The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-21 00:00:00

CHURCH PASTORAL-AID SOCIETY

The annual meeting of this institution was held in the great
room, Exeter-hall, on the 11th inst. The right hon. Lord
Ashley, M.P., in the chair. On the platform were the Bi-
shops of Winchester, Chester, and Lichfield 9 • General Lat-
ter; Sir Harry Verney, Bart., M. P„ Sir G. Rose, M. P.,
John Hardy, Capt. V. Harcourt ; and many gentlemen and

clergymen.
The noble CHAIRMAN having addressed the meeting,
The SECRETARY read the report, which was highly late.
seating and encouraging. The concluding paragraph stated
that the Bishop of Chichester had added his name to the list
of vice-patrons, in the room of his predecessor in that see :
and that the regius professor of divinity at Oxford, the right
hon. H. Goulburn, M.P., the right hon. Sir G. Rose, M.P.,
and the hon. Arthur Kinnaird, had become vice-presidents
of the society. The list of the clerical members of the society
bad been increased by the addition of upwards of 270 dames.
Two hundred and twenty-five clergymen, and thirty-five
lay-assi.tants are supported in their labours by the society,
at a charge of X 20,340 per annum. The committee have the
gratification of reporting that the labours of the curates, and
the prospect of aid from the society, have directly led to the
erection of sixty-seven churches and chapels ; and measures
are in progress for the erection of more churches and cha-
pels. In addition to these, one hundred and six additional
licensed places, used as chapels, have been opened ! and
four hundred and one additional full services on the Lord's
Day, one hundred and seventy-twcron week days, and one
hundred andsixty-one additional cottage lectures had been
established in consequence of the society's aid.
The noble CHAIRMAN announced that a letter had been
received from the Bishop of Ripon expressing his regret that
the necessity for his immediate absence from London ren-
dered'it impossible for him to attend the meeting, and ano-
ther one from the Dean of Salisbury, and also a letter from
the Bishop of Landaff, which was as follows :
" Deanery, St. Paul's, May 11, 1841.
" Dear sir,—lt is with great concern that I find myself
unable, from my state of health, to attend the annual meet-
in of the Church Pastoral-Aid Society this day. I was de-
airbus of bearing testimony to the very great usefulness of
this society, and more especially anxious to make my acknow-
ledgments for the kind and liberal aid afforded in my own
diocese.
" Every application, sanctioned by myself, has been
promptly attended to, and, as far as the funds of the society
wotild permit, bountifully answered. I have never met with
the slightest disposition to interfere with my province, or
with the incumbent who stood in need of assistance. My
own recommendation of a mate has always been deemed
sufficient ; and when a recommendation has proceeded from
other quarters, I have felt the benefit of strict inquiry into
the qualifications of the party recommended. Nothing in-
deed appears to me fairer, than that those who supply the
salary, whether from their own means, or from a fund in-
trusted to their administration, should satisfy themselves
that the grant will be well bestowed.
" In all that I have heard and read, as matter of com-
plaint against the society, I see no evidence of a narrow or
party spirit in the inquiries they make, and I firmly believe
they are guided by no other motive than a wish to assist the
church in the performance of her duties where assistance is
most wanted, to act in concert with her established autho-
rities, and in no instance to intrench upon those authorities

or to lesson their influence.
" If this testimony or paper is of any value, you are per-
fectly welcome to make what use of it you may think
proper.—l remain, dear sir, your faithful and obliged servant,
Rev. William Pullen, (Signed) "E. LLANoine.
Secretary to the Chuch Pastoral Aid Society."
cllie sentiments of the letter elicited repeated applause.)

The Bishop of WINCHESTER rose to move file-first reso-
lution, and was warmly applauded. He said, after a few
prefatory remarks, recognising as I do, that the principle of
this society is in accordance with the doctrine and discipline
of our church, and that it is carrying out this principle in a
plan accordant with her doctrines and her discipline, I in-
quire into the actual practice of the society, and there I have
no need for speculation I need look only into the experi-
ence of my own diocese, and I entirely concur in the letter
from the tishop of Llandaff, a diocese in which I never can
fail to maintain a most lively interest, and over which that
rev. prelate presides, for its best interests. (Hear, hear.)
I recognise in that letter precisely what I too have found,
and what my right rev. friends have all found, I believe, to
le.the practice of this society—a concurrence in my lawful
jurisdiction involved in the ecclesiastical establishment of
our country. (Hear, hear.) How is it then, that I find
it stated in the concluding pages of the report, that attacks
have been made upon the society ? Why, I think one reason
is in the success which has attended it, and I heartily join in
the hope, that if these attacks be continued, the same result
will follow. (Applause.) For myself, 1 can profess most
truly, that I see nothing in any attacks which have come to
my knowledge which have in the least degree shaken my
attachment and affection towards this society. So far from
it, like the committee of the society, I have been led to look
into its nature and constitution, and the more I have examined
its constitution and inspected its principles, the more I find
it to be in accordance with that which I should have desired,
could I have devised it for the good of our church. (Ap-
plause.) We have heard in some quarters of what is called
a church union by a strange application of terms. I should
rather call it a church disunion. (Hear.) 1 have no sym-
pathy with those who in days like the present, when it is
the bounden duty of all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity, to rally round our Zion and unfurl the banner of
the cross—l have no sympathy with those who, in days like
these, or, I might say, in any days, would thrust one more
touch-of discord into our church. (Great applause.) I feel
nothing congenial with such views. (Renewed applause.)
And I am able to add, that the great mass of the clergy, and
of the intelligent lay members of our church, all show that
they have nothing congenial with them. (Prolonged ap-
plause.) lam satisfied that such a mode of meeting our
laumbleefforts in our Redeemer's cause will only have the
effect of reminding us that Satan divides to conquer, and
that those who desire to see Satan trampled under the feet
of the Son of Man• must so much the more join in unity
and mutual co-operation anti sympathy, in order to resist the
attempts of Satan. Church unity on church principles, that
should be the motto of our society. (Applause.) The right
rev. prelate concluded by moving the adoption of the report.
The Bishop of CHESTER seconded the motion. His lord-
ship said, I for one join entirely in the sentiments of my
Right Rev. brother, the Bishop of Llandaff. I am truly
thankful for the Society bearing part of that burden which is
too great for me, and for relieving me of much which it is
impossible for me to discharge. (Hear.) I consider, that
at this moment a great question is agitating the land, and on
the issue much of its important interests must depend. It
is well known that a considerable portion-,-not a proportion
—but a large number of the population have of late years
been estranged from the Established Church of our land, and
the question, which I now think is under experiment, is,
whether that estrangement arises from a want of cordiality
with her doctrines or agreement with her discipline, or whe-
thee it proceeds from the inadequacy of that Church to sup-
ply what the country requires, and to meet the demands
which an increasing population has raised. If it be that this
increasing population really opposes her doctrines or pos-
sesses a principle that is contradictory to her discipline, then
it will be found, that, in proportion as we approach this popu-
lation and have a nearer intercourse with it, so will it be
more and more in hostility against us : for the nearer you ap-
proach an adversary the more you irritate him. Well, this
experiment has been tried, but it has not been found that the
people have been estranged from the Church, but that the
Church, for want of the means of instruction to carry out
her object, has been estranged from the people. (Hear.) Of
this I can furnish a proof. In the course of the last seven
years nearly 100 churches have been opened in the diocese of
Chester ; and I believe in almost every one of them is an
overflowing congregation : some of them have already proved
too small, the demand being greater than was anticipated ;
and some have even been enlarged. Here then is a proof
that pastoral superintendence and care will bring the people
back to us, who, for want of shepherds, and through that
want alone, had wandered from the fold. (Hear, hear.)
Ppstoral care and superintendence—without these nothing
can succeed, and these cannot be given without the aid of
the Society we are now advocating. But I could fatigue the
meeting with testimonies I could produce of the attachment
of the people to the Church of their forefathers. (Applause.)
In one case which has been reported to me of a parish in-
habited by weavers, colliers, and labouring persons, four sta-
tions for regular weekly lectures have been established and
highly blessed of Cod. There were not less than 5,000 in-
habitants; and it may well be supposed that the labours of
one individual amongst such a population must sink into
hopeless insufficiency'. In another case it is reported, " So-
cialism is extinct, or nearly so." (Hear, hear.) "Three
years ago there was one clergyman here with a population
of 12,000. Through the assistance rendered by the Society
there are now five clergymen, and the result is, that Social-
ism is extinct or nearly so ; disaffection much subdued. Effi-
cient schools prove of great use in educating the population,
but to be efficient they must be under the regular superin-
tendence of the clergy." Here then it is proved, that, under
the blessing of God, in the course of a short space of time,
at farthest in a few years, the whole population ma" be re-
stored to the Church, if indeed means be used commensurate
with the growing wants of an increasing population. (Hear.)
Twenty years hence, if the blessing of God still continues to
smile on our labours,—l shall not see it, but I trust you may,
my Lord.—there may be a great change in the whole face of
the community. But it must, be, as we are constantly re-
minded, only through that,Divine favour to which the reso-
lution refers. To that and that alone can we owe our whole
success. We must look to the grace of God for putting it
into the hearts of the people of this country to contribute of
their substance towards the spiritual advancement of those
whom perhaps they have never seen, nor are likely to see on
this side of the grave. Above all, we must look to the grace
of God to put it into the hearts of faithful men to become
ministers of such a people. (Applause.)
The Bishop of LICHFIELD proposed the second resolution.
He proceeded to say, this society well deserves your support ;
it deserves the support of every member of the Church of
England. (" Hear," and applause.) I am well aware that
this society has been denounced as not being a church socie-
ty. and definitions of a church society have been put forward
which certainly would exclude it from that character ; but
the definitions are as arbitrary as they are unauthorised.
(Hear, hear.) And if they were true, their tendency would
be to put an end to church societies altogether.. (Applause.)
For if no church society can exist unless the archbishops and
all the bishops be members thereof, then, it is in the power
of auy individual prelate, from caprice or any other motive,
to withdraw himself, and to deprive the society of its church
character. (Hear, hear.) And if such church societies only
are to be allowed to assist the church, then the church, ac-
cording to that definition and principle, will be deprived al-
together of the voluntary assistance of the people. (Hear,
hear.) I say, then, away with such rash, and dangerous, and
unauthorised definitions of church societies; and I trust we
shall hear no more of the Pastoral-Aid Society hot being a
church society. (" Hear," and applause.) If the object of
a church society he " the salvation of souls, with a single eye
to the glory of God," then the Pastoral-Aid Society is a
church society ; if the object of a church society be " a re-
gard to the wants of the church on the one hand, and the
of the church on the other," then the Pastoral-Aid
Jciety is a church society ; if to make the church effective
-wing the glad tidings of salvation to every man's door,
of the church, be the object of a church society,
then the Pastoral-Aid Society is a church society. (" Hear,
hear," and applause.) But it would be endless to repeat the
claims of this society to be considered a church society ; in
fact, it could only be excluded by those rash and unautho-
rised definitions to which he had already alluded. (Hear.)
feel, as strongly as most men, the importance of an este-
ed institution like the Church of England, in connexion
'
stare, the sovereign being the head eo r the mainte-
end religion in the land. But, at the same time,
4 that no endowment, h"
';died church in a stateore; enlarge, would
•xcrtions on the part of. th:imecrnYb' e
My conviction is, that for a church
is is necessary that voluntary

by mean

Auntai

i with endowment, and the
sous concert, each would supply
(Hear, hear.) The subject of the'e
inexion with the Church of England,
purposes at home, is new, and T,henr
; and to the. Pastoral-Aid Socieety.
belongs the honour ()f being the first institution of the kind
to take the lead ; and I hope, when this subject. is better un-
derstood, that a little more time for reflection find experience
will have the effect of neutralizing the opposition to which
this society has been exposed, and that more harmony, and
unanimity, and mutual love, will prevail among us. (AP-
p.l3use.) Oh, if we were more impressed than we are with
the value of immortal souls, if we had in us more of the mind
that was in Christ, instead of being pp
in oosition to such a
society, how deeply thankful should we be that it has been
called into existence, and made instrumental for so much
g ! (gear, hear.) Yes rwe should thankfully receive
its assismuce, in
stead of uuthankfully rejecting it. But we

are told that this society interferes with the jurisdiction of
the bishops In reply to this, I will say, with the right rev.
prelate whose letter has been read to you, and with my right
rev. friends who have spoken, that I am not sensible of
any such interference with my jurisdiction. (Hear, hear.)
I can only say, that when a candidate for orders comes to me
whose stipend is to be paid from this society, I know that his
qualifications and character have been scrutinized with more
than ordinary attention, and when you consider the difficulty
which the bishop has in zettinff satisfactory testimonials in

every case, and how often he is liable to be misled ant
cetved into error, I must say, that I regard the inquiries
made by this society as a great additional security for the
usefulness of the person so nominated. (Hear, hear.) I
will go further, and venture to say, without reference parti-
cularly to any other society, that the young men paid by this
institution will bear a favourable comparison' with the same
number of young men of any class, or taken in any manner
you please, in point of character and usefulness as ministers
of the gospel. (Applause.) Again, the Pastoral Aid Society
has been blamed for the employment of lay agents. I can
only say, in concurrence with a right rev. friend of mine,
that they employ no lay agents at all. (Hear.) If a cle.gy-
man is in watt of a lay agent, and makes application to the
society, the circumstances are considered, and this society
may supply its aid, but the clergyr•an is responsible for the
appointment in conjunction with the bishop, for in tech case
I believe the bishop is also consulted. Therefore no blame
rests on the society in this department. (Hear.) But after
all this employment of lay agents is not so unusual as some
would have you suppose. If you turn to the report of the
report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts, even as late as 1840, you will find lay agents
under the name of catechists, spoken of in almost every
page ; and these lay agents or catechists are not so confined
in their labours as the lay agents paid by the Pastoral Aid
Society, but in many instances are employed as preachers,
and that too under the sanction of the bishops of the dioceses
in which they labour. (Hear, hear.) And if they may be
employed in the colonies, there is no reason, on principle at
least, why they should not be employed in the mother coun-
try. (Applause.) It may be that the objectors to this so-
ciety may succeed in injuring if not destroying it, which
God forbid ! But if they have the satisfaction of injuring
the society, they have also on their heads the responsibility
of doing so, and of depriving thousands, perhaps tens of
thousands, of their fellow-countrymen of the bread of life.
(Hear.)
The Rev. E. TOTTENHAM, Prebendary of Wells, seconded
the resolution.
The Rev. HUGH M`NEILE proposed the third resolution.
After rendering his thanks to the society for the assistance
derived from its funds to the town of Liverpool, in the sup-
ply of salaries of £lOO a-year each for five curates. He en-
larged upon the duties of the legislature with regard to the
church, and upon the necessity of its pronouncing judg-
ment and acting with decision when there were con-
flicting opinions amongst the people. He then went on
to say,—Many of you will wonder, after what you have
heard to-day, that an objection, in language which I shall
now read, should have been urged at all, and still more from
authority. It is extremely painful to be obliged to announce
that the objection in question has been urged by one of the
bishops of the church. But I deeply feel the necessity of
honestly saying this. lam quite convinced that, unless we
honestly avow this at some period of our anniversary pro-
ceedings. we shall be taunted by those who will say that we
were afraid to give the objection its due weight by announ-
cing from what quarter it proceeded. (Hear.) It is pain-
ful, then, to say that an objection has been urged in this way
by one of our respected prelates, that " there was a desire
on the part of the managers of the society to make the funds
Which they administered subservient, if not to party pur-
poses, at least to an encroachment on the rights and duties
of incumbents and their bishops, which was in his opinion
hardly consistent with the profession of being a church so-
ciety. He alluded to the claim of the committee of that
society in London to exercise a judgment on the qualifica-
tions of the clergyman, or of the candidate for holy orders,
nominated by an incumbent to be his assistant, even though
that nomination had received the sanction and approbation
of the bishop." This objection rests, you will perceive, from
what has already been stated, on an inversion of what really
is the order of proceeding. There can be no ground for this
objection if the order prescribed in the rules of the society
be observed, and if they are not observed, the fault must be
in this : so far as the regular provision for the established
church goes, there is no opportunity for this society to come
in with any interference ; where that provision fails, where a
poor incumbent with a large population is anxious to have a
curate, and the society is willing to pay him, this society
gives him the option to come if he will. But how, if he will ?
The society presents its rules to the incumbent : if he does
not approve of them, I cannot suppose that he will conde-
scend to avail himself of the funds of the society. If
be does not approve of the rules, he is where he was had
the society never existed, and it has injured him not at
all. It presumes not to interfere with him ; it leaves
him_ where he was. He has found this opening, and
nothing has shut it except his own disapprobation of the
rules of the society. And is that any injury ? Surely not.
But if he should approve the rules and apply, and do not
succed ; if on his nominee being mentioned, any occurrence,
no matter what, should arise to cause the committee of the
society to decline his proposal, still he is not injured ; he is
then but where he would have been had there been no society
established ; the society has done him no harm. From cer-
tain circumstances it happens that we can do him no good ;
but still we have done him no mischief. If he send another
and succeed, and obtain the grant for his friend, then, and
not before, shall he go and make known the case to his bi-
shop, and if he get from his lordship his final cognizance of
the qualification of his nominee, I cannot see how the colli-
sion contemplated by this objection can arise, unless there
may be a design on the part of the incumbent to create a
collision. (Hear, hear.) I protest against insinuating
against any clergyman of the Church of England that he
would do so ; but I do not see how it can arise without such
a design, or the culpable neglect of the bishop, in taking cog-
nizance of the nominee without first knowing where his sa-
lary is to come from. Is it the custom of bishops to give
their sanction to the appointment of a curate without know-
ing how be is to be paid? I believe not. Suppose an in-
cumbent, through mistake or otherwise, comes to the bishop
and asks his sanction for the appointment of a certain young
friend to be his assistant. The bishop asks, how is he to be
paid ? By the Church Pastoral Aid Society. Is the grant
actually made ? If it is. there is no more collision with the
bishop, he is dumb. But if not, the bishop would then say,
" You are premature in applying to me, when you are not
prepared to specify a salary. You are, therefore, not in a
condition to ask for my episcopal cognizance of the appoint-
ment of your nominee. Arrange the salary first, and tnen I
will proceed to take cognizlnce of your nominee, and after"
my cognizance there can be no interference from any one.
(Hear, hear.) There is a passage in the speech from which
I have quoted, which, however painful, I must read. The
right rev. prelate said, that " he wished to speak with entire
respect for the ten eminent prelates who gave their revered
names as patrons, and who' would be not only unwilling to
sanction anything which in.snch a manner was open to just
exception, but were also, he freely admitted, entitled to the
highest confidence in all things which they deliberately did
or sanctioned ; and he should be more doubtful than he
now felt of the soundness of his own judgment on the
point in question, if he believed that those distinguished
prelates had given their deliberate sanction to this part
of their society's operations." Here is an insinuation
against the ten right rev. prelates to whom he alludes,
'and whom he so highly commends, which has received a
deliberate and decided contradiction this day in your hearing.
Therefore, I hope the right rev. prelate who made that in-
sinuation will become more " doubtful of the soundness of
his own judgment." (Laughter and applause.) There is a
further concession too, which it is well to add :—" If the
great body of the contributors were induced by this consi-
deration (the claim of the committee) to make their contri-
butions, then the committee might fairly claim to act in the
capacity of patrons." 1 think lam not too sanguine in hop-
ing, that when the matter is investigated, we shall have the
right rev. prelate among the patrons of this society ; for he
admits fully, that if the contributors are induced by this con-
sideration to give to the funds. then the committee may fairly
claim to act as patrons. But under what inducements have
the subscribers given their money ? The rules of the society
are all printed ; there is no obtaining money under false pre-
tences. The rules are circulated ; and it is not customary
for English ladies and gentlemen to give their money without
reason—without knowing what they give it for. Now if these
rules have been before the country, and the contributions
from the public who have seen those rules have gradually in-
creased from £2OOO. to £20,000. in five years, the committee
may fairly, in the opinion of the right rev. prelate, claim to
act in the capacity of patrons as far as this society is con-
cerned. (Hear, hear.) But there is a further objection
against the parallelism of the position of patrons :—" But
even if the committee were fully and equitably entitled to
'consider themselves as patrons, yet he =lst think that there
is a manifest and important difference between the exercise of
patronage in the selection of incumbents, and in the selection
of assistants to incumbents. Assistants ought, in his opinion,
to be such as are likely to be what their very name implies,
assistants to the incumbent in the care of the parish com-
mitted to his charge." I agree in this. It has been over
and over again stated, that the incumbent appoints his own
assistant. Although the assistants in question, when consi-
dered in connection with exigences of a parish, may be called
assistants to the incumbents, yet, practically considered, they
really are additional pastors ; they have a distinct duty to
perform, and another range of the population to attend to.
There was another point. The right reverend prelate asked,'
" Was it fitting, was it decent, was it consistent with the ac-
knowledged constitution of the Christian church among us
to force such aid upon other bishops ?" Surely, surely, there
is a misunderstanding here. Surely we may repeat our con-
fidence that upon an understanding aimed at with good faith,
in kindness and sincerity, being established, and the misun-
derstanding being removed, we shall hear no more from any
such quarter of such objections to this institution. (Hear.)
We cannot flatter ourselves that objections from every quar-
ter will be silenced, but I do confidently flatter myself, that
after what has passed this day—after the speeches we have
beard from this platform,—after the concurrent testimony of
four prelates of our church, and the arguments which have
been added thereto, we shall hear no more from such quar-
ters. (Hear.) The rev. gentleman resumed his seat amidst
many demonstrations of approval, and after several other ad-
dresses the meeting separated.