The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-15 00:00:00

LONDON, FRI DAY 14:V14:N CI, NOVEMBER 15. 1861

TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

(011.:TIR'S TLLIDMAIIS.)
FRANCE.

YARDS, Nov. 14.
The Paris papers of this evening publish de-
spatcLes from the Herzegovina and Bosnia, on-
nonliving that the insurrection in those provinces
is considerably extending, and that a complete rup-
ture between the Turks and the Montenegrins is
e• umidered imminent.
The Trisia of this evening assert* that important
cliatu,vs will shortly be made among the function-
arios of the high administration, that the powers of
several ministries will be modified, and that a re-
organisation of the Ministry of State may be
expected.

THE RIGHT HON. B. DISRAW, N.?., uN
GERMAN THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RATED.
---•-
AYLEBI3I'RI'. TSCEIRDAT.

The annual meeting of the diocesan ohltrch socie-
ties of Oxford was hell in this town this afternoon ; the
Bishop of tic vete presiding. A Ingo number of persons
attended, it being known that Mr. Disraeli would be present
and edam" the meeting.
Oa the platform were Archdeacon Itickersteth, Mr. Hub-
bard, M.P., Mr. Smith, M. p., Mr. Bernard, M.P., the Rev.
Mr. Ouvry, Rev. Mr. Lloyd. and other gentlemen.
The Bishop of OxPoltu having opened the proceedings,
Archdeacon Breenterere moved tbe following resolution,
"That the efficiency of the work of the church in this dio-
Cele has, under the Dines blessing, been promoted by the
action of the three diocesan societies, and that, therefor%
this society has the strongest allele to hearty support.*
Mr. DbinXEI.I, who on rising Wee received with cheers,
said—My Lord Bishop, I have great pleasure in seconding
the resolution which Ism been proposed by the venerable
archdeacon of the county. Your lordship has with such
oomprefieusive defames placed before the sleeting the object
and design of the society, and the venerable archdeacon has
with such lurid preeisiou stated to us what, are the results
which have been obtained, that it will not Le necessary fur
air to weary the meeting by entering into much detail.
Although each of these societies Luis au independent °emir
tution, and proposes to iteelt • epeciiic object, yet iu fact
they firm one great whole. They propose to themselves
the three gir bet objects which they always present to
the thoughts of churchmen. They propose to provide
the people of this divans with education upon
them principles which they believe to be mound
and true. They propose to provide fur the spiritual
supervision of the people of this country, and to supply
oar parochial system where it is incomplete and in-
&dogmas ; and hotly, they propose to provide the papilla-
Hon of this °outcry a sufficient means of worshipping
Almighty God. These, therating, are the three great pur-
poses which the church of &Wand should ever aim to
unintain—educators, spiritual aid, and public worship.
(Cheers.) It will be clear to all present that if these socie-
ties were completely developed and powerfully supported,
they would iii fact greatly increase the influence of the
church of Euglaud. (Cheers.) Are these societies corn.
plata), developed, aid properly supported ! I apprehend
that that is the question which we are called upon to mu-
skier to-day. I will take, in the that imitator*, the Diocesan
Board of Education. I look upon the constitution of that
hoard as must wise, especially in iutreducine a good proper-
tiou of the lay element in the management of the church. I
look upon the board thus crostituied as must admirable and
effective, yet what do I find! That tine often& of that
boned are suirtained by an annual subscription clearly in-
adequate to its punnets, and of that annual subscription I
fed that two-thirds are supplied by the clergy themselves.
Now, the venerable ardalesecoo ou this subject has referred
to "wee possible expression of mine to-day on the impor
tint question of national education, and to sumo change
that has recently been iutroduoed. (Hear, hear.) Neither
on that subject, nor on any other to-day, shall I make
soy controvental remark, but will content myself merely
by repeating to-day the opinion that 1 have so lung enter.
Seined, that it is impossible that the education of the people
of this country can be extended too far, if it be founded
upon sound primaples, sad that is proportion as it is ex-
tended the usdueued of the church of England will be ex-
tended. (Cheers.) Now, let me look at the position of
thu other two societies. Those societies are for the build-
ing and restorieg churches, and fur supplying additional
spiritual aid to different perishes requiring it. I find that
thew are demands upon both these societies which they
canuot supply by their resources, and lam sorry. to bear
that those resources are auticipaord. That is not •
position, to ley mind, entirely satisfactory, when
we consider the practical object which these so-
cieties are instituted to accomplish. We live—and
I think there ere none here who will not be of this opinion
—in a diocese remarkable for its large parishes, its 'mi-
tered population, and as many hamlets. It is, of ell dio-
ceses ru England, the one that most perhaps requires this
collateral mintatice—this unusual aid. Wherever there is
• church, there there is& school—whenever there is &thumb,
there there is at least one being whose duty it is at once to
solace and to civilise. We are to consider whether the sup-
pon which them societies have given to the church in
this diocese is sunieleet—not whether it is great,
bat whether it de sunieteet. and whether it cionot
be increased, and whether the advantages obtained are
not rather au example which should animate to other aid
greater results, and accomplish greater conclusions.
(Cheers.) Although I feel perfectly justified in support-
ing this resolution, I should conceal my own convictions if
I did cot confess that it does appall to ire that the resources
of them societies do not bear that due eidetic* which they
ought to the wealth, to the intelligence, and to the sound
churchinanship of the dismay. Now, my lord bishop,
what is the cause of this! I apprehend that there must
be causes fur consequences of that importance. There is
no want of churchmen in the diocese, and eves in the
presence of the lord bishop 1 cannot refrain from
rentemberieg with pride that of all the dioceses
in England it is one most renuirkable, perhaps, for the zeal
sod ability with which it is administered. There is no
want of churchmen in the diocese, but there is wasting in
it whet is wanting in the country generally, namely, a
union among churchmen. (Herr, hear.) Aud until that
union among churchmen is accomplished I feel persuaded
that the active of these important mcieties, and what they
can accomplish, will be restricted. The good which they
can accomplish iu ney opinion is tuzalculable and their jll.
SWUNG should, be illimitable ; but, unfortuna.tely, it 01111 be
calculated, and will be limited until that great evil of
want of union among churchmen can be rem.
died. Now, I will toelay, with great brevity, en.
dermur to see whether we cannot coins to
some ratisfactory understanding on this important point ;
why there is • want of unity among churchmen—what are
the feelinp which occasion it—are they sound fosliugs—and
whether there is sot a common gruuud upon which church-
men of all sections and of all opiutoins nay unite ! If we '
mu come to some satisfactory conclusion upon that paint,
then Ido out doubt but that an increasing and • mat
puweeftil spirit will be given to diocesan societies, such am
the right rev. prelate in the chair so ardently desires to me,
in order that those grand results may be accomplished which
every sincere churchmau and lover of Lis country will wish.
(Cheers.) I must say that it appears to me that the want
of unity among churchmen of this county—and I appre-
hend that this county is • very fair ink:turn of the
country at large—arime from three feelings, which
in • diffeitnt degree influence different bodies
churchmen. I would, describe three three feelings as a feel-
ing of perplexity, a feeling of distrust, and • feeling et dis-
mutes t. A teeiing of pus pithily which bat been mentioned
ine by some in this county appears to he entertained in
courequeuiw of what is usually styled the state of parties ii
the church. Now, this feeling of perplexity founded upon that
ground appeals to one to be quite haselons. There always
have been parties in the church of England. Nay, more, I
will say that never Lis there been a Christian church, even
those which have arrogated to themselves the quality and
the character of unity, in which parties have not equally
prevailed. But there is this peculiarity in the church of
England, that parties have always been permitted, nay,
recognised and saectiounl. The church of England
has always felt that the human mind was a ma-
nifold quality, that some men must be governed
by entliusiaani. mole controlled by ceremony, and the object
of the thureli hae been that among churchmen the ceche-
siasm should never degenerate into extravagance, and that
ceremony thould never be degraded unto superstition.
(Cheers.) No doubt, during the last quieter of n. century or
:11.1 years, there has been among ell parties a period of excess.
But we should not draw geoeral conclusions on such pave
matters from such limited observation as that, and the ag-
gregate of experience, in my opinion, justifies the conviction
that pettiest in the chuich, instead of being • sign of it.
weakness, are rather symbols of its strength. (Hear, hear.)
I come sow to the (ding of distrust, and 1 hesitate sot
to say that I attribute that feeling of distrust which
prevail" among some churchmea to the meet publiestious
—the recent speculations upon sacred thing that have
been published by some clergymen of the church of Eog.
lend. I deeply, regret the whin:aim of that volume for
the sake of the writers, sad for oo other reason. (Hear,
bear.) lam myself in favour of free inquiry on all sub-
jects, civil and religious, with only one condition—that the
inquiry shoald be pursued with learning, with anearneut,
and with conscience. (Cheers.) But I think that we have
a right to expect that free inquiry should be pursued by free
inquiretts—(hear, hear)--and in my opinion the principal
authors of the work called n. Essays and Reviews." being
clergymen of the church of England, had entered into en-
gagement with society inconsistent with the results recom-
mended in their publications. (Cheers.) Dismissing for •
moment thy character of the writers, I am not
disposed to evade the question—ls there anything
in that volume to cassias distrust among church-
men! I think it perhaps may not be altogether
unsuitable if one or two observations be made upon that
subject by • layman, that the brunt of comment should
not always be left to clergymen. The volume in question
is founded, generally speaking, on tine philosophical
theology of Germany. What is Germau theology!
It is of the greatest importance that • clearer
idea on that subject should be entertained than I
have found hitherto to prevail in meet assemblies of my
countrymen. About • century ago German theology,
which was mere mysticism, became, by a natural law of
reaction, critics!. A body of philosephie theologians vs-
dually arose and formed in the course of piers a school
which introduced a new system of interpretation of the