The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-11-19 00:00:00

VOLUNTARYISM AND ABSOLU TR
HMATHINISM.
To lA. ldikar.

- - -
To the letter of the Bey. C. W. Blogham, on
the ameedon of the Bev. C. J. Bird, there appears •
paragraph so strong and extravagant in It' statements,
that I shall feel obliged If you will kindly allow ma
apses for • few obsereatloos. With tho general
question of Mr. Bird's seseasion. of mime, I have
nothing to do; but if I were allowed to express an
opinion, in which I believe a large number of my towns-
men sham I would say that • more truly noble sad
Christian deed hat not been dose for a long day in
Dorchester than he his den,; and I greatly marvel
that moll • man as Mr. Bingham boa note sable, word
of sympathy for • man, who, If he adorned his ohareh-
=whip while in the Charon of England, hasi adorned
It ea hundred fold more by retiring on ODOI2 lofty
grounds from it. That however by the way. The
paragraph to which I refer 1..., follows, " I believe. and
I am inclined to think that Mr. Bird believes, that the
existeare of the Chu-oh of England is a great bleselag
to the country. With all its faults lied shortoomings—
separable or Ineoporable from every Mediation that is
be an immense
worked by human agency —I believe, and I think that
he believe.", that Ire destruction would
and irreparable 10.,, If lot to our large towns, at any
rate to our rural population. I look armed las: I
enquire WO EA4 slats of thing' in countries salve Be
aispport of refit/LOA is Jet to roltuttary efforts, mid emsenaticd after Ms moat C0M1144"1404. aft Here
is so visit& agency atact woeld protect Its grant 111411 ot
my Alter cm:argue% frost absolute Aseatinitses if the
established church env diseadoned " Teo whole
paragraph, and especially the words italltdeed, *retain
such an unwarrantable and uglastillable redaction on
the principles of Voluntaryism, both am illustrated in
our own and in other eouctriesi, that Is., more than
surprised that • gentleman who claims to have
given such " anxious eosekleration " to this gagedou should have been found sepoble of uttering it. It is no
use for Mr. Bingham to lap that ho does not challenge
oontroversy. I hold, *AAA when general sad reckless statemeats are made, whieh lead both to peel odioe and
misrepresent • great public and even national question,
as diseetabgmbinant is test becoming, the author of them is bound In hamar to himself, and to the oom•
manity to whom he mikes the.,, dearly and definitively to establish them. I ask what does Mr. Bingham
mean by him words? Does he moan to say that haring
looked into the workings of voluntary churches, both
In thim and In other oonotrine where they are to
operation, that them churches are each and all of theta signal finless', and thot the onotrise whisk they are
seeking to Christianise Sr. In "absolute bleUtoolser
Or dose the reverend gentleman mien that although
" voluntaryism' has been a splendid snares; say In
Anierioa, where no state oharolt exlst,, and whore the
people are scarcely to • steno " absolute heathenism " as Alabama and San Juan motroversies sad desimicia
only too sensibly remind iingiehmen, end where IMO-
thing of the spirit of Christilsoity prevaUsif we are even
yet able to believe in the achievement' of litanley, the
Dorset Coast, Express 'minded Of although Toloourf-
inn hos been and is proving hoed equally anoomefol in
all our colonies, where the State Church DO looser
exists, but where voluntaryiun hae become universal;
or, althoagh thus Free Church in dootlond hat oarried
the gospel to every glen and hamlet, and almost swept
the Sete Chnroh off the field ; or,although voluntaryism
in the shape of Methodism and Dissent generally, has
done quite as much to Christienloo the poor, as the
Charon of Inalsod, as shrinks, I believe, will 'how:
although roluntetryism has amompliabed sash splendid
remits asi in the OMNI named, yet in England, and as
wrought by &with Churchmen, no molt remit,
am possibly he looked for, but on the ooatrary
"absolute heathenism?" I wonder if the writer
really pension the withering indieloneal which
by his very words be brings against tits 0.0
Aim*, sad which, if true, or ergo approximoting to
the truth, would be more fatal to the existecoe of a
Mats Church than the Bennett judgment itself, chid%
despite the somewhat Idling oritvoissom of Mr. flinsheat
as Mr. Bird's sermon, Etas done more to prepare the
way for cilseetsbilehment than any other single event
in the history at the thumb, and has died the whole
religious mad& communities, Presbyterians and all
Nonconformists, with a stern and determined desire to
hasten its accomplishment. A church which after three
meturies of undisputed pompanos with every reality
wittoh "'cosiness sod light" could furnish' with
fabulous revenues from the Mato : has yet medium to
say of the people to whom it hos been oVeleteshig
during all that period than th.l U the stets nom to
abouteeithdrawhesuiesaille aid from; Lit,
wohwould.hittbilthaemaillebit
nag for boat thee this, has lithe ern AIX debt

thinking RagMimeo forfeited Ms right to adist, tar he
absorb the eau revenue of the elate • and Wen et
au eery greatly taleakas this is somaitere Mont the
oolaim which Bagliahmos gonarelly are hogianieg to
entertain. If the March has failed daring them tarea
congeries to Obristimist the people, or to isapart emy
Mese or desire to them to matatain its °railroad
among it. own edbisreeta, on whet maid
Bingham memo as, that Ills were left la andlepatal
possession of the field for three maturiaa more, it mold
make ins ton otherwise thou they aro cow? If I sore
to ;teak of the church ia as areal sad anwortky term
so Sir. !Naomi,' ; 111 warts to alterbb the pose estimate
off' whiob be mew to do ; 111 were to *lnk SI littie
of its inherent life, and Christian romans*, and bilk
In OA sod in the power of the Gospel, I mates Mat
it would be with intease shams aud humiliation AM I
should bare to think of myself as usactiated with emit
a &arab. I entertain a higher opialu ujay, Ammo
Stan Sir. Etinahain .some to 4o- although ha matialy
°nett to be the bettor judg& do iamb for ail septet
of Yr. Bingham's letter. But not be prelim( tgas As,
onesion of a questioo whioh is sp serest sweiga, I yid,
to utter coy very owned protest pima what I deem
tbs too., sad vary lumen:Ms statements matallned Is
cauvo,b,enhi:nerirot:ibltoaairtabw:fii.roh:i"4ll.:4•lihtyi.su.:opthmomi...r.thhicheu,biataigi,
ts.nrwhelinerliisendionuebanwistoeintiateownethettrussorremiadwa.sla Stilete
boaeffected Ida 'advised on this quietist as
ya 'be %II Nue acid buriage of it, but that la • 1••••
oda and sober 'tate of mind los will be 'ibis to mi ids
mistake and make ample isnende for it. I affirm (mit
request Kr. Bingham to prove he contrary by Mott
not assortions), that Voluntuyam in .eery mantey,
awverbidiforokica:mde.....l.
j.segloyrremedd atfairummpron,dflisidzitaanit.odbinitsobaxtfavour,zhhisekicharbosain:
abbe t 3 stew as. Will Br. Bingham dee, that it has
been ao in America, aa tritium the testimony of Amortrait
Boisoopal Blahope on Chetah of England plater= I
Will ho dtec t.lyb... thi.t It
rd icon hirra
t horn bissn eoin orso? Oolcl#;,
weed
Is likelytthheatgrati" totb.taientimmoothy to be Se°1power 01
81:riseipeotglat:OrliroLdttlanahlirithrth.dahiriesiforytasapatttionsweatycilebn
,yearabses
ntoro strikingly afforded thee daring say other ago
the Churoh's history? If Br. Bingham aansot deny
Mee things, be had ea right to speak el Voluntaryism
and Volamtery Churches aa be hoe does, sad of •••11111
..a Christian gentionisto he will roami hie titanium',
or establish theta by iscoutset&blo fads. I hove.,
wish to enter oa the Urge qualtioa of dm Melia alas
Slate to the Chitral on the Dandiest. We all knee
what Prime illutarek Is prepared to do with tha awe
Oaarab la Denneay. and we kaow what Dr. Presume
has told tl• in • meat spew\ LS to ths probthl• ease
&dos of the Mete Ohara la rm. la • very law
years; everywhere indeed our the world, the grist
moveineat of Free Marotta= is /Idaho( streaglit, oa
It Mt ways tombs' oar English shoes lag, phy. ic my
likely to be Mt elm, yet as *mule as the program at
this age gam as, so sirloin ls it that Mt Slats Ohara
of Ma "country shall be .wept away, lobe emeseded by
that Voluntaryism which Mn. &GOMM so oeidially
doterte, sad from width he sedoloatee malt disesteem'
farm ; bet which la my humble jadgraut pay 'a that
of many others is likely to be '-"dated with the ens
dawo of • truly national rodeo's life, asid
elevation of the people, both in morals, sad lareligiam.
Tsomu Nuts.
Dorchester, 13th Novi, 1872.