main hint in the course
of the merning service, he pretwhed till the village
green. A year ago a well briar ii NMlColllfillllli4
minister preached in a clinrch in OW 1111,,,,,,f 11i1s iii,
loy invitation of the Mould omit, and the latter wa.
afterwards .114 ail *shed my iris ilh.cesan. The
nearest approach to a union of episcopal and non-
episcopal ministrations was made during the Rev.
'1
Ir,,unraar llinney s visit to Australia about tell years
ago, when the Eight. We, Pr, Parry, Bishop tof Mel-
bourne, condi:Lb:it the worship, and Mr. Ilinney
preached the sermon ; but that was on board It ship.

Of those who have been guilty of irregularly preach-
ing in a Church of England pulpit since the passing
of the Act of rniformity, perhaps the most eminent
among N01.0011f01111141 is Andrew Fuller. In the year
17%, a Mr. lirclighton, of Fraybrooke !Cum-
thamptonshire, haul a eon who on his deathbed
reqnesteul that Fuller might preach his funeral sermon.
As it was known that in such an event a crowd ninth
larger than any of the chavels conhl accommodate
would press to the service, 1, guller casually remarked
that he dhl not know what was to be done, unless the
elerrgyman would lend lam the parish church, not
for a moment imagining that the remark would have
scrubs consequences. The young man's father
wefit straight to the clergyman, a ide,ant,
neighbourly man, with no very definite Church views,
who said he haul no objection If the thing could lit done
teith safety, wide!' he olonluted. The next day, this
obliging ohlgentleman to satisfy himself, rode over to
Market Ilarlswough to consult an attorney on the sub-
ject, and received f him the unsound advice that no
ill consequences to him would follow Fuller's preaching
iii Eraybrooke I lurch ; and that, if any one was
troubled on that au:count, it w,allul be the pu eacher. On
the appoint.] day the clergyman performed the funeral
service, and then Fuller wcnt up to him in the church-
yard, and MI.l him that lie aceeptssl his offer. About
six loll:Mutat pei,uns were in the church, and at the
end 14 the seem in the milli, tee shlll,lC hands with Fuller,
and thanked him 1 ',Cure all the stile for his pathetic
diseourse, " I like charity,- said he ; " Christians
shoult I be eh:nit:o,h, to on, no ther.'"Fhe Bishop sent
for the old gentleman, tiAutl hits a great many pies-
Cid, amongst uutlo no, whether Fuller kill in,ye,l for
the King --and then dionisseul him with an admonition
1111 it to repeat the offence.

Far more daring Iva: the assumption of quasi-clerical
duties by an, ,ther eminent teacher of mankind by
Voltaire. Thig ca, in the year INS, when the antic or
of the " al lii,•tionary" th,olght fit to
make his " Elster communion." Grimm, who has
preserved an account id the affair in li." I'ot-respon-
dence,- says, " Ile communicated 4(II E3Sttl. Sllltday
With all the zeal of a lioplitte tint nil. tho
pi.ftip of the rqmiueuf the pail,. Ile pr.-Art.4
large seas candle, fr,m, I 1111.1 Ing,l
these carried lid, so hint with a missal, being
Itincsdf use., tel to ti., chm, 1, at ferney by two yfiist,
chaste carrying muskets with fixed n I layoets. Ile re.
ceive,l the communion at the handi of the Inn', and
then, to the ast,mishieent mIII,I Ii marel the Is Or I
1,11114 i 2.41 the pers, ins present and delivered an
t-illVh'g and bet unchristian This extra-
ordinary proceeding gave rise to a vorrestsn,lellec ivithi
the ltishop .Itatecy, who delared that this cost-
,. 0144,1 lfr IV< WAS to liCaniLliZe even the
l'totestauts,