The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-16 00:00:00

TUE RELIGIOUS DISSENIONS IN ST.
1." GEORGE'S-IN TIIE-E-IST.

Yesterday the services at St. George's•in-the-East
were more pacific than on Easter Sunday, although
then) were not more than a dozen policemen to keep
order. It was evident that a large number of persons
who sympathised w ith the rector
were in attendance;
so numerous indeed Were they that they completely
overpowered those who attempteul to interrupt the
service by saying the responses in opposi,:,?.n. to the
choit.

The Second Commandment, and other portions of
the service which referred to graven images, were
coughed and jeered at, but no serious interruption

was offered to the prayers.
The Rev. Fredk. G. Lee, S.C.h., of Oxford, who
preached, encountered a good deal or opp'.nsition, in
consequence of the character of his sermon.
.11C
selected for his text the 25th and 26th verses of the

11th chapter of St. John's Gospel,—" I am the re-
surrection and the life, he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoso-
ever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." In

the course of his sermon he alluded in somewhat,
severe terms to the prozeedings in that church dur-
ing the past 10 months. • He had doubts in his own
mind, and letters which he had received. and which
the rector of that parish had received, from conscien-
tious Dissenters from the Church of England, con-
firmed these doubts, as to the principles which had
actuated those persons who had caused the interrup-
tions there. His rev. friend the rector had had to
contend against, many difficulties. He had been set
aside apparently by the authorities that be. The
civil authorities did not seem to countenance him ;
the ecclesiastical authorities also seemed to throw
him overboard. But would any or all of those men
who now scouted those opinions, and attempted to
put down those ideas which seemed to be so repug-
nant to public feeling, act so when they came to ap-
ply their minds to the text which he had selected,
and which unmistakeably told them they had to ac-
count to a higher Being for every act they did in the
world? For while Christ said, "I am the resurrec-
tion and the life, and he that believeth in me though
he were dead shall live," that was grounded upon
the hope of our faith in Christ, and on His power
to save. He held that the authorities had not
done their duty in respect of this matter, and he
defied any judge to say that the rector, an unpro-
tected man, had not been attempted to be hunted
down and persecuted by a desperate and unprin-
cipled mob.
These personal allusions called forth repeated
hissings and other noises.
At 20 minutes before 7 the gates were thrown
open for the evening service. A dense crowd had
assembled in Cannon-street, and in a few minutes
the church was completely filled. The galleries
were chiefly filled by boys and girls, while in the
body of the church there were fewer roughs than
on any previous occasion. As soon as the rector and
his choristers emerged from the vestry-room there
was much hissing and howling, and this was re-
newed when the rector appeared at the reading-
desk for the purpose of proceeding with the service.
He went on without much further interruption until
he came to the Belief, when he turned his back
upon the congregation, for which he was greeted
with loud groans, which completely drowned his
voice. The Rev. F. G. Lee was again the preacher.
He selected for his text the 24th chapter of St.
Luke's Gospel, 29th. verse—" Abide with us, for it
is towards evening, and the day is far spent." He
adverted at some length to the progress which the
Church had made during the past 40 years, and
urged upon all present the duty of helping forward
that great movement. Every now and then lie was
loudly hissed, but the sermon, notwithstanding the
immense number of people who were present, was
listened to with more than ordinary attention.
At the close of the service there were the same
tumultuous proceedings as before. People rushed
towards the altar, but did not make their wad
within the rails. They sung the Doxology after
the rector and clergy, and retired, and it was some-
time before the few police who were' in attendance
succeeded in clearing the chancel.
The altar was decorated with flowers as on the
preceding Sunday, but the corona was not lighted.