The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-11-30 00:00:00

CHURCH OF ENGLAND INSTITUTION.

THE AGE WE LIVE IN

ITS CLAIMS ON THE

CHURCH OF CHRIST.

A lecture on this highly-important subject was deli-
vered last evening (Monday) before the members of the
Church of England Institution, at the Concert-hall, in
Lord Nelson-street, by the Rev. J. C. MILLER., Rector
of St. Martin's, Birmingham. The hall was filled with a
highly-respectable auditory, and the greatest interest was
manifested in the proceedings.
The Rev. Dr. SPNEILE was in the chair, and, in open-
ing the business of the meeting, said :
Christian friends, and members of the Church of
England Young Men's Association, I rejoice to be able to
come amongst you this evening, and with you to have the
combined gratification and advantage of hearing our rev.
friend's lecture. His subject is a wide one—" The age we
live in ; its claims on the Church of Christ."
I have had no intimation from him as to the mode in
which he intends to treat it ; but, before he begins, I may
be permitted to make a few observations on our present
position in the Church of England,—(hear and cheers)—
which I wish you, my young friends, to notice and to cir-
culate. To understand the present aright, we must look
back a little upon the past. (Hear, hear.) Now
in the conflict which has long been going on in our Church
we have just gained a third signal victory—(cheers)—and
the Tractarians, our assailants, have just sustained a third
signal defeat. (Applause.) The petty skirmishings on
both sides have been attended with diversities of results ;
but three times the innovators have forced matters to
the crisis of an actual pitched battle, end three times they
have been beaten. (Continued cheers, and hear, hear.)
The grand object of the campaign on which they started
was, as expressed by some of themselves. to " unprotestan-
tise the English Church." (Hear.) The Tracts for the Times
were commenced by agreement at Oxford, on the basis of
the following resolution :—" That the body of Christ is
conveyed to individual Christians only by the hands of the
successors of the apostles, and their delegates." In
accordance with this, when the tracts came out, one of
them (No. 4) contained these words,—" Our Church is
the only Church in this realm which has a right to be
quite sure that she has the Lord's Body to give to his
people." Another (No. 10) had these words,—" Then
will you, the laity, honour us with a purer honour than
you do now, namely, as those who are intrusted with
the keys of heaven and hell—as the heralds of mercy, as
intrusted with the awful and mysterious gift of making the
bread and wine the body and blood of Christ."
This was the ground selected for the first battle against
the English Church. It was scarcely a wise one. Be-
cause the hallowed memory of many of our martyred
Reformers is inseparably associated with a resolute denial
of Transubstantiation. (Hear.) The Tractarian champion,
Dr. Pusey himself, was the individual put forward to bring
this matter to issue. He boldly assailed the University
of Oxford. He preached Transubstantiation in the face
of the authorities. Had this succeeded, the first battle
would have been won. But the party in the person of
this chosen leader were beaten. The authorities of the
University, roused by the audacious attempt, met and
condemned the heresy, and silenced the preacher for a
season. (Hear.) Since that time they have said little upon
that subject.
Now for the second battle. The ground chosen for this
was Baptism, and the champion selected to lead the van
was the Bishop of Exeter. The opportunity was supplied
by the transfer of the Rev. Mr. Gorham from one living to
another in the diocese of Exeter. His views were not their
views on the subject of sacramental grace in baptism ; and
it was determined, by refusing him institution to his
living, to bring this battle to a crisis. He was refused.
Against that decision of the Bishop he appealed. The
trial proceeded. Some of the Trectarians of note declared
publicly, that if defeated in this trial, they could no longer
remain in the English Church, because she would no
longer be in possession of that fundamental article of the
Christian faith, " One Baptism for the remission of sins."
The verdict was given. It was against their exclusiveness.
It did nit, indeed, interfere with their liberty of interpre-
tation. No one wished to do so. But it prevented them
from interfering with the liberty of others. This was a
defeat. Then it was that Mr. Maskell, Mr. Dodsworth,
and others, forsook the ground as untenable on Anglican
principles, and joined the Church of Rome. Thus their
ranks were thinned, and no position of ours was stormed.
(Loud cheers.)
Now for the third battle. When the Gorham case was
decided, great were the lamentations of the Tractarians.
Some, as I have said, seceded ; but others thought seces-
sion was premature, and that one effort more, at least,
ought to be made. Mr. Neale said, "Itisto be feared
that some, impatient of the insult their church has re-
ceived, unwilling to wait for the time necessary to mature
an united plan of action; and, despairing of any redress,
will at once go over to Rome. * * * * Clearly, it
is their duty to wait. The church will emerge from this
affliction, either the better for it, or the worse : if the
latter, it will be time enough to leave her then."
The united plan of action was in due time matured.
Mr. Archdeacon Denison struck the key note. He issued
his protest against the sentence of the Judicial Committee
of her Majesty's Privy Council, aided by the two arch-
bishops. " Whereas," he said, with incomparable
modesty, " whereas Mr. Gorham has formally denied the
Catholic faith. And, whereas the sentence is necessarily
false, I do enter my solemn protest, &c., and do pledge
myself to use all lawful means to obtain, without delay,
some further formal declaration by a lawful synod," &c.
There was the first touch of a new call for the Convoca-
tion.

And again, he said in a letter in The Times, "It is
high time that the Church of England should decide, in
lawful Synod, whether heresy is to be maintained and

-----
taught by law."
Then came a meeting of the "London Church Union,"
attended, as it was stated, by a large number of beneficed
clergymen, appointed as delegates from church unions in
most of the English Sees, at which meeting it was laid
down, "that the only proper means of dealing with such
a case as that which had recently engaged public
consideration" (i. o. the Gorham case) " was by means
of Convocation, and that her Majesty should be petitioned
to give her Royal License, &c."
Presently afterwards, a paper of resolutions was sent to
The Times, signed by Archdeacon Manning (since gone to
Rome), Archdeacons Wilberforce and Thorp, Doctors
Mill and Pusey, and many others. Of these resolutions
the eighth declared "That all legal measures be taken
without delay to obtain an authoritative declaration by
the Church of the doctrine of holy Baptism, impugned
by the sentence, as for instance, by praying license for
the Church in Convocation to declare that doctrine."
Petitions were accordingly presented to the Queen for

a speedy Convocation, and to the archbishops and bishops
desiring them to second the request, " that the church in
synod assembled may have freedom to judge matters of
doctrine and discipline." (Hear.)
Thus, an attempt to reverse, by a sentence of Convoca-
tion, the sentence of the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council, was the ground selected for the third battle. And
here again they have been defeated. They mustered their
troops well, and they contrived to get practical help from
many who do not agree with their views, but who were
too simple or too shortsighted to see through their plans.
There was a field day of proctors, and a flourish of trum-
pets. Doubtless many hearts beat high with the hope
that now we shall have success, now our united plan of
action is matured, now we shall have the true doctrine of
holy baptism affirmed by authority, and heresy being ex-
pelled from our venerable mother, we shall have her all
to ourselves. But, alas, for the uncertainty of all sublu-
nary affairs 1 At York, the Convocation was extinguished
at once, and the deans, archdeacons, and proctors sent
back to attend to their proper businesses. In the province
of Canterbury the Convocation were permitted to meet
and address the Queen. They were then prorogued till a
convenient season for giving the Queen's answer—next
February. In the mean time, the Queen's Government
—now more firmly established than ever to continue the
Queen's Government—(prolonged cheering)—have de-
clared that they will not advise her Majesty to grant her
royal license for the action of Convocation. (Hear. and
cheers.)
Without that license the agitators are powerless; and
thus has ended the third great battle.
What the leaders will do now—whether they will deem
it right to wait for the time necessary to mature some
other united plan of action, or whether they will think
that the Church has now emerged for the worse, and, de-
spairing of any redress, will determine that the time is
come for leaving her, we shall soon see.
It isan advantage to have acentral pointof elevation from
which a comprehensive and intelligent view can be taken
of the whole field ; and, therefore, I have made you this
brief statement. If you would see all I have said, and
much more, admirably well put, you will procure and read
Mr. Bird's letter to Mr. Hutton, on the dangers attend-
ing an immediate revival of Convocation.
The rev doctor concluded by introducing the lecturer
to the audience.
The Rev. J. C. MILLER, on rising, was greeted with
loud cheers. After some apologetic observations respect-
ing himself, the rev. gentleman proceeded to remark that
his subject for the evening was, "the age we live in—its
demands upon the Church of Christ." He remembered

once hearing it remarked of a celebrated clergyman of
the Church of England, that he was just the man for the
19th century. Now he thought a rough description like
that was calculated to afford to any intelligent mind what
sort of a man he was, and such, he was persuaded, all—
both clergy and laity—ought, as far as God enabled them,
strive to be—just the man for the 19th century, to endea-
vour to do his duty in that state which it had pleased God
to call him. Every one should endeavour to be an
intelligent member of the Church of Christ; and when
be spoke of the Church of Christ he did not mean exclu-
sively the Church of England, though he maintained it
was the most intelligent branch of that church. He called
the Church of Christ what it was most beautifully called
in the communion service of the Church of England—"the
blessed company of Christ's faithful people." (Cheers.)
It should, however, be borne in mind that the Church
of Christ was not simply to be conservative but aggress-
ive, not simply to be a depository of the truth, but a real
live active witness for the truth. (Cheers.) It was most
important that they should hear in mind the Church's ele-
ment and the Church's condition in the present world.
In looking at the duties of the Christian Church he should
glance at its characteristics, as they affect our social, our
commercial, and our religious education. First, he would
glance at them intellectually. There were three great
idols which had been set up in the present age, namely,
mind, mammon, and pleasure. Such was the state of
intellect in the present day that it was hardly to be won-
dered at that man should worship intellect. Look at the
electric telegraph, at the mode of taking our portraits by
means of photography, and now at the substitution of ca-
loric for steam which was the next move, and again it was
proposed to travel not above water, but under water.
This was proposed, and however such a mode might evade
the effects of storm, it would at all events do away with
sea sickness. (Hear and laughter.) What was the danger?
A class of writers had sprung up, of whom Emerson might
be said to be the head and type, who placed an overween-
ing confidence in the powers of the human mind and hu-
man soul, and the perfection of man, instead of falling
back upon the old Gospel of our Lord and Saviour, and
the principles made triumphant on the cross of Calvary.
(Hear, hear.)
There seemed no doubt that those who run after such
a class of writers, were in danger of imbibing a fatal error,
against which it was the duty of the ministers of Christ

to warn them. It was the error of such men to believe
that the gospel was not np to the advancement of the age,
and though it was not a subject to bring always upon the
platform, still it was impossible to do anything irre-
spective of its influence. What they wanted in this age
of intellect was the legitimate exercise of faith, the con-
viction and belief that there was a volume whose dictates
they were bound to obey. It was a favourite maxim with
him when he heard the boast of intellect from an infidel,
to ask him if there was anything he really understood.
Of all writers perhaps there were few more learned than
Bishop Butler, and he in his works repeatedly insisted on
the ignorrnce of man. The rev. lecturer then read some
passages from an essay in the Edinburgh Review, which
he would like to see in eveybody's hands.
.

It was not infidelity of the open fotm which they had
most to dread in the present day, but that infidelity of
rationalism, imported from Germany, which professed to
reconcile everything to reason, and did away with the
miracles of the Bible, either as being idle tales, or else
explaining them away. This was all owing to that deify-
ing of intellect which characterised the infidelity of the
present day, and which was the danger they had most to
guard against. He proceeded to consider the social
characteristics of the day. It struck him forcibly that it
was an age of pleasure, not sensual and vicious pleasure,
but that frivolity which distinguished our French
neighbours. He wre not one who disliked occasional re_
laxation, but he was afraid we were losing that characte
for industry and the observance of the Lord's day for
which we had formerly been distinguished. This wa,
shown in the desire for the opening of the Crystal Palaces
a measure which he considered not in reference to its
comparison with gin shops, and other means of relaxation,
but its open cuuntenance of a breach of that due observ-
ance of the day which, once begun, we could not tell
where it might stop. This was also an age of luxury, and
the secret of the ruin of many families was that one class
was treading too elosely on the heels of another. Against
this also it was the duty of the church to protest, for it
dried up the springs of charity, and deprived them of that
aid which might be freely afforded out of mere super-
fluities. Another evil was the precocity of youth, that
presumptuous conceited forwardness which was seen in so
many of our young people. It was a want of humility
which was one of the evils of the age.
There was great want of that Christian humility so
earnestly commended by the Apostle Peter. That was
another point on which the Church of Christ ought
solemnly and earnestly to protest. Next he proceeded to
glance at the commercial characteristics of the age. After
glancing at the increase of our commerce and manufac-
turers, and the high position of the country in this re-
spect, he asked—but did not all this bring with it its
dangers ? The present system upon which trade was
carried on, was of the greatest danger to Christians. The
question with him was, " How am Ito keep pace ass mer-
chant and tradesman, and to act up to the principles of the
Gosspel ?" He had had young men come to him for the
purpose of examination, previous to confirmation, (and
the same could be said by many of his brother clergymen,)
who have said, " I don't know bow to reconcile what I
am required to do every day at business with my con-
firmation vows." What was to be done ? It was the
ddty of the clergymen to urge upon their hearers the duty
of acting in the shop and in the 'counting-house as they
would anywhere else. The great difficulty, and the
prevailing evil of the day, was the all-absorbing love of
money. He did not know how it was in Liverpool ; but,
so far as Birminghamwas concerned, the measure of many
respectability was the length of his purse. The clergy
ought to be more evenspoken upon this point. He liked
that passage of St. Paul : " Charge them which are rich,
that they be not high-minded." When they called upon
the richer portion of the community far support to Chris-
tian institutions, the clerymen too often seemed as if they
were begging from them instead of reminding them of
their stewardship. He next proceeded to notice one or
two of the religious characteristics of the age as they
bore upon our community. This was an age of very
wide-spread religious profession. It is more respectable
to he a Christian. (Hear, hear). A man is supposed
to be a respectable character if regular in his attend-
ance to the outward duties of Christianity ; but there
was great fear of a want of spirituality a want of
earnestly contending for God. (Hear, and cheers).
I was seldom that one met with what was called a full-
grown Christian ; there was too much halting between two
opinions, whilst the line of demarcation between Chris-
tianity and the world is just as wide and as great as when
our Saviour said—" The friendship of the world is enmity
to God." What they should aim at should be to strive
most earnestly to become more thoroughgoing—more
earnest Christians, in spirit, in word, and in life. (Hear,
hear, hear.) The age, too, was one of glorious open-
ings for the Church. If ever there was an age since
the days of the Apostles that the saying of St. Paul was
true—l' a great door and effectual was opened unto us"—
it is now. Thera never was an age when there were
brighter openings for usefulness and for advancing the
kingdom of Christ. Look at the openings in China, in
Africa, at the immense tide of emigration—at the change
going on in Ireland—all tending to show that a mighty
work was before the Church. Again, this was an age of
controversy. Many objected to this, and not a few of the
clergy, but they forgot that every minister of the Church
was a sworn controversialist. (Loud cheers.) Besides,
all the pure doctrines of the Gospel never could be
brought out so perfectly as when placed side by side
with error. The speaker strongly urged this point on
the Clergy, and more especially to be strenuous against
Tractarianism, which was making fearful progress in the
Church. He next alluded to infidelity, as a peculiar cha-
racteristic of the age, it being now a regular organised
system in connexion with the Continent. He mentioned
the fact of a distribution of infidel tracts, saying they were
determined to put down religion, and then the streets of
London would flow with the blood of the aristocracy.
He, however, had no fears on that subject, and those
who bad seen the quiet, the orderly, and respectful
conduct of the poorer and middle classes at the funeral
of the Duke, would be convinced that they were sound-
hearted and right in their principles.—(Loud cheers.)
After alluding to the insidious attempts made by Popery,
infidelity, and Tractarianism, he proceeded to ask how
was the Church of England to meet all this ? It was
the fashion of the present day to be dissatisfied with the
Church, to cry out for this and that kind of liberty, and
for synodical action. forgetting that all had the liberty
of doing far more than they had the heart and energy
to do. (Hear, hear.) Instead, therefore, of com-
plaining, let them make use of the liberty they now
have. But what was wanted ? He did not mean
to say that the Church of England was perfect.
but this he would say that there was not one of the
doctrines of the Church he ever wished to see touched.
Nor did his conscience gall him for his vow to maintain
the Churche's formulas, but when he knew that a word
or two here and there was a stumbling block to others,
he frankly acknowledged that he should like to see them
removed. Now, however, that Free-trade and Protection
were set at rest, if there was one earthly object he wished
to see accomplished more than another, it would be a
thorough searching, and misparing reform of all the
abuses in the Church of England, not with regard to her
doctrines, but as to the practical working of
the system, and especially a more equitable ad-
justment of her revenues. (Cheers.) If that were
done carefully and successfully by the hand of a
friend, he believed the Church of England had a sphere
of usefulness before her such as has had no parallel since
the days of the Reformation. (Loud cheers.) In con-
clusion the lecturer urged upon his hearers the necessity,
as members of the Church, of strenuous exertion, more
especially of constant and persevering prayer, and resumed
his seat amid loud cheers. _ _ _

The CHAIRMAN proposed a vote of thanks to the
lecturer for his able address, and after singing the
Doxology the meeting separated.

THE DERBY ELECTION.

IT will be seen by our report of the proceedings in
Parliament last night, that the ex-Attorney-General
has again brought the alleged charge of bribery at the late
Derby Election before the House of Commons. It is not,
however, in the form of a petition to unseat Mr. T. B
HORSFALL, for that would have been a dangerous course
but he moved for a select committee to inquire into the
conduct of the Right Hon. William Beresford, and that
gentleman is so anxious for the inquiry, that his friend,
Sir John Yarde Butler, seconded the motion. The pro-
ceedings will be altogether independent of the statnte for
carrying into effect the disputed elections, the object
being simply to clear the character of the Secretary at
War, which has been impugned.

COUNTY COURT, YESTERDAY.—In this court, which
was held before his honour, J. Pollock, Esq., the cases
were of the most trivial nature, only involving matters
of small debts of no public interest.
THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF LIVERPOOL
(Samuel Holme, Esq.,) gave his first civic entertainment
on Wednesday. The guests were principally members of
the Council. On Friday he entertained the officers of the
Lancashire Militia.

ROYAL INSTITUTION SCHOOL.—Mr. W. Rees, Can-
ning scholar of the above school, and first man of his
year and Wood's exhibitioner at St. John's College,
Cambridge, has just been elected to a scholarship in the
same college.
BANKRUPTCY COURT, YESTERDAY.—MOSSII. Avery
and Street, formerly carrying on business as shipsmiths,
&c., at Birkenhead, came before Mr. Commissioner Perry
for their certificate, when a first-class certificate was
awarded to them.

SUDDEN DEATH.—On Thursday evening last a man,
named John Roxby, a returned emigrant from Boston,
was taken to a house in Carlton-street. On Sunday
evening, whilst sitting at the fire, he suddenly complained
of being ill, and immediately after expired.
TRANSATLANTIC STEAM-SHIPS.—The Niagara, Leitch,
commander, sailed hence for Boston, on Saturday, at
noon, with seventy passengers and a fair cargo on board,
besides the usual mails. The Arctic, Captain Luce, will
sail to-morrow (Wednesday) for New York
STEAM-BOATS.--Mr. Robert Pierce Stevens, owner of
the steamer St. Kiaran, was fined £5 and costs, on
Tuesday, for allowing that vessel to carry passengers from
Dublin to this port, the vessel not having a certificate of
seaworthiness on board. The master of the vessel was
fined £2 and costs. _

SUICIDE BY A LICENSED VICTUALLER.—Yesterday
morning, Mr. Henry Blunt, publican, opposite St. Pa-
trick's Chapel, in the Park, who has been ill for some
months, and labouring under depression of spirits, during
the absence of his attendant cut his throat in such a man-
ner as to produce almost instantaneous death.
GLASGOW AND LIVERPOOL TRADE.—The two new
steamers, to be called the Elk and the Stag, building for
Messrs. Burns, of Glasgow, and Mac Iver, of this town,
are rapidly progressing towards completion, and will be
ready for the station early next year. The trade will thus
be amply accommodated by first-rate vessels, and main-
tain its position as one of the best supplied with fine
steamers in the kingdom.
PARTY PROCESSIONS.—A meeting of the magistrates
was held, on Thursday last, to take into consideration a
report presented to the Mayor by the Head-constable,
relative to party processions. The report having been
read, it was resolved :—" That the Head-constable be
instructed, on receiving information of any procession
being about to take place, in which it is intended to exhibit
party badges, or do anything calculated to create a breach
of the peace, to adopt measures for preventing the same
from taking place."