The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-02-09 00:00:00

ANNUAL MEETING OF TIM LIVERPOOL DIS-
TRICT SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN
KNOWLEDGE.

Yesterdev at twelve o'clock, the annual meeting of this so-
ciety was held at the chapel of the Blue Coat. Hospital, the
Lord Bishop of the Diocese in the Chair. The meeting was
tolerably attended, about 210 persons being present, chiefly
ladies.
Amongst the clergy atyl !rent lemen present we observer' Revs.
J. Brooks, M.A., .1. B. :.ienk, M.A„ T. G. Leigh, M.A., R.
P. Budilicoin, M.A., F. Barker, B.A. Ellis Ashton. 8.D., T.
Bold, M.A., Richard Blacow, M.A., J. A. Wilson, M.A., Jas.
Hassell,. M.A., Thos. Moss, M.A , Cecil Wray, M.A., Robert
Leicester, M.A., John Junes M.A., Thomas S.. Buwstead,M.A.
R. L. Townsend, Ould, M.A., C W. Law-
rence, M.A., Jo:in Lyon, M.A., J. 11. Stewart, M.A., Oliver
()mem!, M.A.,---Sir Thomas Braneker, Knt.—J. Mar-
riott, Esq., Charles Lawrence, Esq , Anthony Swaths(); Esq.
George Grant, Esq , 11. Banner, Esq.. Adam Hodgson, Esq.,
James Pownall, Esq.. C. S. Parker, Esq., Samuel S sndbach,
J. A. 'Tinny, Esq., Wm. Jones, Esq., Chas. Groves, Esq., G.
Freckleton, Esq.; James Langten, Esq., Cyrus Morrell, Esq.,
John North, Esq., John Riehy, Esq., ex, &c.
The proceedings of the sneering were cisiomenced by one of
the Secretaries, the Rev. James North, reading a portion of the
prayers of the Church of Eugland service.
The Right Rev. in opening the business of the
•meeting, said, they met that day for the purpose of bringing
forward to the notice of the community more prominently !hats -
had been usual lately, a society which certaiuly did net in gene-
ral obtrude itself on public not ice, and which, perhaps, on that
account, had been in some degree forgotten. Silently and un-
obtrusively it.did indeed make itself known by its usefulness;
'but in days like these of universal competition and collision, it
was a matter of necessity that societies which did not trine
themselves forward before the public acquaintance of a town
like this, might sink into an obscurity which they very little
deserved. Thee most, rememberi that the circumstances of this
society were rather peculiar; n propertion to its usefulness it.
ruined itself. Generally speaking, where they had a large and
extensive and growing circulation of business, that business sup-
ported itself and did not require additional assistance; but it
was exactly otherwise with a society of this kind: it professed
-to lose by what it sold; it professed to furnish copies of the
Scripture in a large and small and prayer hooks and
llessysitsraltaergteh abiui
stihneeyssciatuwldasberuoitnhienrg-
tio.tihseeiolttiabilniretadt,icoontsi,socinuaenfatiry
itself, and, consequently, this very large town of Liverpool was
indebted to the society to a large amount, as was the case at
Manchester some time ago, that town being, brought in debtor
to the society some £5OO or £6OO, the .old;subscribers having
fallen off by "death or removal, and new ones not haVing been
obtained. He confessed that in one respect he was alit person
'to support the claims of this society, from having a correspond-
ence with many parts of the diocese, he was able to know the
extent of its usefulness in different parishes. 'There was, per-
haps, hardly one to which thesociety did not every year afford
great advantages. Not fewer than 100 libraries had been esta-
blished through the medium of this society alone, which were
sending out their different stores to the population belonging
to the different places. Then again the diffusion of copies of
the Scriptures and prayer hooks was of great iinportance, and
circulated them far more than could possibly be the case tbr-
merly. Sometimes they Tbought thy. hooks .were sold at too
cheap a rate, and that the large sum lost on each, not less than
one third might be paid by the recipients, but he had found this
was not the ease, a clergyman had proved to hint the other day,
when he was asking him the scanty diffusion of the Scriptures
in the district of Colne and Blackburce, that the people could
not afford to get them ; we had seen a Bible divided into books,
and a part in different families, because they could not afford
to get the whole they were so pour. Through the instrumen-
tality of this society the Sunday School children, instead-of
idling about, were provided with prayer books. The seciety
was also the nucleus for applications when any Christian ob-
ject wanted support. It had afforded assistance towards the
building of churches in Australia. They could scarcely mention
any charitable ooject in which the society did nottake an active I
part. The society came before them with an experience of 141)
years ; and though it was an honourable thing to be old, still
age would not support itself: and though it was very right to
speak of this society as it was spoken of as a venerable society
and the mother of them ail, still they must support their vene-
rable mother. (Hear.) The Right Rev. Prelate concluded
with calling en
the lh ele tv. It.Ri
report.
roli,n the
trleli ETpSoKrtiti-1, one
appeared
rete
dhtsbeactretitineri,Lsivto Liverpool.
District Committee of the Society was established in the. year
1815; but that till 1825 the income arising front the •subscrip-
tiuns towards it did. not exceed £167 19s. per annum. In 1821
a large meeting was held at the Blue Coat School, with the
bishop of the Diocese in the rhair, by which the subscriptions
were increased to £5BO, and donations were added, the result of
the same meeting, to the amount of £255, from which time,
hue ever,
the had progressively declined. During the first
ten years 69 17 Bibles, and 12,637 Prayer Books were circu-
lated; and during the last ten years, 24,165 Bibles, and 29,503
Prayer Books. The support of thy' society had decreased, while
the claims (twit had increased. This society was the first that
caused the Bible, free of error, to be circulated through the
land. 'l' he society was desirous to extend its usefulness to the
boundless plains ;)1. India, and the daily thriving colony of
Australia. During the past year the parent society bas made
the following grants:—To meet the spiritual wants of Upper
Canada, £2000; schools in the Mauritius, £50.0 ; to other si-
Oureoses, £3OOO ; and £5O had been granted to Mr.
Alston, of Glasgow, to further his plan of printing parts of the
Holy Scriptures on embossed types,. for the use of the blind.
he books which had been circulated by the parent society
during the past year, ,were as follows:—Bibles and Testaments,
157,715; Prayer Books, 192,4143 bound hooks, 132.233; hell
bound, 1,707,551. There had been sold besides, at the depo-
sitory of the:society in Ranelagh-street, 5631 Bibles and Testa-
ments, 3 162 Prayer Books, 9952 bound and half bound books,
and 18,626 school books ;
.making a total. of 31,611 books.
Grants of £5 each, for the promotion of libraries, had been
made to the schools in .connexion with St. John the Baptist's
Church, St. Catherine's, St. Bride's, and St. Luke's. Three
dozen Prayer Books had been given for the use.of the reneten-
tiarv, and a Bible and Prayer Liouk had been given to each of
the 'boys who left the Blue Coat School.
Mr. JAMES POWNALL then proceeded to read a statement of
the accounts, from which it appeared, that the total amount
received was £llBO 16s.fid. the total amount paid was £1394 13s.
6d., which, added to £l5O ss. 81., due to the treasurer, left in

. . ,
in his hands £6l 2s. 9d.
The Rev. Rector Bitooks rose to propose, that the report just
read, together with the treasurer's accounts, be received, print-
ed,.and circulated. lie could heartily. wish, that the accounts
had borne another and more favinirable aspect, and that they
had shown a considerable larger sum subscribed towards the
Support of a society so well deserving. lie was sorry to find
(hitt this large_ and liberal town, for it deserved that name, had
only subscribed £l4BO. It scented to him a very small sum for
the town of Liverpool. The report itself had entered so much
into the detail of the objects of the society, that it almost seemed
to have anticipated anything that he could say in recommend-
ing be looked for
observations, w;ould not be out of place, and
ti.lr7mttohtiiiliie. attention
,rhe society
riieftythweas tmeeting.
befii
established
and its enr, som fet
in these realms for the object which it had in view. _ was es-
iu foreign parts, was
fellow-
society, for the propagation of the gospe
the Churchof "'
e.ug-
taulished in the year las, now 149 years ago;
also established at the same time. So that
land had the gratification of thinking that she was the origina-
st
tor of the first bible society and the .first missionary society
tShtt:lti'hahtrb however,
ever established in England, or that issued front her bosom.—
( Hear.) . He believed the exertions of the society. were, in the .
first instance, directed to the circulation of the holy. Scrip-
tures. In process of time, it added many other objects to its
first intention. To the circulation. of the scriptures was also
joined that of the liturgy of the Church of England, and that,
in his opinion, Was the greatest recommendation of this so.,
ciety, and the strongest one, at least, to churchmen. (Hear.)
The reverend Rector then proceeded. to state, that the so-
ciety hiid greatly contrilmted to the education of the great
mass of the population, and had been the great means of fur-
nishing the various charity' schools of the kingdom at large with
cheap books. It had had its school-masters and paid chaplains
in our colonies, and might in that respect be called a missionary
society. It had been
the great means of establishing in the
East Indies the Bishops College, which was known to be the
means of instructing the natives in the Christian religion, and
preparing them to be sent nut amongst their own people, to
carry the word of God amongst them as the authorised teachers
of the Chum ch of England. It hld also done a great deal towards
the circulation of the scriptures by translating them into the
different languages of France,
Spain, Holland, and Italy,
where their circulation was so excei•lingly deSirable. It had
also translated the scriptures into the language of the East, and
was still nos 4 occupied in the same-good work ; and if its
means-u mild only enable it, there was nu saying where its use-
fulness would stop. After calling upon the meeting to afford
their support to a society so well worthy of it, he concluded
with moving the resolution.
Mr. Ilauwoon BANNER seconded the resolution which was
unanimously adopted.
The Rev. Mr. Buouicom had great pleasure in submitting
to the meeting the next resolution, "that the extensive useful-
ness and the strenuous exertions of this society during the per
riod of 110 years t" promote the objects for which it was
origt-
ginally instituted, appear to entitle it to a more liberal support
than from the inhabitants of this wealthy community it has
hitherto received." Air. Boddicom proceeded to advocate the
etaiins of this society upon the support of the community. He
teas quite awa re that there were those who considered antiquity
a yere nmusty!natter, and that there were those whr.
world was wiser in nronnia,,t as it was younger; and they
or tiberaturs, and young societies springing- up in
every pail of the world, but whose usefulness he was afraid was
more than problematical. It Was not so with this society. It
was going on supplying the word with increasing energy and
power, and the grace of God was its doctrine. He trusted, that
the support which it ••eceived that day, would assist the progress
of the society, and enable it to be increasing in usefulness.
After alluding to the efforts of the society to diffuse Christianity
in India, awl to educate the population of Canada in the know-
ledge of the word of God, he concluded a powerful appeal on
its behalf, with moving the-resolution.
Mr, ADAM HonGsoN in seconding the resolution expressed
his deep shame at his own ignorance-of the merits of the so-
ciety. He was the more ready to express it, because he be-1
keyed he, was expressing an ignorance in which a great many
gentlemen around him must own they took a part. He should
be exceedingly sorry to find Liverpool placed in the same posi-
tion as Manchester—a debtor to the society, but he hoped that
on the contrary it would contribute largely to its funds. He
concluded with seconding the resolution, which was unani-
mously adopted.
The Rev. HUGH M‘NEtrE ruse to move the next resolution;
"That thismenting calls earnestly on tL.- public to aid them in
.extending the benefits of the,society by enlarging the amount
of the subscriptions." He thought that no pressing would be
necessary to induce the meeting to pass that resolution ; and,
therefore, if the sole object were to get the resolution passed,
they inig,ht content themselves with simply moving and second-
ing it ; but after it had been passed, after that meeting had
called on the public to aid them in extending the benefits of the
society by enlarging the amount of the subscriptions, what
then, would the public answer that call ? Were they sufficiently
aware of, and sufficiently alive to, the benefits of the society to
grant the needful support ? Ile would gladly follow those who
had preceded him in the announcement of the objects and
operations of this society, and endeavour thereby to strengthen
their views ; but he thought it was in vain to deny, and feeling
as he did it would be worse than vain to attempt to conceal that
much coldness existed as regarded this society—that a feeling of

dissatisfaction had arisen at some of the publications published
by it A feeling of division and doubtfulness as to their chris-
tian character had occupied many minds, and they ought not
to attempt to turn away their glance from the painful difficulty
in which this circumstance had placed them, but they ought
candidly to have the matter sifted through and through. There
were differences of opinion amon, them which they were
forced principally to feel the effects of; but he thought, after
all, that they were exaggerated far beyond what they ought ever
to have been. He thought they would not exist to the extent
that many seemed to imagine; their unanimity in the circula-
tion of the Prayer Book was a proof ()filial 'That book taught
fhe whole of the scripture doctrine, and entered boldly into the
interpretation of the whnle revealed word Of God, and they
joined as one man in the circulation of the Prayer Book.
They were prepared to maintain the distinction between shades
ofupinion, iu which brethren might differ, and fundamental