The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-09 00:00:00

T,IIE BISHOP OF OXFORD ON THE

CHURCH.

The Bishop of Oxford lately attended a crowded meeting
at the Town Hall, Colchester, presided overby the mayor
of the borough (Major Bishop), in aid of the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In his
opening observations his lordship said he conceived
that in the settling of our race in different parts of
the earth we were following the Providential law, and
enabling them to reproduce in the land of their adop-
tion the religion of their forefathers. (Hear, hear.)
Take, for instance, the hundred millions who dwell in
India, and for whom the Crown of England was respon-
sible. It was but that very morning that, in answer to an
argument for maintaining our own Established Church in
Ireland, there was a taunt thrown out that we ought to
establish our Church in India. It was as easy as possible
to shew any sensible man the fallacy of this argument. It
was one thing to keep and another to found. (Hear, hear).
But these things always pointed to some truth. There
was never any smoke, be it ever so blue or faint a
tint, but there was the smouldering of a little fire that
caused it, and when men pointed out such inconsistencies
as that, they pointed to a truth, and that truth was this
—that if the people of Great Britain were for maintaining
religious establishments at home, because they believed it
to be the duty of a Christian Government to maintain such
aids to religion, they must be inconsistent in leaving the
multitudes in India so little taught as Christianity at
home leaves them taught at present. (Hear, hear.) His
lordship then read some extracts from a letter from the
Bishop of Calcutta, giving most encouraging accounts
of the stir in the rative mind that was taking place in
India. But what were we doing (continued the bishop)
if we took from these people by giving them our
own science and our own doubts, and set before them
our unchristian leaven, and shaking in this way
all their own belief in that which once did lift them
up, if we were giving them nothing in the place of it ?
But this work could not be done by the Government or
Parliament of the country, and for this plain reason—our
divisions at home made it impossible—it would make it
unjust to attempt to do it. The first duty of each Chris-
tian community within our common land was by earnest
endeavours within itself to do that which belonged to
its proportion in the whole community on the common
work, kccording to the consciences of those who did it.
Their chairman had alluded to some threatening of our
Church at home—to talk of disestablishment and the
like. Thank God it was nothing more than talk at present.
(Applause.) Like many other mischiefs, it spent itself
in a little talk. (Hear, hear.) Political necessities, we all
knew, were very strong—if they could accomplish their
work by a little talk, and we could come in afterwards and
turn their talk into vapour, he thought it would be very
well for us. (Hear, hear.) His lordship then alluded to
the evil influeuees which were constantly going from this
country, citing as an instance the instructions that were
sent from England for the recent dastardly attempt to
destroy the life of our Prince Alfred in Australia. But,
thank God, said his lordship, there had been in that
Australian land a settlement of our English Church, and
on the previous Sunday there were prayers offered in all
the churches for the life of that young prince, and who
could doubt but that angels' hands had turned aside the
point of that weapon of death in answer to those prayers?
(Applause.)