The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-12-20 00:00:00

THE REV. TALBOT GRELVItS ON THE
CHURCH ASSOCIATION.

Dr. Hanka, of Warrington, gave slectare on "The
Protestant Churchmen's duties in 1871," at the
Melcombe Regis school-room, on Monday 0•01111111,
The Rev. Temscrr Dawes, who presided, summed
up Dr. lierrison's remarks by saying that we ought
during the coming year to seek to ascertain the nature
of the attacks upon our *harsh, to resist innovations
In the worship, and to became better acquainted with
the teacakes of our church, and that with the view
of carrying out theft objects we shoeld gigs cordial
support to the Church Assoclistion. A report had
got abroad rather to the discredit of the Weymouth
association; at Bridport Kr. 0000114.1011 had met
him, and told him he was sorry to beer that the Wey-
mouth association was dead. But he (Mr. Ordeal
hoped these deaden would be refund, and he thought
the report was rather Mr. Concennotes fault for
not stirring them up. In addition to what their
friend had told them to-night, he (Ur. Grieves) felt it
wee very important for the Protestant churchmen to
ester upon the coming year in an attitude of patient
strength. The temptations are very strong to weakness
oo the one side and impatience on the other. One
temptation is to fold our arms and indulge in sloth, to
listen to our dear friend, who are always saying 'Do
take these things more moderately, do try and because
more like other men," and he must say less like the
man Christ Jams. There is • vary strong temptation
to seek to avoid wounding our brethren, to be so peace-
ful or tolerant, or compliant, that we may escape can-
troveray, and so to let slip mar fidelity to truth, to the
evaliesi decades.' of our beloved church. There is
else the temptation to grow rattler and impatient, to
say "Whit is the nee of disquieting, of humming oar-
selves any longer ?" to say "We had better secede; we
bad better get out of Mi. stormy part, and seek BOW,
quieter nook in some other part o the universal
arch?" But where are we to find auk • haven
*mare Iron storms? The wisdom from above is first
pure, then podiesble, and we must try to be first
strong, and then patient; we must try to Imitate our
Lord and Mester, who is slow to anger because He is
'Peat in power. Not seeking to hurry on things, nor
to look into the future, we most learn that the mod
Important lemon for lan is "Sufficient for the day is
the cril thereof." As to whet is the practiced duty,
supposing that • decision regarding Mr. Bennett shall
I be adverse to the Protestant 0111110 h, he did not think
I there is any reason to fear. Out of 2) differeet points
the Church Association has been enabled by God's
, blaming, to prove this—that the moo of the Bible in
the Church of England are the men of the rubrics, and
that the rubrics instead of being invented to make a
gorgeous ritual in the Church of England, were adopted
by our Reformers, to form so many cheeks to that
evil. We ought not to be discouraged because in the
lower pond one decision has gone against no. One
reason to make us think the decision of the Privy
Council would not be against us is that the Council
which decided that eaactry vestments and other thine;
Intended to tench the doctrine of the real presence,
were illegal, would not stultify themselves by allowing
the doctrine Itself to be taught, for they would make
themselves the laughing-stook of the country. There-
fore be did not think the future is so dark 44 some of
, our friends think. Mr. 13eunett was brought befOIJ
, Dr. Philiimore, known to be inelined to Ititu•lises,
I diereed with teaching in certain sermons the doctrine
of the red presence. Dr. Phillimore declared that the
expression, in those sermons were certainly Popish,
end he would hive to condemn them- bat Mr. Bennett
was allowed to emend them. There luid been a skilful
alteration, • little shuffling, end the sermons were
allowed. If the Church Associatioe proved nothing more then that the ritualists are 'bafflers, that would
bare be.m worth doing. Mr. Bennett is likely to have
mad* skilful alterations, end supposing the verdict of
the Pricy Council is that he cannot be ciondesened ?
Are Ire to secede from the Church of England? That would be to say that one lost battle is • lost campaign.
If the kw is not saffielently stringent, if our reformers
were not sufficiently elnlfal in defining the doctrine of
the Red Presence so as to shot it out of the Chun* of
England, we must have better definitions, and we
baeve that nineteen-tweritieths of the people of this
swanky would rise to heresies the stringency of the
definitions so as to shut oat of the church of the
country the doctrine of the eitorifiee of the mats. But
if the doctrine is one which will permit Mr. Bennett
leaching and prisching in the fare of the 39 articles to
remain in the chord, it will not be for ea to despair
of the ahurch. True, the ship my hank and Pet be
atrial into in sassy% pork sad it tie el