The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-09 00:00:00

rat
4. before now build up in that House fabrics of accuse-
w"?lt against particular prelates of the Establiehol Church,
n'ch, when examined, had turned out to be splendid exag-
prations. ("
efer to Hear, hear," from Mr. Horsman.) lie might
and the Hertield manor case.— Question. The Hon.
Learned Gentleman had been upwards of two hours in
-?illg, his elaborate accusation, and surely the House would
ie Ceend its indulgence to him while he attempted to answer
1, (Rear, hear.) In the case alluded to the Hon. and
,Ilearned Member had utterly failed in every material point
es,,ter.- (Hear,
the charges which he made against the Bishop of Glou-
hear.) The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
had for a lon time taken on himself the functions of an ac-
cuser of the clergy. In 1828, when the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman Church, he
was an elder of the Presbyterian
made charges against the eminent and excellent Dr. Chat-
lp—
.ers, which obliged Dr. Chalmers to resort to the press.
it' Rear," from Mr. Horsman.) He admired the cheer of the
o, and Learned Gentleman. No doubt the Hon. and
Learned,,, Gentleman thought Dr. Chalmers as much in the•
Nig,",R on that occasion as he thought the Bishop of Bath and
obliged in this. But the fact was that Dr. Chalmers was
nged to publish an answer for the purpose of demonstrate
ofl"g-tosthe unsoundness of what he called the aerial accusations
Gentleman
e Ron. and Lear Gentleman. The Hon. and Learned
had takenned on himself the character of a public
arellser of the clergy, and was bound to be accurata in the
ngilsge he used, and to take care that the views he pre-
ect of a case came up to the standard of facts. If the
er
c•
ee and Learned Gentleman would embark in discussions
launching, great legal knowledge, he was bound to avoid
unfounded charges, and to take care that the
Principles on which he proceeded were sound. The Hon.
and
Learned Gentleman had put the House in a dilemma
ch he could not accept. The Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man said that either the House was a fit place for a debate
i;llthe Present, or else there ought not to be an Este-
-li:cued Church. He trembed to dispute the dilemma,tab but
eVeared it was just possib elfor them to have an )Est
ee tirch, and yet that that House might not be the fitting
-ene f . .
for or the discussion like the present.—(Hear.) Speaking
not rumself, he did not scruple to say that that House was
Ha fitting arena for such discussions. He admitted that
ere might have been—nay, what was more important—
ofq t there had been some cases of foul play; that the Church
e England was rent from head to foot with her divisions •
the
he asked them, apart from all interests of his own, or Of
;;" day, whether they thought that religious divisions
of
likely to be mitigated, and that the sores and wounds
f the Church were likely to be healed, by rhetorical decla-
Illation, by exaggeration, and by misapprehension and mis-
statements of fact?—(Hear.) It might be that he himself
Night err in this respect ; but if he did so, it would be un-
lOtentional, for he had the deepest sense of the mischief
Ivhich arose from such a sotirce.—(Hear, hear.) If the Hon.
tltt Learned Gentleman knew anything of the nature of re-
%lons partisanship he must know that heat and violence on
re side engendered heat and violence on the other.—( Hear,
vesre) He believed that if the influence of Mr. Bennett
j„ere in question, there would be no better mode of increas-
"g and propagating that influence than by singling him
ietit for attack, if that attack were coloured by religious feel-
dlga• That fact must be kept in mind throughout the whole
thee4Bi (:)n, if they wished Theis the evils of such dis-
t-°nB---(Hear, hear.) first point which called for
attention was whether the country was to be goveyned,
eolther
ecclesiastical or in civil matters, by the private
t1ei44,1"8 of particular men, according to their popularity for
lefe`u°l"ent, or by a system of fixed laws?—(Hear, hear.)
'le -"was to be governed by private opinion, and if that House
mere to become the means of making such private opinion
Wilding in matters of religion, representative institutions
ab:tild become a nuisance, and ecclesiastical questions would
n Oft they were in fact, the bane and plague of the House
tle;‘,," the country.—(Hear. hear.) But he maintained that
444 Wee,re not there to decide what was in the abstract
the i" thee, had to decide one•or two questions. , First, had
to 6.4ws been obeyed? If the laws were good they ought
(11,,"eyed; and if not good they ought to be altered.—
legaiwt "ear.) They had no right to establish any extza
ray— Vstene. of influence or jurisdiction by which they
blogyht operate on the regular operation of the law. It must
in its own fixed course, irrespective of the opinions of
Wee' l'uals. That was the first principle he laid down. It
raniaterial to keep in view the person before them in the
regent instance. The speech of the Honourable and
tiotr.ned Gentleman had a good deal cleared up that ques-
Wae t,_4B he understood the case, the person whose conduct
biati be ors them was the Bishop of Bath and Wells. As a
1:1011? he Was a great officer of state, and he agreed with the
held rble and Learned Gentleman - indeed he that)ong
lave ebee oPinion—that it was a great absurdity . our
bieho""Illd not afford the means of correcting a delinquent
Viewl",-(Hear, hear.) He frankly owned that he should
for the the greatest favour any judicious proposition
With ",,eP"Pese of providing such means.—(Hear, hear.)
WhiebflPeet to the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the point
that he "e wished to put to the House was simply
Priect';was not a delinquent bishop, and ,that not even a
hltu,Jacie ease of delinquency had been made out against
this That being•so let them put aside the other charges
of the ease- They had nothing to do with the proceedings
Pressi Patron. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman had ex-
ile, 'Y disclaimed casting any imputation on the conduct of
to spatroe.
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman had omitted
grea`rs one element to which every patron ought to pay
Whomattention, and that was the feeling of the people over
411(11:„(tne Y particular pastor was placed. Though the Hon.
eotild Zrl'ed Member bad dealt with the facts as best he
Ghat he had admitted that in this particular case—through
ere ®pet peculiarity or delusion—the people of Frome were
ore 13' satisfied with what the patron had done.—(slr.
....did(ialloeta,i No, no.") The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
11 then, aSmitthat the people of Frome were satisfied.
gentiear, hear, from Mr. Horsman.) The Hon. and Learned
((eat %Man throughout the whole of his first speec , ande e
rishic!ute bad represented the objectors as the clergy and pa-
die !Ars of Frome. Now, it was not a fact that they were
*at fipd
e""e aet";„": Rightly or wrongly, they were satisfied. with
W"aoritild'e'feTt‘eutr eonft, and were grateful for it. He held in his
the churchwardens, which, if the House
name Permit, he would read.—(Cries of " Name.") The
,the date as Miller—(lronical cries of " Hear, hear")—and
4aereb:Pros the 17th of April, before the Hon. and Learned
Was ma' oroughe forward his first motion on the Stibject. It
its reseed to the patron, the Marquis of Bath, and was
o 0/4

" FROME VIIARAGE.
" Frome, April 17.
of you I. have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
esed to Lordship's letter of yesterday's date,. and will
.pro-
and in, "ewer the inquiries therein contained, fully,
.fairly,
ussest-Partially The appointment of Mr. Bennett is not
boidivPtionabli; to the body of the parishioners. This I
inhabitant.set thisp lam prepared boldly to maintain.. The
to the of
under many and great obligations
fuu h°llse of 'Phnlyieustaereand there is none they more cheer-
bielsinecognise or- more gratefully appreciate than the
bestewed on them in the regard manifestd
.by that
Ilette-eini.lY for their spiritual good in nominating Mr.
fear ,„ s Vicar of Frome. I assert, and without the slightest
Ish,.;"' contradiction, that since Mr. Bennett commenced his
erks—strY he morning onreation hae increaed a least
I,44laird,t and that aac to g
theg eveningv services,s there never
peterao many persona assembled within the walls of St.
ie:„,'4 Church. The lowest calculation last Sunday even-
t as- ,",as 2,000. At the commencement many have been at-
ofr tOu• ):13 curiosity, and the love of novelty, but at the end
co `EO months there is not only no diminution, but the
It-4gregation is increased and increasing."
shLwas not right erefore to siy that the sentiments of
so,' People of Frome had 'been over-ridden in the appoint-
c,!et of Mr. Bennett.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. and Learned
tpZetitieraam denied the churchwarden had represented
e sentiments of the that
people, but it was right he should in-
,pn. the lion. and Learned Gentleman that in a postcript
the letter it was stated that the parishioners, in vestry
%enabled, had re-elected the writer of the letter church-
trarden. It appeared that under the guidance of certain
clergymen, 54 persons had protested against the appoint-
kent of Mr. Bennett. Of these 54, only 16 belonged to the
Parish church to which Mr. Bennett had been appointed;
and of these 16 one-half had returned to the church within
itfew weeks after Mr. Bennett was inducted. One circum-
ee of a somewhat solemn nature was connected with
part of the question. One person of the 54 who had
vretestid was taken ill, and his first act was to send for
kr• gen
hear, . nett, and he died receiving his ministration.—(Hear,
•)
irz T.,he patron, therefore, was vindicated so far as the
fasee; la' the parishioners was concerned. It might be
i-K.(l that their pproval was only a proof of the 'depth of
their .blindness.a-- --He was not authorised to give any
lees-"lut of Mr. Bennett's sentiments. Indeed he had
a slight acquaintance with him. There were
n,„-",,Y lion. Members who knew him intimately, and might,
isTr"aPe, be able to speak on that point. Instead of taking
1-'5 influenced and exaggerated view which the lion, and
I.•,earned Gentleman had done of everything that Mr. Bennett
sled 4.:A
and assuming that at this moment Mr. Bennett was
.hi ' same man that he was, he must say that the address to
‘,31 from the parishioners of Frome was a demonstration
'net led him to the encouraging hope that Mr. Bennett had
'sat
himself wisely and discreetly in his parish, and
that,iebwhether like other men, he might rock in the troubles
„ h surrounded them—he was steady in his allegiance to
tre Church of England, and faithful in the discharge of his
,stltY as a • minister of that Church.—(Hear, hear.) That
"as a rational inference to draw when they found the whole
parish approving of Mr. Bennett's doctrines and discipline.
It seemed to him that the accusations against Mr. Bennett di-
Vided themselves into two classes, the first relating to his pro-
ceedings at Kissengen the second to his published works.
*PHs proceedings in London were not, and could not be, the
'subject of inquiry. The Hon. and Learned Member seemed
to think that the proceedings at Kissengen ought to have
Vpivented the Bishop of Bath and Wells instituting Mr.
tennett. With respect to the proceedings at Kissengen he
;rail not aware of the state of the case, except in one very
s,'lllPortant particular. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
if. Mr. Bennett did not appear at the
mtzt_d assumed that
iglish church at Is-is-sengen, it proved that he was un-
athful to the English Church. But he thought the Hon.
andlts Learned Gentleman mustl .have forgotten that Mr.
n to a private family.—
Platt was travelling
feers) atihne Hon. and Learned Gen-
As to the story which
kietrian had told them of the stone for an alter which Mr.
. he
was said to have carried about with. him, he must
IL? knew nothing.—(Llear.) Even if the Hon. and
04--trod- Gentleman should be able to support his s
collect that the pro-
eeeeins,P°lltre he wished the House
pro-
the Bennett at Kissintgoenrvedid not at all affect
Bishop net of the Bishop of Bath and ells..—(Hear.) The
.on
apn°P had no power to take:any steps against Mr. Bennett
Yoncrt°,,un.t of such proceedings, because they were done. be-
ef jurisdiction of our ecclesiastical law.—
cop Tent.) Even if the Bishop of Bath and Wells
(had been
Expressions
cognisant of such proceedings, he did net believe that
not lons.' have
taken any steps with regard to them.. A case,
its•s. .% ago, might be cited in support of his opinion. The
hen enlist Noel had preached in a Presbyterian church, he
h,ved at Inverness. The attention of the Bishop of Lon-
oefenvfas called to the fact, but it was found not to be an
I'Veilese,.°Plisable by law. Against the Bishop of Bath and
chap; ‘ue lion. and Learned Gentleman had made three
piii.-'kee--that the Bishop proceeded in undue haste and in
th-r°B6 to prevent the parishioners having a fair hearing;
at he
that 1, proceeded without ths proper certificate ; and
hint "e proceeded without due examination. It appeared to
cot, that eacd every one of those charges was without
theildati°ll Bu first of all let them realise to themselves
is. Position of the Bishop. The Honourable and Learned
trootilstlernan, hi the first statement which he mad! on this
Bi.hohad proceeded entirely on the assumption
dthbat
cchewhen they received presenteee, were investe y
ep law' of England with large discretionary powers to ac-
t., or reject them. That was not the case. With respect
"orates, in matters of ordination, the bishops power
,t 17E. absolute ; and if it could be shown that a bishop
ad
.ordained a map who was not qualified for the minT-
*' would be regarded. as having departed from his
• -X., But wliatiwas the nature of the law on the subject
iehoos=l4, -
rmwers with respect to presentees? The
itiVil• and Learned Gentleman had perhaps imported some of
fe:_i_efitions on this subject from Scotland, where he con-
ha!,eci a better system prevailed. The law of Scotland
f,t`.!
opportunity
been studious to give to the people a
4,5,"" of stating objections to presentees, and, on
irelhole, the, practice had been to give a fair scope to such
..42tsiqt1S. But, that was not the spirit of the law of
tourttrand• The inspiriog
eround with uy the patron's
idea of the law of England had been
to right to present
rki,Yl adyowson andthe inchoate right of the presentee.
""Pirit of the is well- goverued movie§ Like or