The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-19 00:00:00

L 4 ;%1 ER HOC eIE.

The Lower noose assembled the Jerusalem Chamber,
Westminster Abbey, at 11 o'clock. The Venerable Archdea•
COD BlClCULtirrtli presided.
The Rev. Dr. NY ORDBWoleril gave notice of a motion for
the appointment of a committee to consider ►nd report to
the house upon the best means of promoting the increase of
the epoicopite in England and Wales.
The Rev. Sir Udiaae PREVOST gave notice that at the
peeper time he should move an address to the tipper House,
calling attention to the operation of the acts of parliament
bearing upon the marriage of members of the Church of
England, and to the practice of publishing banns in perishes
other than those in which the parties reside.
The Rev. A. Oxxxon• presented a petition hem Us
clergy of de deanery of North Mailing, in the diocese of
Quaterbury, expressing their earnost desire that the steps
already taken, with reference to the church hymnal, may be
corned out.

}AMAIN AND Rennes.
The Venerable Archdeacon DAMSON read the report
agreed to by the 'entwine° appointed for the exa-
mination of the volume of Essays and Reviews."
The report stated that the committee had carefully ful-
filled their allotted task, and considered the following to be
the leading principles of the book :—"That the present Ed-
vanced knowledge possessed by the world in its manhood'
is the standard whereby the educated intellect of the indi-
vidual man, guided and governed by conscience, is to mea-
sure and determine the truth of the Bible. 2. That where
the Bible is assumed to be at variance with the conclusions
of such educated intellect, the Bible must be taken in such
cases to have no divine authority, but to be only ' a human
utterance. 3. That the principles of interpretation of the
Bible hitherto universally received iu the Christian church
are untenable, and that new principles of interpretation
mud now be substituted if the credit and authority of the
Holy Scriptures are to be maintained."
The committee find that :—"ln many
_partis al
the volume, strtements and doctrines of the Holy
Scriptures are denied, called iota question, or
disparaged ; for example :—' (a) The Reality of Miracles,
including the idea of Creation as presented to us in the
Bible.' -• (A) Predictive Prophecy ; especially predictions
concerning the incarnation, person, and cane of our Lord.'
' (r) The Descent of all Mankind from Adam.' • (d) The
Fall of Man ad Original Stn. " (e) The Divine Command
to sacrifice Isaac.' V) The Incarnation of our Lord?
' (g) Salvation through the Blood of Christ.' (A) The
Personality of the Holy Spirit." (i) Special or Super-
natural Inspiration." (k) Historical facts of the Old Testa-
ment, including some refereed to by our Blessed Lord him-
self.' 2. It is urged thati,many passages of. the Holy Scrip-
tures may be understood awl explained upon the principle
called ' ideology,' by which is meant that the reader
is at liberty to accept the idea of characters and
facts described in the Holy Scriptures. instead of
believing in the reality of those characters and facts.
3. It is maintained that the creeds of the church, whether
regarded as oonfessions of faith or es instruments for the
interpretation of scripture,' may now be put amide as no
longer suitable to the present advanced intellectual con-
dition of the world. 4. Liberty ie claimed for the clergy
sod candidates for holy orders to subscribe articles of reli-
gion, and to use formularies in public worship without be.
having them, according to their plain and natural meaning.
5. Attempts ere made to separate Christian holiness of life
from Christian doctrine. We notice in many parts of the
volume the absence of the spirit of humility and reverent*
with which human reason ought ever to approach the study
of divine truth ; we notice also a confusion of the dictates of
the natural conscience with divine grace, and in mom places a
substitution of thew dictates for divine grace. It appears to
ns that whilst the professed intention of the volume is
the ' free handling, in a becoming spirit,' of religious sub-
}sets, the general tendency and effect of the volume is un-
duly to exalt the authority of human reason, to lower the
authority of revelation in regard to things divine and
• to unsettle faith, and to consign the reader to a hope-
less scepticism. We hare appended two schedules, A and
B; schedule A, containing the advertisement • to the
reader,' as prefixed to all the additions of the book, and
referred to in the preceding paragraph of our report ;
schedule B, containing passages denying, calling in ques-
tion, and diverging statements and doctrines of the Holy
Scriptures, with citations from and references to those Fart'
of the Holy Scriptures, and of the formularies and Articles
of the United Church of England and Ireland, to which
such inseams are ciontrariant."
(The schedules giving extracts from the seven cogs
occupy many cloeely.pesnted pages the Scripture references
sad extracts, from the furusuhiriem; of the church being in
parallel columns.)
It was then resolved that the report, as printed, be dis-
tributed to all the members of the Lower House.

Archdeacon DEMON then pee ludice of his intention to
ask the assent of the house to the following resolution,
"That in the opinion of this house there are sufficient
grounds for proceeding to synodical judgment upon the book
entitled 'Essays and Reviews,' and that the above resolu-
tion be communicated to the Upper Howie, together with a
copy of the rep,rt of the committee." To meet the ques-
tion of time, he asked for its adjournment, without entering
upon any further business, till to-morrow morning.
The Rev. Sir HENRY Ticourtiow gave notice of an amend-
Mad to the effect that the Lower House urn not prepared
to recommend the passing of a synodical dgment ou the
book, but they decire toss aure the Upper House that they
will give their moat respectful attention to any commuoica-
thin that may be sent down to them grounded upon the
report.
Amistleacon HONZT gave notice that he should move,
when An:Women Denison's motion should be brought for-
ward, as an amendment, " That it is not expedient under
say circumstances to revive the power of synodical judip

meat as regards authors or bookii."
The Dean of ELY deprecated very much the condemns•
lion of a book by extructa from which in other eases the
most lamentable results had followed. (hating his eye cur-
sorily over the report, Lie could at once sco some conclusions
to which be thought it would be must deplorable if they
committed themselves, and to which they would be com-
mitted if they adopted the report.--conclusione which ap-
peared to him false and very unfair to form from the book.
tle thought it would be consistent neither with propriety nor
the dignity of the house if, after having the report placed in
their hands that morning, they professed to be prepared to
enter at once upon he consideration.
Archdeacon litemori said the extracts bad only been ap-
pended as indications, sod not for the house to some to any
conclusions upon.
Dr. /Mtn supposed there was not a member of the
house who was not prepared to discuss the merits or dr.
inerite of the book at Use present mouieut. It would be a
very culpable neglect on the part of any clergyman of the
Church of England not to have read the book.
After some farther discussion,
Arelideicoopertesom moved that thelipper House should
be informed of the presentation of the report, scoomPittlied
by a request that the Lower House should proceed to its
consideration.

Mir HENRY Tfloarriox, But., seconded the motion, which
was agreed to ; and the fact was represented to the arch•
bishop sod bishops.
The bones, after the transaction of some fortherbusinem,
adjourned.

Amkruun Pkernitmaxen BY TIIE SITACIII CLUB.
—We beg to remind our readers that this present Wedoes.
day is the evening fixed for the amateur performance at the
Lyceum by the members of the above club, insisted by
other gentlemen eminent in liti.rary and artistic circles.
Apart from the uousual attraction offered in the fact of so
many men whose names are familiar as household words to
the reading public appearing oo the stage together—apart
from the fact that a new burlesque has been written for the
000Alion by seven of our must popular authors—the cause
itself for which the undertaking is set on foot is one that
must call S r general support. The object of the perform.
anon is to relieve the widow and family of a well-known
artist recently deceased. The gentlemen engaged in
this performance have before achieved a great suc-
cess when working for • similarly laudable end,
their effort. upou the first occasion having been
honoured by the presence of her Majesty sod court.
The entertainments provided are the excellent old
drama of the Wrerk delv.re, the male characters in
which will be sustained by the amateurs, the two princi-
pal ladies' parts by Mrs. Charles Young and Miss E. Romer.
The sew burlesqati of Valentine sad Oman, which will
follow, has been written by Meson. J. It. Planchr,, F. Tel-
toned, H. J. Byron, Leicester Buckingham, A. Halliday, E.
Falconer, and William Brough, all ef whom (with, we
believe, the exception of Messrs. Ranch; and Falconer)
will appear in the piece. Messrs. Palgran Simpson, J.
Hollionshead, Saws Milbank Horace St. John, Kenny
Meadows, C. S. Lidderdale, Julian Porta, Charles Boonett,
W. IrConnell, J. Barnard, Grattan Cooke, Thomas Archer,
William Dalton, and many other literary, artistic, and mit-
eicsi_gentlemen, will also appear on the occasion.
MC1121:11 or PATENTS, SOCTH KENSINGTO:P.—
Number of visitors fur the week coding June 15, 1,890.
Total number since the opening of the museum free dolly
(May 12, 108), 376,066.

(Stamped, ld. Additional.)

LAW AMENDMENT SOCIETY.

Tho annual meeting of the Law Amendment
Society was held yesterday afternoon, at the offices, 3,
Waterloo-place, Pall-mall. Lord BROUGHAM presided.
The HeCRETART read the annual report. It wee a very
' elaborate document, and reviewed the proceedings of parlia-
ment during the year on Private Bill legislation, Opening of
Bidding, in Chan cry, Capital Punishments, Bankruptcy
and Insolvency, the Divorce Court, the Patent Laws, Trade
Marks, tic.
Mr. %%Warm asked the president if it was within the
province of the society to enter on the consideration of the
Act of Uniformity, passed in the reign of Elizabeth.
The noble PIMIDENT replied that it was within the
sphere of the society to consider the question to which Mr.
Webster referred, but he would strongly condemn the
policy of entering on its discussion.
After some further conversation,
Lord BROUGHAM maid he was obliged to leave the meeting
that he might attend the House of Lords. He begged to
assure them that he was most anxious for the prueperity of
the society. The French had a proverb—" When it rains
take your doak with you, when it does not rain do as you
please." Now if they had had a government unfavourable
to law reform he might have said to the society " do as
you please ;" hut having a government which he believed
was anxious for the amendment of the law, he would
earnestly ILIVMe then, strenuously to pursue the great ob-
ject for which the society had been instituted. (Chews.)
The noble lord then retired amid the applause of the
meeting; and the chair was taken by the Right Hoe.
JOREPH NAPIER.
_ _

t4LANKY, M.P., moved the adoption of the report.
11r. 87110,11:18 seconded the motion, which was carried
unanimously.
Lord Brougham was unanimously re-elected president;
and after the remaining liminess had been transacted
the ordinary vote of thanks to the chairman closed the
meeting.