The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-04-24 00:00:00

TWO CHURCH LECTURER.

MR. M ACINTOOK. Of Pateronster-row, has just
printed for the Rev. J. D. Meo.ingbam, Lecturer
r the Chereh Institution, London. two lectures,
"What about the Prayer Book" land " Ars these
thing. true," in reply to as American D. D., who is
it ireeme a non-oonformist minister at Manchester.
These lectures ex• circulated at • penny each, and
arc well deserving of pertmeL The first has for it.
rublitle "The objector refuted and the Church of
England defended," and the second that of "The
agreseor exposed." The American (Dr. Parker)
appear. to' charge the Prayer Book with oneness
against God, against troth, against fIOGOO, against
society;" and yet we really think we never
met with a more unreserved iulmiseion of the value
of our ritual uton one point.—" The Book of
immon Prayer save Dr. Parker "is many-sided.
It m partly_ doctrinal, partly ritualistic, partly de-
votional. The devotional portions of the Book of
l'oontlion Prayer stead uerivalloi forsimpliaity, range,
and fervour of expression. They touch the fittest
ch-rds of the soul, they give atteranos to many
of the deepest wants of the heart. Their simplicity '
would become the lips of childhood, their range
mould include nearly all human circumstance and
eiperience, and their fervour would express all tha
passion of love, all the agony of sorrow. We noun'
he worse than bigots to deny thia."-8411 tar.
Parker in the face of this admission astutely naiin•
Loos against the Prayer Book the charges we an.,
mentioned In feet be toes into the whole theory
of non-conformity, but only front 1662. As Mr.
Musingham observes, he does not go hack to aotios
.bat sal done is 1640; no, nor does he sc.
knowledge, as Dr. Ash, and other impartial Dis-
senters have done, the guilt and great injustice of
imputing to the Established Church in former days
or to its onemeetion with the Riau, • spirit and
e.miloot which in truth belonged to the age itself.
Thus whilst Dissenters expatiate on the sufferings of
ejected ministers, far worse things were done in
those very times by themselves. Tbe number of
Eiestopal 'offerers in 1640 was far larger than that.
of 1660, for from 6,000, to 7,000 of the Clergy with
Bishops and Archbishop* were ejected from their
Icings, and including wives and children about
3%000 cut forth desolate upon the world, on the
most frivolous and absurd charges, idtbough amongst
their number were some of lb. moot eminent of our

_
.irines, Bishops Owen, Howell, Usher, Hall, Pear-
kc., Jeremy Taylor, Mclean:, Fuller, Chilling.
worth. On the other hand the IMID intruded into
church living' ioclud ed troopers, tailors, jersey- 1
comber', butlers, halters, coachmen, mechanics,
clerks, apothecaries' apprentices, weavers, joiners,
pedlars, skinners, nail makers, ballarbeingers,
saddler', cooks, felt makers, stooking-menders,
millers, ginger-bread makers, collar makers, ahem-
vat makers. °Mahler:, PlottilhlD4o, thatcher;
laborers, masons, grocers' apprentices, horse-
keet ers, hone-sellers, had dioe-mak era, ostlers,
Ranters, Quakers, Anabaptists, Papists, Presby•
terians. Independents, Milkman's, repiewentatives
of every sect, and believers in every heresy,
without education and without orders. Abundant
proof is given of these being the so-called "godly
ministers i" but it is clear that Moos these tenor-
darned persons were occupying the livings of loyal
churchmen, they ought either to be eft:leered to
become real churchmen or make way for others.
For this purpose the Act of Uniformity
was paned, by the House of Commons
alone, for when the Lords endeavoured to modify it
the Commons indignantly rejected all their proposals,
soil it was the representatives of the people, end not
the church that pureed the Act of °Deformity. With
equal ottoman Mr. Id sesingbacn unanswerably defends
the Prayer Riok against assaults on the score of
baptism, hurial, confirmation, iko. Be this proceeds
to show that the people benefit by the Clergy of the
National Church, but are sot taxed for their maints-
minas ; whores& the people are heavily eased for the
Dissenters, that is, for the whims and farm:dee of
religionists who will not pot up with the public
provision for Divine service, but insist on • private
form of devotion of their owe. The Cemeteries Act
thus costs for every ,f 2 formerly expended. The
working man has to pay into the New Proba,•
C,urts £6 for every £lOO legacy, in places of £2 as
before; other &sweating items £188.436 a year,
and the appointment of Registrars to marry in
place of the clergy costs the country £BO,OOO a
year. A cry having been raised at the first lecture,
"What shout Chards-rates ?" we think Mr.
Massingliam's answer well worth quoting :