The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-17 00:00:00

COMMITTEE.

JAMES POWNALL, Esq., Chairman, Pennington-hall, Leigh.
J. S. TURNER GREENE, Esq—The Hallhouses, Bedford, Leigh.
Wm. CHARLES JONES, Esq., Treasurer, Walinsleys, Leigh.
Rev. A. HEWLETT, M.A., Astley Parsonage.
RICHARD MARSH, Esq., WeStleigh-hall.
RICHARD GUEST, Esq., Etherstone-hall.
Mr. CHARLES WIDDOWS, Market-street, Leigh.
Mr. HENRY JONES, Secretary, King-street, Leigh.

BANKERS.
Messrs. LLOYD, ENTWISTLE, and Co,. Manchester.
Messrs. JONESLLOYD, and Co., Lothbury, London.
The Committee appointed for the purpose of Building and
Endowing a New Church in the neighbourhood of Leigh, feels
it an incumbent duty, when soliciting the support of the
public, to carry out a design unanimously sanctioned by a
crowded meeting of the inhabitants, shortly to point out the
grounds upon which they ask for assistance.
The ancient market-town of Leigh stands in the adjoining
townships of Pennington and Westleigh ' • but by the increase
of building, a portion of the township of Bedford has become
absorbed in the town ; and it is intended to build a Church in
such a situation as most conveniently to provide for the
spiritual wants of this dense and increasing population, in the
above-named townships. They contain, according to the last
census, nearly 14,000 inhabitants, and the Church accommoda-
tion is scarcely sufficient for one-sixth of that number.
Although the Committee might confidently appeal to the
Members of the Church of England for support, on the ground
of inadequate accommodation for the existing and rapidly-
increasing population, it feels that this neighbourhood has
peculiar claims on the sympathy of all who are sincere friends
of the Protestant faith, as recognised in the teachings of the
Church of England. The religious state of this district has
long been painfully notorious, and the necessity for change has
become imminent. The hulk of the people, though attached
to the Church, will not, and most of them cannot conscientiously,
attend the consecrated Churches in the above-named town-
ships. Amongst other things, they cannot reconcile them-
selves to the dogma that the Clergyman alone is the Church ;
nor to the importation of novelties into the service, pertina-
ciously and offensively. introduced ; they cannot reconcile
themselves to the capricious and arbitrary refusals to christen,
marry, and bury the parishioners; nor to the harsh denuncia-
tions of eternal perdition over the dying; they cannot reconcile
themselves to the preaching of inflammatory and abusive dis-
courses, nor to the frequent absurdities of the so-called cate-
chetical questions during the Church Service. By proceedings
such as these, they feel that the influence of the Church of
England has become weakened, and its people either scattered
amongst other denominations, or withered into indifference.by
a worship of form, with scarcely any of the essentials of Chris-
tianity.
The labouring classes have especially. felt some of these
grievances. Their instincts towards religion,—their affections
towards their relatives, dying and dead—have been slighted
and outraged; and when in their afflictions they have looked
for comfort, or at least kindness, and when their broken spirits
have welcomed instr"ction, sorrows have been heaped upon
them by hard language and personal insult.
The Committee asks for foreign aid. The neighbourhood
may emphatically be termed a poor one. It ventures to crave
assistance from all who hold Protestantism (at once the
religion of true liberty and of Christ) dear and sacred; it
craves, nay, it imploringly calls for assistance, from all who
wish to exclude and to repel from the Church of England,
those tenets, which, enunciated from the pulpits of some
churches, consecrated to Protestant Worship, according to
the doctrines and accustomed rites of the Church of Eng-
land, are calculated to impair and to destroy its purity, and to
revive Romanian].
In conclusion, the Committee presents one fact, with thank-
fulness and exultation • at the Meeting which passed the
resolution which has evoked this appeal, the labouring classes
upon hearing that it was determined that the Protestant faith,
according to the doctrines and discipline of the Church of
England, untainted by Tiactarianism and its brood of evils,
should be preached in the proposed Church, earnestly
responded by instantaneously subscribing towards its erection.
And, by the blessing of God, the Committee hopes that their
desires may be abundantly fulfilled.
Donations will be thankfully received by the Bankers,
Treasurer, or any Member of the Committee.
HENRY JONES, Secretary.
The cost of the Building will be -41,800.
Purchase of Land 5OO.
Church Furniture, with Fence Walls, about 5OO.
Endowment previous to Consecration, must be 1,000.
A Parsonage House will also be required.
The Subscriptions, including the grant of ..e'coo from it..
Manchester Diocesan Church Building Society, amount to
little more than one-half the sum that will be required.
The Foundation- Stone of the New Churclh we
requesti 19 tlihe 1 ani
sdt banyt t
ahal the
ERliett.
ao
.nm.
and Lt feo rd, on
Committee Thursday,
earnestly
friends of the undertaking will be present on the occasion.
Coymillee-rooms, Town-hall, Leigh, May 9, 1833.