The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-27 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—Many parties have blamed the Rev. H. M`Neile
and those other evangelical clergymen who have refused
to join the proposed Evangelical Alliance. But, I think,
Mr. M`Neile's reasons for not doing so ought to satisfy
every unprejudiced mind. I have felt confident all along,
since the thing was first proposed, that it was utterly im-
possible for Churchmen ;to co-operate with Dissenters—
men who have such deadly hostility to our Established
Church, and who labour and pray for its overthrow. And
I am now more than ever confirmed in this opinion, from
reading an article in a small periodical, just published,
called The Christian's Penny Magazine. It is a dis-
senting publication, under the sanction of the Congrega-
tional Union of England and Wales, and may therefore
be regarded as expressing the sentiments of Congrega-
tionalists generally. Will you allow me, sir, to give a few
extracts from the publication in question, in ordet that
those clergymen and laymen who have joined the Alliance
may see what " The Congregational Union," think of
them and their church. The article from which I am
about to quote, is headed, Why I dare not conform to
the Church of England," and then follows eight reasons
for nonconformity ; and such a tissue of falsehood and
misrepresentation I never read in my life. But, sir, you
and your readers shall judge. The first reason commences
thus : " Because it is not a proper Scriptural Church, but
a political system, instituted by worldly men for worldly
ends, and is altogether a worldly body." This is a fair
commencement, you will say, Mr. Editor; but to pro-
ceed, " The Church of England is a society formed by act
of parliament, and made up of all sorts of people. The
ministers, or priests, as they are profanely called, are very
few of them faithful men ; Puseyism, or Popery, in place
of the pure Word of God, is preached in many of the
buildings, ignorantly called churches ; while a rite, simi-
lar to the Lord's Supper, which Papists and Churchmen
call the Sacrament, and try to persuade men ( oh, awful
delusion !) it will, if properly given and taken, save the
soul, is offered to people the most wicked, therefore it
cannot be a true church, &c." Again, " But that it is no
church, I prove, secondly, from the Bible." This is in-
consistent with what is stated before, " It is not a proper
Scriptural Church;" but now "It is no church', at all.
" But let us have the proof from the Bible. Christ says,
' My kingdom is not of this world ;' but the Church of
England plainly is." The article then proceeds to
give reasons for saving that the Church of Eng-
land is " no church," and, amongst other hard things,
says, " The parsons trade for livings as dealers in a mar-
ket, and keep, or exchange, or sell the souls of a parish
like worldly goods." Hear that ye good, charitable
clergymen, who have joined the Alliance ! Further—

" Luxurious lords and foxhunting squires, as ignorant of
real religion as the heathen, oftentimes put, for companion-
ship in sin, men of like mind and habits with themselves
into a parish pulpit, to blind by their teaching anfl deprave
by their example the poor slaves of their spiritual power."
I had marked several other extracts, which I thought of
giving, but lest I should take up too much room in your
valuable paper I will only cull out a sentence or two, so
that your readers may judge pretty nearly of the tone of
the remainder of the article. Hear the following—" A.
trifling and religious mummery and an irreligious for-
malism, and not a worship of Him, who is a spirit, &c."
" It teaches the awful untruth that its ministers can save
souls by baptism. This is solemnly avowed before God.
when a babe is christened, as people pagan!), term it."
" It exceeds the sin of Korab, Dathan, and Abiram, whom
God destroyed in anger." " This church makes its mi-
nisters assume to be God, for in the rite of confirmation
and ordination its lord bishop (poor sinning mitred mortal)
pretends to give the Holy Ghost."
There is a great deal more of this kind, of what I cannot
but call blasphemous misrepresentation ; but enough,
surely, sir, to open the eyes of the clergy of our church,
who have been induced to give their countenance to the
proposed Evangelical Alliance ; and to justify the conduct
of those who have stood aloof from it.

I am, Sir, yours truly,
CANDOUR.

January 19, 1846.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE TOWN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

perceive, with regret, from the tenor of Mr.
G. H. Lawrence's remarks, as Chairman of the Finance
Committee of the Council, that we are not to expect a
very extensive improvement of the town for some years
hence. I cannot see the propriety (from a niggardly
economy) of deferring for an indefinite period, an object
urgently required, and of paramount importance to the
community at large, for which the public voice is now
being raised in a tone which cannot be misunderstood. I
presume that since the Municipal Reform Act became
lawlthe hands of our Common Council are not quiet tied
up, so as to be unable to proceed with measures of great
public utility. If so, the sooner we return to our former
position the better. Surely a wealthy body, similar to
our corporation, might raise half a million sterling in a
case of emergency, to be applied in widening and rebuild-
ing many of the miserable courts, &c., with which
Liverpool unfortunately abounds. No pecuniary con-
sideration should be an impediment to the amelioration
of the wretchedness of a large portion of our townsmen
living in abject poverty, bereft of the means that would
render their humble abodes attractive, by not having
better and more comfortable habitations provided. Let it
be borne in mind that the money there expended for the
promotion of the health and convenience of our popu-
lation would revert to the coffers of our Council in an in-
creased ratio from the enhanced nature of the residue of
land, and a variety of combined circumstances brought
about and put into operation from the improved aspect
of the locality where so desirable a change has taken
place.
Should the plan I have suggested he acted upon, it
would suffice for carrying out many very indispensible
improvements ; to wit, salt water swimming baths, with
private hot, cold, and vapour baths attached ; likewise
public parks and cemetries; taking down and rebuilding
old delapidated cottages and other tenements, upon the
most improved principle for health and ventilation; as
also widening narrow crooked streets and alleys. Ido
not intend that the sum borrowed should be laid out in
a twelvemonth, but be disposable or taken up on interest
for the purposes aforesaid, at they rate of £4O or £50,000
annually for the space of ten years, having it thereby at
command when any favourable opportunity for compassing
.1 points in question can be embraced.
6th January, 1846. A BURGESS.

P.S.—I omitted to state that a complete metamorphose
might be effected, provided a vigorous effort were made to
remove the stigma from Liverpool—from being a most
unhealthy town, it might become a pleasant, healthy resi-
dence, if a well concocted plan of improvement were
carried out. This is now essential. The Dock Trustees
seem determined to make the port first-rate (probably in
the world), by affording extra accommodation to shipping ;
it therefore behoves the civic authorities to use corres-
ponding exertion as to internal arrangements, on a scale
commensurate with the wants and wishes of the inhabi-
tants.

An exhibition of anti-fire-proof cement took place at
Manchester, on Tuesday, in the presence of the Mayor,
&c. It was successful. The Guardian says :—One of
its most remarkable properties is, that of its being the
most extraordinary non-conductor of heat we have seen.
It is elastic also, capable of great expansion and contrac-
tion ; and, in short, seems to possess a more extensive
combination of good qualities as a fire protector, an adhe-
sive cement, and an artificial stone or marble, than any
substance with which we are acquainted.
In calling the attention of our readers to the excellence
of Lambert's Asthmatic Balsam, we cannot forbear the
pleasure of stating that we fully agree with our contem-
poraries, when they ask us the cause of our public streets
being so clear of persons suffering from asthma, influenza,
coughs, colds, hoarseness, shortness of breath, and other
affections of the chest and lungs ; we have no hesitation
in stating it must be owing to the excellence and efficacy
of Lambert's Asthmatic Balsam ; we recommend it with
confidence for the above
distressing complaints, as an un-
failing remedy, giving immediate relief, and a cure will i
most assuredly follow the use of t.—See adv.