The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-11 00:00:00

.. utast aistrgiealesiGki

itTn" dental watery."—llenW.

Mr. E. Beaks writes to the Daily Neva:—
"Au to the threatened proceedings against myself and
others for what took place last Monday, when the people
are admitted to have acted so admirably—as they would
have equally acted last July if they had been themselves
unmolested and admitted within the park—l have little
anxiety. The notice served upon me at the delegate meet-
ing at the Sussex Hotel was not, in law, worth the paper it
WAX printed upon. Looking at the position of the crown,
and the government as representing the crown, with
regard to the tenure of Hyde-park, and at my own posi-
tion and rights as one of the public in respect of that park,
I view with much indifference the alleged intention of my
friends, the law officers, to attempt to convict me of troo-
ps's. Moreover, Ido not believe that the Queen herself
wishes the public right to bo interfered with."

CONGREGATIONAL T. TT NlON.—Yenterday the pro-
ceedings connected with the thirty-seventh annual assembly
of this Union were brought to a close. The session was
again bald in the Weigh House Chapel, and the
Rev. Dr. J. R Campbell presided. The Rev.
H. le Pasteur timelier, who appeared as • delegate
from the Union of Evangelical Free Churches in France,
gave • few details of the manner in which these churches
were working. in the name of the churches he repre-
sented he conlially thanked the Congregational Union of
England for the sympathy and support it had so heartily
rendered. The Rev. A. Hannay, M.A., next read a
paper on the ecclesiastical state of the country, in which
he dwelt upon the anarchy at present produced by
the Ritualists, the Rationalists, and Coinprehensionists.
Upon the conclusion of Mr. Hannah's paper, which
was loudly cheered, the Rev. W. M. Statham
moved the following aeries of resolutions :—" That
this assembly, having regard to the efficiency and
honour of the church of Christ and to the spiritual in-
terests of the people of England, have observed with much
regret the progrem of errors within the pale of the esta-
blished church—Romanistic errors, which invest the mi-
nisters of religion with the prerogatives of a priesthood,
degrade the commonly acknowledged rites of Christians to
a superstitious use, and depreciate the preaching of the
gospel which. *wording to apostolic precedent, is the lead-
ing function of the Christian ministry ; and rationalistic
errors, which rob Christianity of the peculiar honours and
the impressive claims upon the faith of men, which it
owes to its supernatural origin and the inspiration of
its records. That, as the established church has practically
ceased to have any distinctive creed, or form of worship,
this assembly desire to put on record their deliberate
opinion that the authority and power of the church, as a
national institution, are being largely abused to the un-
settlement of men's faith and the hindrance of pure and
Scriptural rvllhinu in the land. That this assembly,
believing, in view of the tendencies of modern thought,
that no established church is now possible in England
which shall not comprehend all the diversities and
contradictions of teach and ritual which are dis-
tracting the existing established church, desire to renew
their testimony as embodied in the Declaration of Faith
and order adopted in Ittl3, namely, that ' • Christian
church is purely spiritual, and should in no way be
corrupted by union with the temporal or civil power,'
and to express their deep conviction that only the separa-
tion of the church from the state can under present
circumstances prevent the national sanction of supersti.
tie's sod unbelief." These resolutions were seconded by
Rev. W. Cuthbertsoo, and were then debated for nearly
two hours, the current of opinion being principally con-
firmative of them. Upon being put from the chair, they
appeared to be carried unanimously. The Rev. Newman
Hall next read a paper on open air preaching, and the
subject gave rise to a series of short speeches. A number
of official resolutions were then pawed. after which the
aniembly adjo^rned to diancrat the Bridge-hove Hotel.