The Express.
London, England, 1865-10-06 00:00:00

THE CHURCH CONGRESS.

NORWICH, Ocr. 5.
This morning another general meeting was held in St.
Andrew's Hall, whioh presented a brilliant a , not
a seat being uscocupied. The Bishop of crevice pre-
sided.
The Rev. Dr. Pussy, who was received with loud cheers,
read a paper on the spirit in which the researches of learn-
ing and ensues should be applied to the study of the Bible.
There were two opposite dupes, the paper °burred, of
which believers must beware in regard to the teaching of
science. The first was the incautious adoption of such
theories as might seem totoincide with Holy Scripture ; and
the second was • fear loot any legitimate results at
which science might arrive should be adverse. In the one
case, we should so mallet* sand for the rock ; in the other,
we should produce an impression that we were ill at ease.
We must beware of bending sacred things to any theory of
physical science and insisting on our interpretation miming
true; we must beware also of the fate of those
who condemned Copernicus. Thew:aglow en which theories
of physical science could be compared with the teaching of
the Holy Scripture ware wormarily weaned to • few main
facts, snob as the creation and the deluge, and statements'
connected with them ; and it was wise advice on the part of
St. Augustine, when he said, "Since Moses is not here to
tell us what he meant, we should be modest in pronouncing
that he meant this, or that he did not mean that." In the
ogee of Copernicus, theologians stood corrected for insisting
on wrong statements, bat the right interpretation of God's
wool would never be found in contudictiou with the right
iaterpretation of the facts of physical sou O" if we were led
'to • more careful examination of God's word. It was not is
the fun, but the theories founded thereon, that the
alleged contradictions counted. Borne geologists
had ob-
served that there was • chasm in the statement of
the Bible that God created the earth, and the earth was
waste and • desert ; but man's wisdom had never fathomed
the great mystery of absolute creation at the will of God,
sod we might be sure that the details were right whatever
might be the interpretation. With regard to the fate of
all mankind who perished by the flood except Noah, that
was true, and we had no right to make our own interpreta-
tion of God's word, without say authority from the church,
the measure of His meaning • we must not make inferences
from what we were not told, and how the flood was pro-
duced we were not told. In the present state of geological
science there appeared to be no direct evidence either for or
against the universality of the deluge, and of coerce it was
unfair so set scripture in opposition to the supposed results
of science when it was not. The unity of the human
race was a matter of faith ; sod he thought cal-
culations as to time were altogether out of the
queen°, in dealing with the subject of the origin of the
varieties of mac. With regard to the general quertioo of
the supposed collision of science with the scriptures, he
waited the Tune with entire fearlessness. He considered it
mischievous, however, to endeavour to support the
truth of God's word with theories deduced from
facts imperfectly understood. They were unsatis-
factory, bemuse they were not true, and people
took them as they came to bind, without waiting
for the truth. Faith could afford to wait, for it was its
own security. Faith rested upon what was superior to
science ; 'science epos man's far observation, inductioss,
combinations, iefereneee. Faith had to do chiefly with the
invisible, untie* with the visible order of things. Science
related to facts, sad the laws by which God upheld His
material creation or its past history ; faith related altogether
to His will and His word. Faith had the certainty of the
Dinno word ; science had only the certainty of human
mason. Faith was tho property of the peanut, as of the
most intellectual philosopher. Faith lived above the
clouds of human doubt, and it was wined that thew was
a solutios of anything which seemed for slime issoluble,
for it rested secure in the bosom of its God. (Loud cheers.)
' The Rev. T. R. Biers followed ; and after some obser-
vations from the Yen. Archdeacon Sandford, the Rev.
Dr. Bayles (of St. Aidan's College, Birkenhead), Dr.
Howeon, the Rev. E. Garbet, Dr. Kaye, and the Earl of
I Hfirroerby, who oath enforced fresh arguments in support
of the conclusions enforced by the papers read,
The Bishop of OXFoItD, who was received with much
cheering, said he rose at the very end of the sitting to say
only a few words with the greatest reluctance, not but
that if there were sufficient time he should rejoice in an
opportunity of speaking. He wished to leave upon the
thoughts of the meeting that which was so well said by ow
of the preceding speakers—that instead of its being iris•
nom and truth to Sing away remaining truth because
the mind had found s difficulty in holding certain other
truths, it was the greatest weakness, as well as the greatest
wickedness; but thee he was anxious to repeat it for another
reason, as what wse said by the speaker he referred to as
an intapilutioa to that remark might be maitormesired.
is saying this be did not subscribe for a moment to the idea
that iu dealing with the revelation of God they could say,
a' the important arts are true, and the unimportant parts
turd not be true." (Cleves.) He could conceive nothing
that would make a scientific men more likely to throw
away the full consideration of revelation than lemmas of
that sort. (Hear, hear.) What comes from God must be
true down to the very least utterance. (Cheers.) But then
let him just point out what appeared tohira to reconcile that
most important moposition with whet the speaker
he had alluded to meant. la the revelation of God to
man there could be no error ; bat it did not follow that
the whole of the revelation should be intended by God to
be given with the dame amount of clearows of exprsesioo,
and consequently in the inference which men drew from the
revelation there was room left fur the wartime of abundant
error. Bat let them observe that jest in proportion as
truth became important for the main object of revelation—
that was reveul,ng God to the soul as its God and its Sa-
viour—jest in that proportion the clearour of announce-
ment would necessarily increase, because it would be re-
peated in a thousand different forms aed ways, each one of
which would tend to throw light upon the intention of the
announcement. Thus they were certain they had the exact
truth in that which, from its importance, was repeated in
so many different ways • but when, on the other
heed, it wee • small and unimportant matter
which was revealed, which perhaps occurred once
or twice, there lay immediately fur the apprehension of
man a large room for miscouceptiou. They would, there-
fore, find that the matters which were questioned io the
revelation were not the important wicks, but the unim-
portant ; and this was the reason he did not say to the
philosopher, " You must receive upon the same evidence
one proposition beanie it is important, and reject another
because it is unimportant i" but he Paid, " You must deal
with thin revelation as you deal with anything in your own
science, and not take • hint as if that simple hint of nature
conveyed to you as certainly the troth which von were
seeking, es if that hint was the combination of a multitude
of conclusive facts." (Cheers.) He would only say, is
conclusion, that the very variation of the addresses they had
heard, with their agreement, was one smug many in-
stances by which the truth of rsveletiim was to be esta-
blished. because it was like the light that streamed in at
that window, asserting its presence by its tuneersel recep-
tion. (Cheers.)
The right rev. President then prowl/wed the beeedir
inn, and the meeting adjourned.

FREE CHURCH CONFERENCE AT NORWICH.
The friends of the Free Church Association, the object of
which is to restore the ancient freedom of worship in
°harebell by the suppression of the pew system and the
adoption of the weekly offertory, at the most scriptural and
excellent system of church finance, taking advantage of the
Church Congress at Norwich. determined to hold a congress
at that city. The first meeting was held on Wednesday
aftersoos, in the Leetsre•hall. the chair being taken by the
Von. Archdeacon Damson. There was a large attendance.

THE LATE FRACAS IN THE DUBLIN EXHIBITION.—
On Wednesday the late fracas I. the Dahlia exhibition,
between Mr. Iselin, the generalsuperintendent of the on,
and Captain Cuffs, the head of the Canadiaa
department, was investigated before the Dublin Recorder,
os a &arse of assault made by Mr. Iselin against the
captain. It appeared that on the 22nd of August last,
between four and five o'clock in the evenisg, Captain Coffer
time to Mr. leelin's office to ask for a pass or free ticket
foe an additional attendant, which be said be required io
his department os the evenings when the exhibition
was opened. Mr. Iselin directed his clerk, who WWI
present, to write out • pass for bloc, and said that it
should only be available for the night time. Captais
Cuff.) said to Mr. Iselin that be and other persons in Ms
department were put to great *amass in consequence of
the exhibition being opened in the OVODing, and that
he kept an amount of the expellee, and would ask the
amount from the executive committee. Mr. hello said
be would inform the committee, that they might be prepared
and know bow to set. Thereupon high weeds appear to
bare arisen hotness the parties, and it was alleged that the
capteiu accused Mr. I.elia of baying been airtime as a My to
his department. Mr. Iselin ordered the captain so leave
his office, and after some farther altercation Captain Cuff.
struck him several times with • cane. The policeman who
wee on duty cause up arid saw the occurrence, and en the
charge of Mr. belie took biro into custody. Mr. Lelia
afterwards resolved to proceed against him by rummies. Oa
the part of the defendant the assault was not denied, bat it
was alleged that Imitating language had bees uteri by Mr.
laelis. After some inieverietinn between the learned gee-
tlemen os both sides and the Recorder. a verdict of guilty
was entered. Captain Cuffs was bound over to keep the
peace, sod to some op to receive seateoce it hereafter celled
on. An ecology was made to Mr. Iselin on his behalf, and
• dne of 21. was dimmed to be paid by Captain Cu!,, to be
distributed =mist the poor of St. Michan's pariah.
CarirrAL PALAcs.—The first of the series of
Saturday Comets will be given to-morrow. By the new
system of guinea men ticket., they are sow available ap
to 30th September. 1866, including all the principal Wean
time of next 101110 D. The London, Chatham, sad Dover
Railway Compaay also issue a gather, railway ticket for
the same period from Ludgentill and Victoria sad the
intermediate studious, up to the high level station dose to
the orates tthosept.