The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-01 00:00:00

CORONER'S' INQUESTS

THREE CHILDREN BURNT TO DEATH.--011 Thursday,
the 26th instant, an inquest was held at the sign of the Bull,
at Broad Green, West Derby, before John Heyes, Esq., on
view of the body of a child, named Ann Pendleton, about
eighteen months old, who was burned to death in consequence
of its clothes taking fire. There was nobody in the house
but the deceased and a little boy about six years old at the
time, the latter of whom immediately ran out and gave the
alarm. Assistance was immediately afforded, and a medical
man sent for, but she died in less than four hours afterwards.
—Another inquest was held on the same day, at the Old
Swan, on the body of William Wallace, a boy about five years
old, whose death was also occasioned by his clothes being set
on fire. He was at the infant school at Olive Mount, in
Wavertree, the Thursday previously, before the master had
arrived, when several of the boys were warming themselves
by the fire, and some of the most mischievous of them were
playing with the fire. One of them had a flat stick, and took
out a hot cinder with it, which by some means fell into the
deceased's pinafore and set it on fire. A woman was imme—
diately drawn to the spot by the cries of the children, and
extinguished the flames, but the deceased was very badly
burnt. He was taken home and lingered, (gradually getting
worse,) until about 4 o'clock of the morning of the day on
which the inquest was held, when he died.—On Saturday, the
28th inst., an inquest was held at Warrington, on the body
of a girl named Mary Smith, about 7 years of age. Her
death also was occasioned by her clothes taking fire. She
was in the house with an infant, and taking the fire shovel to
get some ashes out of the fire, her frock took fire as she was
turning round. A man passing at the time ran to her assist-
ance, and carried her out and extinguishid the flames.—
Medical assistance was also rendered but she died the follow-
ing day.—Verdict in each of the above cases, " Accidental
death."

INQUEST AT WARRINGTON.—On the same day another
inquest was held at Warrington, on the body of Esther Cook,
aged 63, who had been missing since the 29th ult. The fol-
lowing is a summary of the evidence adduced :—James
Barlow stated, that on Friday morning, he was spearing eels
in Dallam.Brook, in Warrington, when he saw something
very like a dog near the spot where he was. He pushed it
with his spear, and then perceived that it was a human body.
He called to some men on the opposite side of the brook, and
the police were immediately sent for. When they arrived
the body was taken out of the brook, and it was then disco-
vered to be the body of a female, dressed with a cap on
but no bonnet. It appeared to have been in the water some
time. Jane Bromilow stated, that she was, passing the de-
ceased's house on Thursday morning, the 29th October last,
and saw the deceased at the door. Thinking she looked very
odd, she stopped and asked deceased what was the matter.
Deceased said she was quite at the far end, and she would
set off. Witness asked her where she would go. She said
she did not know, but she was obliged to go somewhere as
she was quite out of her mind. Witness asked her to stay

till John (deceased's husband) came to his breakfast, but
she said " No, I'll go now." Directly after witness saw
deceased pass her house with her bonnet on. She was never
heard of afterwards, until her body was found on Friday last
as before stated. Grace Barlow, who keeps a provision shop
opposite to where deceased and her husband resided, stated,
that on the Tuesday before the Thursday on whi deceased
disappeared, she came to witness's shop and too more pro-
visions than she usually had. witness remonstrated on her
taking an unusual quantity. She said she was aware, and
she could not pay for all that she had that week. She came

sked her whether she was
" You don't know what

in again soon after.
fretting about her son. She min,
I am fretting about, but I don't like to be drunken
woman." Witness said " Surely your husband does not call
you a drunken woman." She made no reply, but burst into
tears. Witness never saw her aftewards. The deceased's
husband stated that he left her in bed when he went to his
work on the morning of her disappearance, and when he
came to his breakfast she was gone. She had left word with
the neighbours for him to take the key of the house with
him when he went back. He had many times gone round
the country in search of deceased, but had never heard any-
thing of her until her body was found in Dallam Brook. He
stated that the deceased never took too much drink. They
had had no quarrel or misunderstanding to induce her to go.
away, but he had perceived that she was in a strange way
for about a fortnight, but she never explained to him what it
was that seemed to be oppressing her mind. In the absence
of any other evidence as to how the unfortunate woman came
to her death, a verdict was returned of " Found drowned."

CORRESPONDENCE

THE PASTORAL AID SOCIETY

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sin,—Many pressing engagements have hitherto prevented
me from noticing an article which appeared in your paper of
the 20th instant, with reference to a dispute which has re-
cently taken place between the Rev. John Clark, curate of
Hunslct, near Leeds, and the Committee of the Church Pas-
toral Aid Society. As I have unfortunately been the subject
of this difference, I trust you will have the candour to insert
the remarks which follow in your next publication, in offer-
ing which, I shall merely premise that whatever further no-
tice may be taken of this affair in the public prints, I do not
intend again to put pen to paper on the subject. lam quite
sure that your numerous readers will have much more plea-
sure in perusing the general news of the day than in conning
over the epistles of an individual about whom they know
nothing ; and I am happy to say that I can find more agree
able and profitable employment for myself than a paper war-
fare could afford me. Indeed I should not have taken any
notice whatever of the remarks which you have thought pro-
per to make on this affair of the Pastoral Aid Society, hid
you confined yourself to the general subject at issue, and re-
frained from advancing charges against me, which, to say the
least of them, do not exactly breathe that spirit of chrisbian
meekness, with the want of which you charge me.
The following is the sentence in your article of which I
particularly complain. With reference to my letter to Mr.
Clark, you say, " It is evident that the writer is a thorough-
going Puseyite. Yes ! we feel justified in usit, the term in
reference to any one who denies salvation to all who are not
within the pale of the church, meaning as the Pussyiles do,
the Church of Rome or the Church of England." Now,
sir, allow me to ask you what you mean by a Puseyite ? I
am really not aware that any such sect is in existence in this
country, and I have yet to learn that Dr. Pusey has become
the " father and founder" of any religious community which
bears his name. It is peculiarly offensive to my feelings, and
I am sure must be so to every churchman, to have a designa-
tion thrust upon him which implies that he has separated
from the body of Christ and enrolled himself among the fol-
lowers of a mortal man. It has always been one of the cha-
racteristics of the members of the church that, whilst here-
tics, ancient and modern, have adopted the name of their
founder for the designation of their sect, they have always
repudiated the idea of acknowledging a human original, and
claimed no founder but Christ the great head of the church.
Of course it is quite consistent and proper that those who
separate themselves from the body of the faithful, and become
members of a htiznan sect, should designate themselves by
the name of him whom they follow ; but I most strongly
protest against having a nicknaMe fastened upon me. lam
not a Puseyite ; but a member of the Anglican branch of
Christ's. Holy Catholic Church.
But, sir, I presume that by stigmatizing me as a Puseyite,
you wish to convey the idea that lam an vocate of the doc-
trines set forth in the " Tracts for the Times." Now, really,
I do not conceive myself called upon either to acknowledge
or deny this accusation. I will, sir, however, with your per-
mission, ask you, whether you have ever read these tar-famed
Tracts? If you have, you are almost singular amongst the
number of their opponents. I have conversed with some
scores of persons upon the doctrines which are set forth in
them, and it is a fact that, after asserting that they inculcate
the worst abominations of Popery, their most violent adver-
saries have at last been obliged to confess that they had never
read one single line of them ; even clergymen have been re-
duced to the necessity of making this avowal. If, however,
you have not perused the publications above referred to, I
would by all means advise you to do so without delay. This

must lead to one of two good results : if you should discover
that you have been mistaken as to the nature of their con-
tents, you will cease to stigmatize them as Popish; and,
should you be confirmed in your belief, you will have mush
stronger grounds of attack than now you have.
I am quite aware that in these days of compromise, when
it is the fashion to smooth down all the grand anddistin-
guishing doctrines of the church, in order to conciliate those
who, although they have separated themselves from our
communion, have still so much of the Old English blood
left in their veins as to desire the continuance of the esta-
blishment,—l say, that in such times as these, lam quite
aware that any person who will stand forward boldly to vin-
dicate the church on the broad and sure ground of its being
a true, and the only true, branch of Christ's holy Catholic
church in these kingdoms, must expect to receive a pretty
good share of abuse. In fact, a man of this kind comes in
for a double portion of obloquy. From the Papists, of
course, .he gets no quarter : with them he is a heretic, and
the advocate of a church which possesses the endowments
which, they say, once of right belonged to them. With the
radical dissenters he is a tory bigot; and, in fact, it is quite
enough to raise their spleen for a man to profess that he
belongs to the church 'at all. With the conservative party
among the dissenters (which is composed principally, indeed
almost entirely, of the Wesleyans) he is a Papist, and a dis-
turber of the community of spirit which, they say, exists
between themselves and the great body of the church. By
the mere establishment party in the church he is contemptu-
ously termed a Puseyite, and accused of a desire to depart
from the principles of the English reformation.
This state of things makes us naturally ask the question,
Why is there an attempt made, at the present day, to hide
the distinguishing doctrines of the church, and to stop the
mouths of those who conscientiously proclaim them? The
reason is quite plain. There are, as I have said before, many
individuals who, although they separate from the church,
belong to the conservative party in politics; and it is consi-
dered expedient not to offend the prejudices of these persons,
lest we should lose their support at the next general election.
In fact, the !plain English of the matter is that the church
is to be sacrificed at the shrine of the establishment. Now,
sir, I have no sympathy with those who follow this plan of
political warfare. I am, to use a word which is getting al-
most out of date, a tory. But do not misunderstand me. I
merely adopt this appellation for want of a better. Ido not
by any means agree with what is now called the conservative
party ;" for, alas ! they have grievously " fallen from the high
estate, and retain little of what once characterised them but
the name. I have taken unwearied pains, as far as I could
with propriety do so, to promote the good old cause; and
when the time comes (and I am afraid it very soon will
come), I trust that I shall be ready to suffer for its sake.
With these views and feelings, I think you must acknowledge
that I cannot but be a warns advocate of the union between
church and state : but rather than make common cause with
those who, while they support the church as a mere political
engine, entertain a deadly hatred to her distinguishing doc-
trines, and laugh at the idea of her ministers having received
their commission in a direct line from the apostles, I would
gladly see that union dissolved. The church, as such, would
have nothing to fear from this; but it would entail conse-
quences the most disastrous on the state. Our bishops were
just as much bishops when they were reduced to starvation
by Cromwell and his "godly and paittlial ministers," as they
now are when they rightly take their places among the no-
bles of the land; and if, in God's righteous indignation
against the state for having committed adultery with popish
schismatics and protestant heretics, he were to permit a repe-
tition of the scenes which characterised the great rebellion,
the ark of the church would ride peacefully over the waters
of discord, and be safe in the keeping of Dim who had said
that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.
There seem to be very strange notions abroad on the sub-
ject of popery. Some persons think that it is popish to bow
the head at the name of Jesus, and I have heard clergymen
openly declare from the pulpit that it was a matter of indif-
ference. But what says the church ? " When in time of
Divine Service, the Lord Jesus shall be mentioned, due and
lowly reverence shall be done of all persons present.—Canon
xviii. 160.1. It is considered also very popish to fast or ab-
stain on particular days; and I have heard a very celebrated
controversialist adduce the practice of the Church of Rome

in this respect, as a proof that she was the apostacy foretold
in the 4th chapter of the Ist Epistle to Timothy, and yet
the church has set apart for observance, in the course of the
year, above a hundred days of
.fasting and abstinence—(see
the Book of Common Prayer). Again,—it is by no means
popish to baptise an infant ; but it is the very climax of
Puveyism to suppose that there are any spiritual benefits at-
tending a due performance of this holy sacrament. To be-
lieve that such is the case has a tendency, we are told, to-
wards the popish doctrine of the opus operatum ; and yet the
church enjoins that after the administration of baptism the
minister shall say of every child, " Seeing now, dearly be-
loved, that this child is regenerate—(Service for Infant Bap-
tism.) And in the catechism she tells us that in baptism a
child is made " a member of Christ, a child of God, and an
inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven." And mark the fol-
lowing question and answer, in the same form of sound
words :

" Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace (of baptism) ?
" A. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness :
for being by nature horn in sin, and the children of wrath,
we are hereby made the children of grace."
Take another instance. It is not at all Popish to receive
the Eucharist, but it is rank papistry to believe that Christ
is really (not corporally) present in that holy mystery; and
yet, mark the language of her church in her catechism.
" Q. What is the inward part (of the Eucharist) or thing
signified ?

A. The body and blood of Christ, which are verily and
indeed tahen and received by the faithful in the Lord's
Supper."
But I might go on in this way until your patience would,
I am sure, be fairly exhausted, and yet, even then I should

not have nearly enumerated the whole of the points of doe-

trine and discipline which the church enjoins, but which are,
by many persons who profess a great reverence for the church,
(they mean the establishment,) considered as savouring of

the very dregs of popery.
In your article you go on to accuse me of holding the
opinion, that none can be saved who are without the pale of
the church. I hold no such thing. But lam quite persuaded
that none but members of the church catholic have any claim
upon the covenanted mercies of God. Still I should think
myself very presumptuous were I to assert that is impossible
for any but those who belong to the church to be saved.—
" Them that are without God judgeth." St. Paul himself
tells us that he obtained mercy because he did it (i.e., perse-
cuted the church of God) " ignorantly in unbelief." The
scriptures constantly speak of the church as an outward and
visible society ; and, although I am very far from believing
that all those who belong to this society will necessarily ba
saved, I am quite convinced that none will ordinarily be
saved who do not belong to it.—See Col. i. 18—John xv.
16—Eph. v. 23—and more particularly, Acts ii. 47.
But let us consider what is the judgment of the Church of
England as it regards dissenters ; and for this purpose we
must refer to the Canons of 1604. These were agreed to by
the Houses of Convocation, and set forth by the Royal Au-
thority; and, of course, have; exactly the same weight now
which they possessed on the first day of their publication.
The third canon excommunicates all those who maintain
that the Church of England is not a true and apostolical
church.
The fourth canon excommunicates impugners of the pub-
lic worship of God established in the Church of England.
The fifth canon excommunicates impugners of the articles
of religion established in the Church of England.
The sixth canon excommunicates impugners of the rites
and ceremonies established in the Church of England.
The seventh canon excommunicates impugners of the go-
vernment of the Church of England by archbishops, bishops,
&e.

The eighth canon excommunicates impugners of the form

of the consecrating and ordering archbishops, bishops, &c.,
in the Church of England.
But the ninth canon bears so directly upon the question in
hand that, with your permission, I must quote it at length :
" WHOSOEVER SHALL HEREAFTER SEPARATE THEIS-

SELVES FROM THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS, AS IT IS AP-
PROVED BY THE APOSTLES' RULES, IN THE CHURCH OF
ENGLAND, AND COMBINE THEMSELVES TOGETHER IN A
NEW BROTHERHOOD, accounting the Christians, who are
conformable to the doctrine, government, rites, and cere-
monies of the Church of England, to be profane, and unrneet
for them to join with in Christian profession; LET THEM BE
EXCOMMUNICATED IPSO FACTO, and not restored but by the
archbishop, after their repentance, and public revocation of
such their wicked errors."
From these canons of the Church of England it is unques-
tionable that she holds all dissenters to be excommunicated
ipso facto; and the question then naturally arises,—What is
her decree as to those who are so excommunicated. The
33d article furnishes us with an answer :
" That person, which by open denunciation of the church
is rightly cut off from the unity of the church, and excom-
municated, ought.to be taken of the whole multitude of the
faithful, AS AN HEATHEN AND PUBLICAN, until he be
openly reconciled by penance, and received into the church
by a judge that bath authority thereunto."
After reading the above, I think that no person will deny
that the Church of England excludes all dissenters from the
covenanted mercies of God. The question now under dis-
cussion is not, Whether she acts scripturally in so doing?
(although I am prepared to prove that she does, if it were
necessarv)—but, Whether those who maintain this doctrine
do not strictly agree with the church ? And, if we do agree
with the church, you, sir, should pursue one of two courses :
you should either ceaseto revile us as Puseyttes, and Jesuits
in disguise, for so doing ; or you should change the politics
of your newspaper, and avow yourself at once a church re-
former. In fact, it just comes to this:—either you are
grossly in error, or the Church of England is full of Po-
pery, and not sufficiently reformed. It is indeed most pain-
ful to my feelings to be obliged to speak of dissenters in that
strain which, as a member of the church, I have no alterna-
tive but to adopt. It would be much more in accordance
with the desire of my heart to address them as brethren and
members of the same household of faith ; but I dare not do -
so,—for their own sakes I dare not " daub the wall with
untempered mortar." I deprecate most strongly that mode
of controversy now so common, wherein hard names are
often substituted for strong arguments ; and were it not
that the dissenters, both Popish and Protestant, are sinning
aginst their own souls, no mere question of party politica
should induce me even seemingly to violate the bonds of
love. lam sure that there are many most estimable cha-
racters amongst them ; indeed, some of my earliest, warm-
est, and best friends are living in a state of separation from
the church ; and it is a matter of the utmost difficulty to
attack their errors without appearing to be at enmity with
themselves. Well may we in such circumstances ask the
question, "Am I therefore become your enemy because I
tell you the truth ?" (Gal. iv. 16.) But sure I am that
God permits the existence of the numerous sects which
abound in this land, to bring about his own good purposes.
One obvious lesson which they teach churchmen is, to set a
just value upon the privileges which they enjoy, and to re-
member that their responsibilities are vastly increased by
these privileges. If on the dissenter "vengeance shall be
taken sevenfold," truly on the careless and indifferent
churchman " seventy and seven fold."
You, sir, have also not scrupled to state that by the church
I mean the church of Rome, or the church of England in-
differently. This I beg leave to deny. By the CHURCH I
mean the catholic or universal church of Christ, and not any
particular branch of it. In this country, the Romanists form
no part of the cathdlic church, but they belong to a schism
introduced here by Pope Pius V. in 1569, eleven years after
Elizabeth ascended the throne.
I am afraid that I have already occupied a much larger
portion of space than will be agreeable to the hulk of your
readers ; but, before I conclude, I would humbly and ear-
neatly exhort all those who desire the continuance of our
church as the established religion of the country, to ask them-
selves upon what ground they tender it their support. I am,
as I have already declared, an ardent advocate of the union
between church and state, but I am firmly convinced that
our success must depend upon the motives with which we
fight the battle. If we build up our cause in the strong foun-
dation of church principles, I am sure that nothing will be
able to withstand our efforts to preserve the establishment ;
but, if on the other hand we make common cause with those
who for the sake of advancing their own views, desire only
the political existence of the church, I am persuaded that
the overthrow of both church and state will result from the
unnatural alliance. It is quite possible, sir, that the very
essence of popery,—a popish spirit, may exist in those who
look with horror on the peculiar doctrines of the papacy ;
and surely, for the sake of a little temporary advantage, to
join ourselves with those "who cause divisions" among us,
is very like acting upon the jesuitical dogma, that the end
sanctifies the means. No man can be more anxious than my-
self for the extirpation of the Romish schism from this ca-
tholic country; but I do not think that we are justified in
attempting to put down Rome at the expence of putting up
Geneva; in endeavouring to destroy the traditions of popery
at the cost of favouring the traditions of Wesley and Calvin.
I have now done. lam quite aware that the opinions ad-
vocated in the foregoing letter will subject me to the charge
of bigotry, intolerance, narrow-mindedness, and all the other
accusations which the cant of the day heaps upon those who
endeavour to act consistently. But really, I consider it an
honor to be called a bigot in these times; for, " done into
English,"—the word means, a person who, having made up
his mind as to the principles on which he should act, pursues
his course without deviating to the right hand or to the left
for the sake of obtaining the character of a liberal and cha-
ritable man.

I am, sir, your very obedient servant,
THOMAS BRIARLY BROWNE
, Portland-place, Everton,
26th Nov. 1840.