The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-21 00:00:00

SUPPLIED IN

LIVER P 0 0 L,

BIRKENHEAD,

SEACOMBE, NEW BRIGHTON,

HUYTON,

ROB Y, R A INHIL L,

ROCK FERRY,

To Order left or sent by Post to the Undersigned,

23, CASTLE-STREET, LIVERPOOL ;

Or to the following Yards and Offices, viz.:-5, CROWN-STREET, Liverpoll; EQERTON DOCK QUAY, Birkenhead; DEMEAN

STREET, Seacombe.

W. and H. LAIRD.

23, Castle-street, Liverpool.

NF T, II NI) 0 l'C' ANT) NORTH

-WESTERN TEA COMPANY.

READ THIS,

READ THAT,

Extract from the circular of the London and North•tvertern Tea
Company, dated May Ist, 1855.
"Our advices from China continue to be very discouraging;
and while the Chinese exports of tea have not failed in quantity,
they have sadly deteriorated in quality.
" Fine teas were scarce last year, and this year they are yet
more so.

Extract from Mr. Robert Roberts's circular, of Royal Bank
Buildings.

"Owing to the entire absence of speculative operations in the
market, concurrently with an increase in the imports, and a
marked improvement in the quality of good medium tea, which
has become the more observable as the season has advanced, we
are enabled to call the attention of families to the article which
can now be furnished at 3s. 4d. per lb.
" Although the duty upon tea was raised 3d. per lb. in the
month of April this year—still, in consequence of a large stock of
tea having been pressed on the market, which affords a wider
scope for the selection of suitable qualities, we are in a position to
supply families upon usually favourable terms
" The Effects of Speculation ill Tea have been lately no less
conspicuous than disastrous:—Notwithstanding the clearest prac-
tical evidence, which has been furnished season after season, that
England, as well as every other country, can be abundantly sup.
plied with tea frbm China, of every quality, and in any quantity,
the spirit of reckless and inordinate speculation has continued as
rife as ever, until arrested this year by ruinous losses.—This foolish
propensity having been laid prostrate by the dire consequences
which it has brought upon itself, we may now anticipate for some
time a healthier tone in the market, and we have every confidence
that the change resulting from this will enable us to give every
advantage to our extended connection of consumers, which con-
tinued inflexible adherence to qualify is calculated to secure."

"It must occur to every observing person, that where a country
is so convulsed with revolutionary struggles. farming operations
must be greatly impeded.

"Now, tea is a plant that requires the most careful attention,
both in its growth and its curing. Upon its delicate treatment
depends the delicacy of its flavour.
"Consequently, since the insurrection in China has assumed so
formidable an aspect, tine teas have gradually decreased in quan-
tity, and increased in value.
"The early arrivals were the best, and from the character of
more recent ones, we must expect the bulk of this year's supply
to consist of inferior classes, badly cured, and in bad condition,
which will be sold in the market as all faults.'

"Much of the tea imported this year will not be worth more
than from 6d. to Bd. per lb. in the market.

" Consumers or lovers of good tea should be particular, there-
fore, in buying of respectable houses, who have secured large
parcels of the first shipments."

Merchants will witness that succeeding imports and the present state of the market corroborate the above statements of The
London and North-western Tea Company,

J. L. SMITH, MANAGER.

TEETH ! TEETH ! !
MR SAMUEL JORDAN, Surgeon Dentist,
72, Rodney-street, Liverpool, may be consulted on all
Cases of DENTAL SURGERY, Daily, from Ten till Six, at the
above address.

OPENING OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE,
LONDON.
Ladies, Gentlemen, and Families are recommended to the
CLAREN DON
PRIVATE BOARDING-HOUSE,
17 and IS,—ARUNDEL-STREET, STRAND,-17 and IS.
Coffee Room 40 feet long, with every homely comfort.
Close to Theatres, Parks, City, and Rail to Exhibition.
Bed and Breakfast, 3s. per day.

Mr. J. has availed himself of all the New Improvement* from
Paris and Berlin. His method of constructing and adapting
Artificial Teeth is unerring, whilst his charges will be found
exceedingly moderate, and quite as low as a proper exercise of
professional skill and the employment of none but the very best
materials and first-rate workmanship will admit of.
72, RODNEY-STREET.
(DIRECTLY OPPOSITE MOUNT-STREET.)

THE

Efutrpooi tanbarb,

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1855.

THE LITURGICAL REVISION SOCIETY.

OF the papers to which we alluded last week, the
first to which we shall now refer is that containing
the official " Declaration of Principles and Objects."
The one main object of the Society is, indeed, suffi-
ciently declared by the title it assumes, viz., the re-
vision of the Liturgy, meaning, we suppose, not the
Liturgy so called, but the Book of Common Prayer,
of which it forms a part. This, we say, appears to be
the main object of the Society ; but, as we shall en-
deavour to shew before we have done, they would
have to alter the Articles as well as the Prayer Book,
in order to make the former harmoniSe with their re-
vised edition of the latter. Meanwhile, let us examine
the details of principles and objects which we have
before us.

The first principle maintained by the Society is that
which is expressed in the titto and opening clauses of
the Sixth Article : "Of the sufficiency of the holy
Scriptures for salvation." Such is the title of the
article ; while the portion of it quoted by the Society
Is as follows.: " Holy Scripture containeth all things
necessary to salvation ; so that whatsoever is not read
therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be re-
quired of any man that it should be believed as an
article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary
to salvation." Now, we yield to no one in our main-
tenance of the principle herein laid down ; but, for the
life of us, we cannot see how the Society is assisted by
it. As regards their object, it seems to us to be'itimply-
nihil ad rem. It is comparatively easy to rdecide
what is, and what is not, read in Scripture; or, at
least it would be if men were contented to believe that
Scripture means what it says, instead of, which is too
generally the practice, twisting and spirits alising the
plainest declarations whenever they happen not to
harmonise with their own preconceived opinions. This,
we say, is comparatively easy : but the'article not only
speaks of things which may be read in Scripture, but
also of things which may be proved by Scripture ;
and, even supposing for the sake of agument, that to
decide what is read in Scripture is a task altogether
free from difficulty, no one would maintain that to
decide what may be proved thereby is a task equally
easy. And yet, manifestly, things which may be so
proved stand upon the same footing as those which
are, in so many words, explicitly declared ; and de-
Maid our belief upon the same authority,---that of
ALMIGHTY GOD HIMSELF. All this is too
self-evident to require proof. But it is only in theory
that it is easy to decide what is actually read in
Scripture, for in practice we find that passages, ap-
parently of the greatest simplicity, are drawn differ-
ent ways, not only by different sects, but frequently
by different individual members of the same sect :
and when things are to be proved, not by explicit
declarations, but by inference, argument, and the like,
it is to be expected, even prior to experience, that
there will be vast differences of opinion, caused not only
by prior prejudices and foregone conclusions, but, to
a very great extent, by differences of intellectual
power. All this, we are aware, may appear to some at
the first glance to be calculated to convey the impression
that the Scriptures are useless. Not so, however.
They are, indeed, too frequently rendered all but use-
less-by-the way in which they are used, or rather
abused, but they need not be so ; and would not be
so, if that rule were observed which the Church of
England hqs herself laid down, viz., that Scripture
be interpreted now as it was by the ancient Fathers
and Doctors,---a rule perfectly consistent with that
which is declared in the twentieth article, viz., that
" The Church hath authority in controversies of
Faith." That there is a right of private judgment,
we do not deny ; but it is a gross abuse of privata
judgment when each man claims to take the Bible,
and interpret it for himself; for any number of men
thUs acting, and all arriving at different conclusions,
the probability is that all are wrong, the certainty
that all but one must be so.

From what has been said our readers will perceive
why we assert this sixth article to be nihil ad rem,
as regards the objects of the Society. It is not
because we undervalue the Scriptures, but because
the perversity of men force from them diverse and
uncertain sounds. The only remedy for this evil is
" to ask for the old paths," to believe as the old
Fathers believed, to interpret Scripture as they
interpreted it ; and the adoption of this plan would
keep us just as far from Rome as Geneva. But for
the Society to have proclaimed this principle would
have been to proclaim their own occupation gone, for
it is the very principle upon which the Book of. Com-
mon Prayer was originally framed, and, most indis-
putably, the principle upon which, in 1662, it was last
revised ; and all the changes, slight as they were,
which were made at that time, were in the direction
of the first book of EDWARD VI., as compared with the
second. The first book, we know, was compiled
upon the principle above enunciated, the principle
of adhering to primitive antiquity ; whereas in the
second alterations were made at the suggestion of
those who, like too many in the present day, would
rather trust to their own opinions, than to the
6onsentient judgment of the universal and undivided
Church. The mischief then done was afterwards at
different times repaired, and so the primitive character
of our Prayer Book in all material points restored.
For example, in 1662, the word PRIEST was ordered
tolve-ratoted in several places. With regard to the
precise force of this word we say nothing, we only

know that its use is primitive ; yet, the obliteration
of this word is one of the changes now called for by
the Society : and this is one of the changes which
would call for a change in the articles ; for one of
them not only speaks " of the marriage of Priests,"
but the word used in the Latin, of which the English
copy is a translation, is one which compels us to
understand the English word in a sacerdotal and not
in a presbyterial sense. And, after all, how vain
such change would be, is shown by an examination of
the bcottisn uommumon omce, in which the word
Priest• is never used. The officiating minister is
tlaroughout spoken of as a Presbyter, and yet his
sacerdotal character is far more unmistakeably deve-
loped than in the English office.
In the second clause of the paper under con-
sideration the Society-add-are- that, " they are firmly
persuaded that great advantages arise to a (sic)
Christian Church from the possession and use of an
authorised Liturgy, by help of which, in the public
service of Almighty God, all things' may 'be done
decently and in order.' " Very good, as far as it
goes ; but we believe that a very much greater
advantage than this arises from the use of the
Book of Common Prayer. It is that, the people,
accustomed from childhood to its language, are
thereby rescued from wandering very far either to
the right or left from the path of orthodoxy. The
whole book thus, only in a minor degree, acts the
same part as the Creeds : and we need not say,
that to alter it to any noticeable extent, would be
in all probability to destroy its usefulness in this
respect, at least to the present generation. The Society
having, as above, declared their approval of what may
be called the Liturgical principle, patronisingly
declare their belief " that the Book of Common Prayer
is generally sound in its doctrinal, and edifying in its
devotional portions." Now, we are quite aware that
this word generally, as opposed to particularly, signi-
fies universally, and is so used in the Catechism. Take
it in this sense, and we have no fault to find with
the above profession : but we shall hardly he accused
of want of charity, all things considered, if we take it
in its popular sense, and regard the whole sentence as

a plain declaration on the part of its authors, that there
are unsound and unedifying portions to be found in
the Book of Common Prayer. We call, then, upon
those- of the Clergy wh6 have joined the Society,
fessing to believe that the book is sound, only,in some
places liable to be misunderstood, to repudiate this
declaration and the Society from which it emanates ;
while we equally call upon all who, agreeing with the
declaration, are yet eating the bread of the Church, at
least to betake themselves to Lay-Communion. Great
has been the outcry at different times against indi-
viduals who have been supposed to have continued in
the enjoyment of their status and incomes as Incum-
bents, for periods longer or shorter, aftey they had
made up their- minds to the belief of Romish doctrines.
We do not pretend to account for such conduct, in our
opinion altogether immoral and indefensible ; nor are
we acquainted with the excuses which those who have
pursued it may have framed for the quieting of their
own conscience : • but between the case of these men,
and those who deprave the Book of Common Prayer
while they retain their benefices, we can see no real
difference. However different their religious princi-
ples may be, the principle of conduct is the same in
each. Nor will it avail the latter to declare their con-
viction, that they are right in their views of doctrine :
that is but their private opinion, and the apostate to
Rome has at least an equal right to his opinion.

- • -
The third and last principle enunciated by the So-
ciety is contained in the first clause of the preface to
the Book of Common Prayer, which they quote as
follows :—" It hath been the wisdom of the Church of
England, ever since the first compiling of her public
Liturgy, to keep the mean between the two extremes,
of too much stiffness in refusing, and of too much
easiness in admitting any variation from it:- We
fear that the individual who is answerable for making
this extract, must submit to the charge of dishonesty,
or of very gross carelessness ; for if our readers will
refer to the preface in question, they will see, from
what immediately follows, that its author never con-
templated any alterations affecting doctrine, such as
the Society seeks, but only of particular forms, rites,
and ceremonies, which are. "things in their own na-
ture indifferent, and alterable, and so acknowledged,"
The Society will hardly attempt to maintain, that
doctrine is a thing indifferent and alterable. Besides
which it should be borne in mind, that the Church
has already shown the most resolute stiffness in re-
fusing the sort of alterations which the Society now
demands. Not only has she done this in ages past,
but by anticipation in the present Convocation, which,
while considering the propriety of new service& for
certain purposes and occasions, has affirmed the prin-
ciple that the Book, as we now have it, is to remain
untouched. The alteration which the Society advo-
cates we shall notice upon a future occasion.