The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-30 00:00:00

THE ESSAYS AND REVIEWS.

(From the Brighton Observer.)
The following is a Supplemental Discourse, de-
livered at Christ Church, New Road, Brighton, by
the Rev. Robert Ainslie :

It has been said by many
clergymen who do not agree
with the " Essays and Reviews," that their authors ought
i
and
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Church,h—.
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as a supplement to the eight discourses I have delivered on
the Essays and Reviews, to ascertain "What is it that a
clergyman of the Church of England is required to believe F"
My answer will occupy two or three Discourses, and we
shall learn, probably, who are the men so faithful to their
vows, as to be without sin; and qualified to cast stones at
the Essayists.
SUPPLEMENTARY DISCOURSE 1.
The text is from Paul's 2d Epistle to the Corinthians,
6th chapter, the 3d and part of the 4th verse :—" Giving
no offence in any thing that the ministry be not blamed :
but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of
God."
In a charge recently delivered by the Venerable Arch-
deacon Singleton, he is reported to have said, " Judge,
then, of my sorrow and surprise, and indignation, on seeing
within the last few years publications of various kinds in
which clergymen of our Church—men of learning holding
high positions—circulate without scruple, as pure English
coin, the basest neological counterfeits oiGermany. Most
of the clergy are sufficiently acquainted with the works I
allude to. Ido not pause to enter upon the question how
far the several authors of one notorious volume were re-
sponsible for each other's performances, though I must
observe that those among them who object to the more ad-
vanced Infidelity of the rest, had in vain been called upon
to repudiate the Anti-Christian principles of their brethren."
The Rev. Henry Allon, minister of Union Chapel,
Islington, who for some time was held up as a heretic in
the columns of the British Standard, and who is said to be
the author, in part or entirely, of the article which appeared
in the British Quarterly, on the "Essays and Reviews,"
is reported to have used these words at the late annual
breakfast of the Young Men's Christian Association
He was not greatly alarmed at the publication of rationa-
listic books, and he thought it did not say much for the
faith and trust of the Church that such a panic had lately
been exhibited." (If Mr. Allen be the author of the article
referred to he has done all in his power to increase the
panic.) He proceeded and said, "It was certainly very
scandalous that ministers of the Church of England should
have published the Essays and Reviews."
According to these divines there are infidels in the
Church of England, men who write and publish infidelity.
We have here the testimony of conformist and of non-con-
formist. Nothing, however, has transpired authoritatively
since the Committee of Convocation took the matter in
hand, except that in proroguing Convocation, last week, it
was stated that the report of the committee " was not quite
ready."
There is but little doubt that the whole subject will be
more complicated, and will have to be investigated more
thoroughly than was expected, or intended. If the
Essayists have tiangressed in one direction, how many
have transgressed in every other direction. Religious
men lay claim to honesty on other grounds than those
of men who make no profession of religion. Clergymen
should be moral men : they should also be honest. With
them truth should be the bread of life to the mind—and
honesty the soul of peace to the conscience and the heart.
If a commercial man were to go to a clergyman, and ask his
advice as to questions of morals in trading, he would espe-
cially enjoin upon him truthfulness, justice, and honourable
dealing. If he were to ask by what principles he should be
guided in signing a contract, he would urge upon him the
necessity of thoroughly knowing and understanding what
he is about to sign ; and that he should faithfully abide by
the terms of the contract. It is well known that we have
morality under various phases, even in this country, where
men call themselves Christians. We have the morality
among lawyers. No more honourable men exist in the com-
munity, than upright and conscientious lawyers. They
would scorn to fleece and to oppress a client. They m ould
as soon think of going on the highway to plunder as to take
advantage of the various means the law affords them to
plunder their clients. But there are men numbered by
hundreds in that profession who are utterly reckless and
woi thlcss. They have no principle, no conscience, they
give wrong advice ; for the sake of fees they introduce every
possible delay, and if the client be a man of property they
will not leave him until they have legally or illegally
plundered him of every shilling they can obtain, and then.
they will throw him off when they can obtain no more plun-
der. Some of the worst of these men are avowedly religious
men, members of churches, high Calvinists, believing in
their personal election. Perhaps they are wise, in holding
this lie in their right hand, for if not saved by absolute
and unconditional election, irrespective of personal charac-
ter, it is morally certain they could never be saved
at all. It is their only chance, but they will find it to
be a fearful delusion. We have also social and conven-
tional morality. We have also commercial morality—and
in a great country like this we ought to have, and to a large
extent we have realised it—truth, honesty, justice, honour-
able dealing—in one word, all that is comprehended in the
term " a man of honour" as the basis of our commercial
code. This exists in society with or without religion.
And then we have, or ought to have, the most elevated
morality among bishops, priests, and deacons, and ministers
of religion of all denominations. There is their personal
character for general uprightness, consistency, purity, and
piety; and then there is their Ecclesiastical morality. Of
this there are two branches : first, the truthful avowal, as
in the presence of God, of what they believe when entering
upon the office of the ministry ; and second, their sincerity
in truthfully holding and honestly teaching what they avow
they believe. All double meaning, false reserve, equivoca-
tion, dissembling, and the end justifying the means—(states
of mind which the honourable commercial man would spurn
from him)—ought especially to be discarded and renounced
by a clergyman. Truthfulness in the heart, and on the
lip, God requires of all men.
Clergymen of the Church of England, and all candidates
for holy orders, are, however, placed in peculiarly difficult
and trying positions. They seek to minister at the altar of
the Established Church, and to this perilous position they
have to wade through abstruse propositions, Romish Church
offices, Calvinistic articles, contradictory creeds, and to de-
clare that they believe them all. To everything within the
covers of the Prayer-book they have to give ex anima their
assent and consent. 'We shall now endeavour to answer
the question, " What is it that a clergyman of the Church
of England is required to believe?" At the time of the
founding of the Established Church very different views of
religion, of liberty, of private judgment, and of individual
responsibility prevailed to those now generally ac-
cepted. Henry VIII., of blessed memory I was the
founder of the Episcopal Church of England—the Church
established by law. Macaulay says, " Henry VIII.
attempted to constitute an Anglican Church, differing from
the Roman Catholic Church, on the point of the supre-
macy, and on that point alone. His success in the attempt
was extraordinary. The force of his character, th© singu •
larly favourable situation in which he stood with respect to
foreign powers, the immense wealth which the spoliation
of the abbeys placed at his disposal, and the support of that
class which still halted between two opinions, enabled him
to hid defiance to both the extreme parties—to burn as
heretics those who avowed the tenets of Luther, and to
hang as traitors those who owned the authority of the
Pope." In referring to Cranmer, Macaulay says, " The
man who took the chief part in settling the conditions of
the alliance which produced the Anglican Church, was
Thomas Cranmer. He was the representative of both the
parties which at that time needed each other's assistance.
He was at once a divine and a statesman. * * * * * *
His temper and his understanding, eminently fitted him
to act as mediator. Saintly in his professions,
unscrupulous in his dealings—zealous for nothing—
bold in speculation—a coward and a time-server in
action—a placeable enemy, and a lukewarm friend,
he was in every way qualified to arrange the
terms of the coalition between the religious and the worldly
enemies of Popery." After these allusions to Henry VIII.
and Cranmer, Macaulay gives us his opinion of the
present state of the church. He says, "To this day the
constitution, the doctrines, and the services of the Church
retain the visible marks of the compromise from which she
sprang. She occupies a middle position between the
Churches of Rome and Geneva. Her doctrinal confessions
or Knox would have
ples of theology in which Calvin
and discourses composed by Protestants set forth primm-
found scarcely a word to disapprove. Her prayers and
thanksgivings
derivßishop Fisher or Cardinal Pole might
ed from the ancient liturgies, are very
generally such that
•
have heartily joiner in them. A Controversialist who puts
an Armenian sense on her articles
and homilies will be pro-
nounced by candid men to be as unreasonable as aControver-
sialist who denies that the doctrine of baptismal regeneration
can be discovered in her liturgy." The death of Henrychanged
the aspect of affairs both ecclesiastical and political, and the
fierce and ungovernable will of a tyrant had to be modified,
and expressed by the English Parliament in the short reign
of his successor. In the fifth and sixth years of the reign of
Edward VI., there was passed "an Act for the Uniformity
of Common-prayer and Administration of the Sacraments,"
but the early death of Edward soon introduced a very dif-
ferent state of things. Mary succumbed to the Pope, and
bishops, priests, and deacons—the Houses of Parliament
and the people went back to Popery. The following is
Bishop Burnet's account of the visit of Cardinal Pole to the
House of Parliament :" Their Majesties being seated under

,
a canopy, and the Lords and Commons being present, Gar.
diner, the Chancellor, introduced to them Cardinal Pole.
Pole produced his commission from the Pope and addressed
the house. " He had come to restore the nation, which had
strayed from the sacred enclosure, to its ancient and true
nobility." The two houses agreed to the offered reconcilia-
tion. On their knees they presented an address to the King
and Queen, beseeching their Majesties, who had not been
defiled by their schism, to intercede with the legate of the
Holy See that he would grant themand the kingdom abso-
lution from the sin ofschism and heresy, and receive them
again into the bosom of the Church." On their beaded
knees the Lords and Commons received absolution from
Cardinal Pole, because they had been Protestants, and then
and there became Papists. Oh, England, and was this thy
humiliation by the Court of Rome I On the death of Mary,
Elizabeth succeeded to the 'throne, and in the first year of
her reign the Acts passed by Mary were repealed, and those
paised in the fifth and sixth of King Edward VI. were re-
' enacted. The Houses of Parliament again became Pro-
testant, and the Act of Uniformity was revived. The
penalties for non-conformity were very severe. It does
not appear that at any time the Christianity of
the New Testament was referred to, or that truth
was the aim of any party, but simply which ecclesiesastticantl.
system should be dominant—the Romish or the Pr t
Persecutions, the most wanton and cruel, pre
both systems.vailed under
e into ope-
and it cam
Uniformity now in force was passed,
Jew day, in the year
It was in the 14th year of Charles 11, that the Act of
ration on the memorable St. Bartholomew
prayer and the ad-
of our Lord 1662. The book of Common
with these words as
wiie.,nosv have it, was pre-.
seatedm -
ministration rtaot i
Parliament"on o f thesacbryamenat:leas
—1 have transmitted the book of
alterationsCom-
and additions which
thoset _ .
mon Prayer with part of his,
shortly he de-
d to me by the Convocation of the House
have been presented
bation, that the Act f U • • 0 mformit y
of Peers, with my apoaro I
fi t presume it will
The act was passed—it came into force
may
d and it is in force to this hour. on
the appointed day —and Every
. ti in becoming a minister of the Church este-
clergy ma
relate speech:—
et.: hho
o:
has to make the foll •
spatched there."
' hlished by law _ _ owing declaration: " I,
A, 8., do hereby declare my unfeigned assent and consent
to all and everything contained and prescribed in and by
the book intituled, ' The Book of Common Prayer and the
administration of the sacraments and other rites and cere-
monies of the Church according to the use of the Church of
England,' together with the Psalter, or Psalms of David,
pointed as they are to be said or sung, and the form or
manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishop°,
priests, and deacons." I need not point out to you the
solemnity and sacredness of this declaration. It is avowedly
associated with the entrance upon a public ministry, marked
by truth and purity, and demanding sincerity of heart,
truthfulness of speech, and denouncing every form of de-
ceit, equivocation, and hypoorisy. The assent and consent
are unfeignedly given—that ii, without any disguise or

mental reservation. It is given to all, and everything
contained in, and prescribed by the book of Common
Prayer, so that whatever we find within the covers of
that book, Calvinistic, or Armenian, Arian, or Trinitarian,
or Pelagian; whatever we find Popish in offices, and rites
and ceremonies ; whatever opposition there may be between
articles and services, every consecrated bishop, and every
ordained priest and deacon—to one and all of the doctrines
and offices have given their unfeigned assent and consent,
believing them as in the sight of God to be all true. In ad-
dition to the above he must likewise subscribe to the three
following articles i-Ist, That the Queen's Majesty under
God is the only supreme governor of this realm. * * *
As well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes, as
temporal. 2d, That the book of Common Prayer, and of
ordering of bishops, priests, and deacons, contatneth in it
nothing contrary to the Word of God. 3d, That he acknow-
ledges all and every the articles, being in number 39, to be
agreeable to the Word of God. The following are the words
of the subscription :—" I, A. 8., do willingly and ex anima
subscribe to these three articles above mentioned, and to all
things contained in them." As a further security for ortho-
doxy and uniformity the 4th and sth canons enact as fol-
low :—Canon 4th, " Whosoever shall hereafter affirm that
the form of God's worship in the Church of England * *
contained in the book of Common Prayer * • * con-
taineth anything in it that is repugnant to the Scriptures,
let him be excommunicated ipso facto, and not restored but
by the bishop of the place, or archbishop, after his repent-
ance, and public revocation of such his wicked errors." And
Canon sth provides, " Whosoever shall hereafter affirm
that any of the 39 articles * * * are in any part supersti-
tious or erroneous, or such as he may not with a good con-
science subscribe unto, let him be excommunicated." No
clergyman (and every clergyman professes to be a religious
and truth speaking man) would dare to say, after Intvincr
made these solemn declarations and subscriptions, that he
looked upon it as a great sham—that it was a mode of de-
ceit and lying, by which alone he ceuld get into the Church
—that he did not, and could not believe one-half of it—
that in a matter of social or commercial life ha would
shun the doing of so vile and treacherous an met, but
that he was obliged, in order to get into the Church, to
feign, to deceive, and to lie; and that he was conscious,
whenever he stood up to preach, the congregation
would see before them a man who in the most solemn act of
his life trifled with truth—was guilty of deceit—and befoul
God and man for the sake of office and position deliberately
lied.
I have, therefore, not as an act of charity, but of co mmon
jsushotpic, solemnly r he has
every
vae
rrightetsot tend deacon,
a b
ee
eevreys bais
sho and a rchbi-
decl are d he does,everything in the book of Common I rayer;
and that nothing therein contained is repugnant to, nor con-
trary to the Word of God. One word generally about the
Prayer Book before we begin to Examine it. I am noit about
t raise any objections on trifling matters : nor have I one
word to say against the style in which it is composed. It
is well for the English language, that before it became de-
teriorated, it had two such treasuries in which its noble
Saxon dialect could be deposited, as the English Bible and
the book of Common Prayer. Of course there are some
obsolete and uncouth words that might be changed, both in
the one and in the other, but these books will ever remain
alone in their grandeur, simplicity, and power.
After the Acts of Parliament prefatory to the Prayer
Book, comes the kalendar with the Saints' days; certainly
these have "no warrant from Holy Scripture." Lucian,
Fabian, and others, in January-14th of February—Valen-
tine : Bishop and Martyr—Bishop Blassius—and Agatha
the Sicilian Virgin and Martyr—lnnocents day—Purifica-
tion of the Virgin Mary—thus recognising the Romis h doc-
trine of the perpetual virginity of the mother of Jesuit—the
Annunciation of our Lady—Saints' days for the Apostles—
for St. Michael and all angels—for the Monk Augustine,
first Archbishop of Canterbury—for Boniface—for St. Anne,
mother to the blessed Virgin Mary—for Cecilia,Virgin and
Martyr—for Catherine, the same—for Lucy, the same,and
many others. All these are approved by every clergyman
entering the Church, however absurd, superstitious, and
unscriptural ; and however papistical the model from which
they are copied. Certainly such a kalendar, and such a
superstitious observance of days, can receive no sanction
from Holy Scripture.
ie The next thing is a table of the feast-days, to be ob-
served in the Church of England throughout the year.
Besides the 52 Sundays there are some 29 or 30 feast-days.
Among them,—the Circumcision of our Lord, the Purifica-
tion of the blessed Virgin, St. Michael and all Angels, the
Holy Innocents, and several others. There are some 16
vigils to be kept, and there are fast •clays, the 40 days in
Lent, 12 Ember days, 3 Rogation days, and all the Fridays
in the year except Christmas day. Now, lam not reading
from the Romish missal, nor any mediaeval book, in force
some centuries back, but from the Book of Common Prayer,
used in the Established Church, in the year 1861; to which
all clergymen have given their assent and consent, and
which the high Anglican party faithfully carry out, but of
which others are ashamed, and practically ignore the greater
part of such folly and superstition.
We now come to the Morning Prayer, and the first thing
that is objectionable and unscriptural, is the absolution
pronounced by the priest ; but our remarks on this we shall
postpone till we come to the Ordination service. "He de-
scended into hell" is one point in the Apostle's creed on
which the clergy differ very much, as on some others,
though by their assent and consent they unanimously de-
clare they believe it.
. _

On 13 days of the year (to-day is one of them) the Con-
fession of Faith, called the Creed of St. Athanasius, is to
be said or sung in every church or chapel throughout the
kingdom. Do not misunderstand my remarks about this
Creed. lam not about to censure men for believing in
what is called the doctrine of the Trinity. I understood
religious liberty too well to censure any man for the exer-
cise of his right of private judgment, nor am I about to al-
lude to the endless varieties of definitions that prevail in
private among the clergy on this subject. I condemn the
' Creed on the common grounds, on which hundreds and
thousands of those condemn it, who have, nevertheless,be-
fore God, given their assent and consent to it. The chief
grounds of condemnation are these : The wicked usurpation
of authority on the part of the compilers of the Creed, in
making and forging a term and condition of Salvation
entirely unknown to the Holy Scriptures. Not a word from
the lips of Christ, nor from the pen of one of the Apostles,
sanctions this wicked and blasphemous usurpation of the
Divine prerogative, of saying, as authoritative from God,
what neither God nor Christ, nor the Apostles even said or
hinted at.

The words of the usurped authority are these (and every
clergyman who uses, adopts them, and is responsiblefor ut-
tering them) :—" Whosoever will be saved, before all things
it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith : which faith,
except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt
he shall perish everlastingly." And then, after a mass of
illogical, scholastic jargon, unscriptural in its phrases and
doctrine, the compilers close it with these words :—" This
is the Catholic faith, which except a man keep it faithfully,
he cannot be saved." Every clergyman of the Established
Church has given his assent and oonsent to this usurpation
of the prerogative of Deity; dictating a condition and term
of salvation to their fellow men, unscriptural, illogical, in-
comprehensible, and utterly absurd.
Every beneficed or officiating clergyman has this day, or
he ought to have done it, pronounced unfalteringly on
every Trinitarian who differs from this representation of
the doctrine, and upon every one who does not believe in
the doctrine, that without doubt he shall perish everlast-
ingly ; and again, that he cannot be saved. Where is the
authority for bishop, priest, or deacon to make such a state-
ment ; deliberately, in the presence of God, to assume his
prerogative and utter as deliberately such a terrible false-
hood 1 Some 13,000 or 14,000 clergymen ought, by their
vows, to have done this to-day. They have said they believe
it • they have given their assent and consent to it. But do
they believe it? The common sense of thousands teaches
them to spurn the cruelty of the Creed, its uncharitableness,
and its unscriptural jargon • and they avoid the use of it
whenever they can. They know that one part of the Creed
is high Trinitarianism, and another part high Arianism.
They know that its phraseology is unlike to anything in the
New Testament, and that sending men to hell for ever, for
not believing what certain ecclesiastics drew up in a party
warfare, is as uncharitable, wicked, and unscriptural as it is
blasphemous. Who would envy the intelligence, the Bibli-
cal knowledge, the bigotry of the men who can honestly use
this Creed ? and who would envy the conscience, the honesty,
and the peace of mind of the men who, for the sake of the
priest's office and its morsel of bread, declare their assent
and consent to this Creed, when in their heart they
thoroughly repudiate it? Not a few of these men,—who
thus play false to themselves, to their office, and to their
God,—bitterly censure the Essayists and Reviewers. Let
him, however, who is without fault—in departing from what
he has promised to adhere to—cast the first atone at them.

PROVIDENT CLERKS' LIFE ASSUR•
"INCE BENEVOLENT FUND.

The election of annuitants took place yesterday,
in the board-room of this association, Moorgate
street. The poll closed at three o'clock, after which
the chairman declared that out of the list of seven
male candidates William Emery had been elected
to an annuity of £3O per annum, and that out of a
list of twenty-one female candidates annuities had
been granted to S. Jesty (3,395 votes), E. Husband
(4,306), and C. Sargent (4,035). Jesty's annuity
was £2O, and that of the others £l5. W. Emery
had 2,522 votes. Mr. R. H. Jones, the president of
the association, occupied the chair, and was sup:
ported by numerous directors and subscribers. 41
vote of thanks having been given to the chairman,
Mr. Toole, one of the auditors, in thesupperetainegeeess.
resolution, said that the condition of theu
wfuolueldanidnisdtaantecselamentable. He
unfortunate, but he
nia
commercial
wasa
casecemrtoari
held in his hand a letter bymritetie_ence.
At that time
clerk to his wife seven dayse
health and buoyant
the writer was in vigorous health
now been three days
spirits, but, unhappily,,lneft a large family, and his
in his grave. Het_beaaeve
of confinement, was not
morn truly lu
e
widow, now on h
only in great mental distraction, but in painful
as the deceased had '
pecuniary distress, omitted to
and was not a member of
insure his life, a any provi-
dent This case might be a
fund. lesson to thou-
sands. The resolution was unanimously carried.
The chairman, in responding to the compliment,
offered considerable consolation to the unsuccessful
candidates, by stating that their chances of success
would be materially improved next time by the
receipts of the dinner on Thursday. He hoped the
proceeds of the dinner would enable the directors
to increase Ihe number of annuitants, a consumma-
tion anxioully desired by the board.
Th

c announcement was made yesterday of a
heavy Russian failure, which was reported some weeks
back to be likely to occur, but which was then prevented
by the interposition of the Russian Government. The
disaster comprises the houses of Messrs. W. Brandt
and Sons, of Archangel ; Mr. Charles Brandt, of St.
Petersburg ; Messrs. Brandt Brothers, of Riga; and
Mr. Richard Brandt, of London, and the total
liabilities are believed to amount to £300,000. The
direct debts of the London house are, it is said, limited to
L 70,000. On the first occurrence of difficulties the Russian
Government advanced £lOO,OOO, but this proved insuffici-
ent, and an applicatim for further help having been un-
successful, suspension became necessary, and the accounts
have been placed in the hands of Messrs. Quilter, Ball, and
Co. The connexion was one of old standing, and of great
responsibility, but it must not be confounded with the firms
of Messrs. William Brandt and Co., of St. Petersburg, and
William Brandt, Sons, and Co. (formerly E. H. Brandt,
Son, and Co.), of London. The members of the latter esta-
blishments, although relatives of the members of the faile
firms, are entirely separate and independent. -0" p to 1 8
they were together, but since that time the holing, of the
two branches of the family have been distinct,