The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-11-28 00:00:00

LORD SHAFTESBURY ON THE FUTURE OF
THE CHURCH AND THE SALVATION ARMY.

CRUNXII PASTOILAL AID SOCISTY.

The annual meeting of the Wienhorne Auxiliary of this
society wee held on Thitraday afternoon at the Nationol
Schoolroom That. was a fair attendance. Tee E or, of
Shisiteebure. Pre•ided, and there were also present—Key.
Cur Glyn, Rev. G. Ottialett (the secretary), and the
Reeds. C. Burr, Parnell. of Woodlande, and Fowl" (the
deputation.)
The report wag read by the Rev. G. caisLrrr, who
argued the importer:re of tut society In thew dey,
aro wine socialistic Rieman over the world, and Mowed Moot
£36 6s. 21, had been Mot to the parent society during the
pest year, there being uufortunotely a lading off in the
number of the smell subscribers.
The Rev. CARR GLYN having referred to the thankful-
ness with which tory ought to regard such societies,
remarked these were "s fting times —and he used the
term advisedly—nit confiniAl to any one section of
Christians, but at the some time in which the Est ablebed
Church was especially tried. Proceeding to follow this
p he referred to the I/location 11 mai of Education, zad
strongly expressed his regret the Board had been sendii.g
out books for the use of the school. in the diocese—written
by such authors as Solder, Cos Yonge, and others. These
books contained very objectionable pewits." and rare
errors. Among other things they taught the popish
doctrinal error of auricular confession priestly absolution,
and some went as far as prayers for tee dead. Every
effort hail been rude to induce the committee to with-
draw them, but without emcees, and he thought it
behoved both clergy and betty to enter their solemn
pretest. (Cheery.)
The Rev. Mr. YOWL' then gave an interesting and
atstiatical address in relation to the workinot of the
society. He, in course of it, mentioned it as a fact that
was somewhat the reverse of encouraginr, thst from Lae
MOON of Salisbury the sone,/ received -2705 teat year,
but they had been obliged to grant .1.721 for the mainten-
ance of their scripture routers and curates. Having
stated the society had been found of the greatest use in
dealing with reformed drunkards:he was thus led to speak
of the work of the Salvation Army, and he expressed it as
WA opinion that, what over might bee aid to the contrary, the
"Army ' had left • substratum of good behind it in many
places where it went, and the converts required men like
those provide] by' that society to look alter them when
perhaps the army had left. In conclusion he Raid they
load started fresh mission work in 26 new parishes during
the year, embracing • population of quarter of • million,
and he earnestly asked for additional contributions to
carry on the tecreued work.
After the Rev. Mr. PiILILLL had made a few encourae-
ins remake,
looan SHAFTESBURY roes and addressed the meeting at
length. His lordship was looking exceedingly well, and
spoke with all his wonted vigour and emphasis. After
a few introductory remarks be said they were now
living in a period when the future was before
them in the very ugliest of colours, under the
darkest horizon. Hie fnend Mr. Glyn had said he was
terribly afraid that efforts were now being mule by various
Institutions which would tend to un-Protestantise the
country. He could WHIM his worthy friend that ha
agreed with him in all he said about the publications
being issued by the Diocesan Board of Education, but
when his friend talked of the un-Protestantising of the
country he thought he mast have forgotten that the
country wee ne-Protestantised already. Spiritual Pro-
testantism was not to be met with frequently anywhere,
=Ala( the high, low, rich or poor; but of politics! Pro-
testantism be could finis very great deal. ID could find
thousands of people who would curse the Pope. and ir..t
would set on the principles professed by the Pope. He
could find a groat number of people who protease! to
abominate the Jesuit', and yet would teach so much
Jesuitism as thou who were the meet pronounced Jesuits.
Protestantism had ceased to be a religious feeling. There
were some remnants, but there seemed no hope of saving
the Church or the country at large. Among the great
maws of the people, however, tears were hundreds,
there were thousands, who, he did not hesitate to say, dis-
agreed with the religious teaching of the ed *could emus and
who were disposed to religion, sentiment.; men who not only
entertained those sentiments, but acted upon them. The
proportion of people of that kind was fey larger than was
to be found among the more educated classes in this
country, and among those masses of the people there
we' a very large field to work upon, with great holm.
of swum It was to those that they should direct their
attention, pointing out to them the great merits of the
Church Pestered Aid Society. That society wee intended
for the great 0/11111.0. of the people of this country. Ills
experience among the great muses with whom he was
connected all over the country was that there was the
highest hope of an abundant harvest among them. Mr.
Fowls had told them that there were complaints that

there

the northern counties received more euppoet from the
society than the southern counties did. Well, and so
they ought; there was no doubt about it. The necmity
of the northern was greater than that of the soulaerii
countiee, for, as • rule' in the latter, inclurbug Dorset,
the population was within conapees, Alal 1 the resident
minister was able to discharge the whole of the dub,'
required of him ; but with the great parishes in Lindon
and in other luge cities and towns it was trt soy
different. There were thousands and tens of thotissoda
in some of those parishes whom the minister never saw,
and with • very few of whom he could be really
acquainted, although • great effort was being made and
a number of gentlemen anxious for their spiritual welfare
now went among them. There was more Intelligence
among some of the wozking men than was to be found in
the more educated classes; thee working men ha I most
powerful intellect,, and they were often difficult to argue
with ; they had good objections to various teachings, objec.
tions well lulmoisd, because properly taught them by one
mother. A great danger for evil ley among these people,
but while they had a great danger they had also great
facilities there • for the intellect which was opposed to
them at first, if pressed into their serer, ce, became of
enormous importance. He knew many among those
people who had become the most efficient missionaries
among their own class, and worked among them ten
thousand t•naes better than anyone else could, however
deeply learned or highly educated they might be. Thus
people listened with earnestness when talked to by their
own associates, and believed that what was told them
came from • pure desire to do them good. All the religious
societies to *bids allusion had been made were doing •
great and efficient work among the people at the present
time ; but n • one could know, excepting those wbou duty
It was ii enquire into it, and to work among the people,
what the real state of Fr iclety was at the present time. H.
had of too .nade this 'tit...meat in the presence of working
men, and it had never been gainsaid, that not two out of
every hundred of them whom he had been addressing
Attended a place of worship It was quite true, and being
true let the In see what great opposition to the working of
the society they had Li break down. They had to overcome
the difficulty of getting them to go and hear the Word of
God preached t 3 them, and to observe the Lord's Day.
This proved to them more and more the necessity which
existed for the redoubling of their efforts, in these
days when there was great denier to be apprehended
from scepticism and infilelity. Thens we. great danger
In that respect, no doubt, but he was ready to meet it
with this answer—That is perfeetlY true,
notwithstanding all the efforts which lure been made,
but whet would the evil have been if these efforts had not
been medal (lieu, hear.) in every ft" of that sort
there was • negative and • positive view. There was
the positive of what was actually done, and the negative
of that which was actually prevented. They might rely
upon it that • large amount of evil had been prevented by
the exertions which had been made by different donornine
aliens, and especially by the Church of Eturland • they
had prevented a vast amount of mischief and irreligion
which if left wholly unchecked, would have made the
country positively uninhsbitable. Look at the persons
' whom they had for ministers in the present day, and the
growth of scepticism tsking place in the country. He
was not exaggerating the matter at all, for only the other
day Dean Sargon. of Ceichester, preaching in the pulpit
of St. )(area at Oxford, Inc most vigorous sermon, tild
the university that they most link to it, for they were
within a hair's breadth of being the hotbed of infidelite
and irreligion throughout the country. He hal asked per-
soma at Oxford the question es hi whether that was true,
and they told him that wee really so. A gentleman laid
to him the other day—What is to be the future of
the Church of England! It IVY • difficult question
to =ewer, but ha felt sure that the tutus reale= of
Malawi wosid sei be Is rasios which the (Aura ol

among
I missionaries

&attend new professed. II felt that the whole system of
training in the c tUrgeesad a great number of .eh ”1t was
not wide: It ought to lie. Ant in .peaking of &diorite he
mentioned witty', hoards with a certain amount of respect..
Vie? were it .in what they could for the children
they hail under their .'.entol, but the difflcalty of entio.l
bawds .ay not in what they said, but in what they were
not allowed to tay. The ecnool board was condos.' with-
in very narrow hunt., end cudi only teach • very limited
amount of religion. School hoards were to b • found in out
great citim and town., snit be thought the day was nit
• far if when a school I. ard w old be found in every parish
an I village in the c• itintry. In ochools an tot thn control
of such herds. the ire a saving it c7rines of the °lurch of '
E'iclanil mit.t u tbe taught. Mixed up with all dersimi-
nations it mutt be k-pt within certain 'knits. and ply
neaten point. of religion tenant the children ; and wh.n
these echoges it c tate o.telaishod all over the country they
would then have, instead of the p 'ease% the negative side
of ChristianitY, through the receiving of certain truths and
tho rejection of tile remainder. But however dark and
gloomy that might he, it was their duty to endeavour te
iiring the handreds anti thotnands into the Church; and if
they roade that et rtitintithtp eas (I'd toss enmpiiih what
they all hoped for—a god kingdom of inland. He
would not say that bite miser of Almighty God, and by
their doneg all they co old to promote the knowledge of the
kingdom of Christ, aryl to unnerve the faith, he would
not ••ey that under those c rcutustances the religion of
toe county might not be aired ; he would only say that
the prospect helms thou wat dark and glo tiny, and en
limited that if they rod il a In 'Wont from their lab air
the enemy would occupy tile g..iund so firmly that no
power on caith might over be able te dislodge him. U,
did not know—it war bud to say—bat, with the advancing
democracy; the rising of the poorer chant to a much
higher .tat, of lit... met, might be dled t.. the helm who
would rue tide country in • very aiderent way t i that in
which it wag rulod n iw; thy only knew that, thanks t
• mercil ul Providence, Hung. were not soder& and glo .my
as to drive them ii d spate. &repair ought never to
extit as long as toe allele estate a an tots country.
plaice) A Idioms had ...ea as .d. to the great army com-
mend -d be Ii te ral unit Sire Bat o. Now, he never ad
-
tomtit the title of 'hv. army, for tie had no hentati in 10
seying that it thought downright blasphemy to use
such a word se toat trieir title was prefix.al with. He did
n it, he could nit, rely upen any movement soca aas that
If he haste it any fact or stceureat ol so-called tow
versions of members of that army it was necessary tor
him t e have fail and c .tuplote erid-nce and proof that
.L we. • cenversion beiore he scc,ptel it as such.
But the gnu had sttaturd .uch • high p
in the *arid, they lied 1.-oso so malted hy
Gonvocattin, by bishop. ant arc bishops, by lat men. had
ny the clergy at large, thet it would be very unbecointug
in him to say in•ire taint tint he much dietrusted ouch •
mole of pr icesding. Meer. hear) Ile could not think
that any of thiage said or done by the army were at all its
harmony with the t :Achill{ of the earliest UAW of tie
Caurch ; nor were they such se wooed have received the
approbation of any of the apo.tier, and osrminly sot
of our bird Jesus Christ himself. (Haar, bear, and
enplane i.t He hoped and trust Al they would, by support-
ing se...mations sushi as lila tney were met in aid of, do
all they couid to Intimate the ljoittcs of God. Born and
educated, as be had been, in the Church of Ettltul.
baying ...ed, tiot witho. dialog her ahoit-co"4"lise what
by Goofs bl she nad echieveit, tint al though she had
been 5r...a.m.( to dub, that elthoogli .he bad hermit
been guilty of great wrongs and shit, he was convinced
that the Courcii of liagisod had made the people of this
country what they Were. And now the Coerce was to
the grit ,test danger, tier etiouiteii were numerous, and
perhaps it might out be mato y. an before they
• gron.l systematic Lifort for ttp, oreithlow of tie
Estahilshinnot. fti.•y roust do tOJir beg. ti meet that
d.mger, and chin toe ett .CIL was Wads it might pile.
Grit iat it oh 'a bios tin.u.icessf iii ; but it they were t
tall he hoped thcy w •u,d 101 l at A time when all their
nilnist.rs and all viii dry wr,, by prayer and odor',
doing everyttinu toey coddl to WWI the great purpose
for which the Ghenco was ord ant and established—the
glory of Go i mod the t.mporsl en I eternal welfare ut all
uuder her care. (App.a Ise.)
The meeting terminit ot with the ringing of the
doxology, and pronunciation 01 the blinatllCiatini

THE NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB.
The spy ic weal (or a i1L1.1111.111 to Una nee cub already
excved 1,11%1. A. thzy aro 11.0 utuner.... ue&nor.
coututitt:e at Leo. 11.. tocoung at W. attoinstor tound
it tutp,olobl to ea oat. 1u W AS .1 t.lO
hot • 4..M1i411111b1t uyill.ier Of WO. LOOFA Were ei.4941.
Lthltry M.P., rad Mr. Brod' luku.c, M.P., have Laub
kua..r.ry ni,,ualsard ut dm, dab.