The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-15 00:00:00

The present number also embodies a highly interesting bio•
graphical notice of the late James Watt, to whose memory
a splendid monument is erected in Greenock—his native
town. We should add that the statistical accounts of each
parish are drawn up, for the most part, by their respective
clergymen, and others, who have the best opportunities,
from residence and education, of supplying the most au-
thentic information.

The Churchman for October. W: E. Painter, Strand

We have already offered a few remarks upon an article,
" The Church and the Cabinet," in which this excellent
periodical adventures this month upon what may with great
propriety be called the politics of the church. Iu addition
we are favoured with a very seasonable article, entitled
" Facts on the Poverty of the Church of England," with
which we would recommend every lover of our noble Esta-
blishment to make himself familiar, that he may be enabled
at once to put down authoritatively the ignorant sneers
which dissent is ever directing against her assumed inordi-
nate wealth. " A few Thoughts on Cottage Literature " is
a pleasing article, written in an excellent spirit ; and we can
only regret its exceeding brevity. The " Chapter on Poets"
is just readable; but perhaps we may be wrong in our esti-
mation of it, for we must confess we are amongst the class
complained of by its author, who cannot admire our modern
poetry in general, although we make exceptions in favour of
a few writers, amongst whom is Mrs. Abdy. Her " Prayer

of Asa," in the present number of the Churchman, is a spi-
rited lyric, although not so much to our taste as some others
which we have met with from the same pen.

The " Correspondence " is, as usual, highly instructive ;
and the Reviews are written in a fair and candid spirit. Al-
together the present number is equal to any of its predeces-
sors, if not even superior.

The Village Churchman for October. W. E. Painter,

This excellent little periodical continues to pursue its
course of unobtrusive usefulness, and we know few works of
its class more worthy of universal circulation. The present
number contains as much valuable information as is to be
met with in many publications of far greater pretensions at
ten times its price.

The Church of England Quarterly Review. No. 20, Oct.,

1811. W. E. Painter, Strand

The present publication of this excellent periodical is dis-
tinguished by more than its usual talent and learning ; and,
in addition, by a fearlessness of tone upon political matters
which well becomes the independent churchman, in the
altered position which he occupies towards the government
of the country. We are not of that class of the church's
supporters who would have her—now, that by her well-di-
rected energies she has succeeded in stirring up her children
from their lethargy,—now that she has succeeded in wresting
the government of the country from the hands of a hostile
faction—surrender herself unreservedly into absolute depend-
ence upon any man or any party, however virtuous and able.
On the contrary we would still see her exert all her watch-
fulness, and exercise all her salutary influence, over the pub-
lic mind ; for we must bear in mind that although by her aid
the evil thing has been cast out from amongst us and trampled
upon—although the helm of the state is now placed in the
hands of statesmen who recognise her claims, and will not
permit them to be openly invaded or insulted ; yet it be-
comes her to take care also that they are not postponed—
that they are not frittered away by the tampering hand of
expediency, or degraded, by being converted into a mere
ad captandum' cry to advance the purposes of party. The
church has proudly asserted her pre-eminent position ; she
has beat down the hand that was raised to alienate her tem-
poralities and to desecrate her altars. But she must not put
off her armour ; she must not lay aside her watchfulness ;
she must not abate the loftiness of her attitude until, along
with the name of victor, she has realized the fruits of victory
as well; until she has worked out to the full those just de-
mands, in the making of which she has been so powerfully
supported by the voice of a Protestant people, and until she
has established herself permanently upon a safer and higher
temporal foundation, from which she may laugh to scorn the
worst efforts of her enemies.

Such are the views which are put forward and advocated,
with powerful effect, in The Church of England Quarterly
throughout, but more especially in its political articles—
" Church Extension in Relation to the present National
Crisis," " Christianity and the Corn Laws," and " Conser-
vative Government—Whig Opposition." The article upon
Church Extension, especially, is well calculated to challenge
public attention, and to convince even the most strenuous
advocate of a waiting policy on the part of the Church of
England, that, in the present attitude of hostile interests
towards her, no such policy can with safety be pursued by
the church, and that (to quote the language of the able wri-
ter) " the country will not be one whit better governed by
Sir Robert Peel than by Lord John Russell—by Mr. Goul-
burn
than by Mr. Baring—or by the Duke of Wellington
than by Lord Melbourne—unless the Protestant question be
now looked fully in the face, and unless an end be put to all
further concessions to that spirit of unbelief, of political dis-
sent, and of Papacy, which is stalking at midday through the
length and breadth of this mighty empire"—not the least of
which concessions, in our humble opinion, would be the post-
ponement, by the church or by the government, of any op-
portunity of affirming the principle of church extension.
We must confess. however, that we cannot go all the lengths
to which the reviewer would urge us, with regard to the
amount of assistance, in the outset, to be demanded from
government. We admit to its full extent the inefficiency of
church accommodation throughout Great Britain, and lament
it equally with him ; but in the present financial condition of
the country, we should be quite satisfied with such a mode-
rate annual grant of money from government, for the purpose
of building churches, as would bind our legislators to the
principle of providing for the religion of the state at the ex-
pense of the body of the people. Assert this principle only,
in the teeth of dissent ; let the state only recognise its duty
of providing for the spiritual as well as for the temporal
wants of the community at large, and we are satisfied that
ultimately the church will gain—slowly at first, perhaps, but
in ample measure at last—all that she requires to enable her
to perform her duty to the state and to the people.
We shall take another opportunity of remarking at length
upon the article " Christianity and the Corn-laws," which
is written throughout in an admirable spirit—one in which
we should rejoice to see it mare frequently treated—and can
solicit for it the attentive perusal of our readers. The same
request we must make in behalf of the article entitled "Con-
servative Government—Whig Opposition." In the latter,
however, we mark symptoms of a bitter feeling towards an
illustrious member of the government in denouncing as a false
step, attributable to his influence in the cabinet, the re-elec-
tion of the present Speaker. With respect to the policy of
the step in question we are diametrically at issue with the
reviewer. We deny that in the re-election of Mr. Shaw
Lefevre was evinced anything bearing the most remote resem-
blance to concession on the part of Sir Robert Peel to his
opponents, or to any undue deference towards the personal
wishes of any member of his cabinet ; and we are scarcely of
opinion that the constitution has sustained any material
damage from the battle between conservatism and its oppo-
nents being fought upon an intelligible issue—an amendment
upon the address—rather than upon the election of the
sneakership.
We have scarcely left ourselves space even to characterize
the remaining articles of the number. The able review of
"Tracts of the Anglican Fathers"—of " Tennant's Belgium"
—of " D'lsraeli's Amenities of Literature"—or the " Arti-
cles on Sepulchral Monuments"—" Religious Education at
Cambridge University"—or the " Tracts for the Times."
The whole will be read with pleasure and profit ; and more
especially the review of " Tracts of the Anglican Fathers,"
which is evidently the production of a sound churchman and
a clear logical writer. The first paragraph, however, of this
as of a portion of another article is characterized by a spirit
which we regret to see displayed in such a publication as
The Church of England Quarterly, and which we trust will
be laid aside in future. The writers, or writer, will under-
stand to what we allude, when we direct their or his attention
to the paragraph commencing at the foot of page 322.