The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-04 00:00:00

DIOCESE OF CHESTER.

PREFERMENTS.—The Rev. Howard St. George, to the
Perpetual Curacy of Billinge, in the parish of Wigan, in
the county of Lancaster, void by death of the Rev. J. Bromi-
low. Patron, the Rector of Wigan. Value, £165, with
a house.—The Rev. Robert Smith, to the Stipendiary
Curacy of Bollington, in the county of Chester, on the
nomination of the Rev. J. A. Aston, the Incumbent.
VACANCY.—The Rectory of Lamplugh, in the county
of Cumberland, by death of the Rev. Joseph Gilbanks.
Value, £256, with a house.
NEWBURGH.—The Bishop has granted a further license
for divine services in the new church at Newburgh, in the
parish of Ormskirk, in the county of Lancaster, for two
years, obstacles to its present consecration still existing.

THE REV. H. J, HINDLEY, curate of Walton-on-the-
Hill, has been presented by his congregation with a purse
containing 80 guineas.
LINCOLN CATHEDRAL.--The Dean and Chapter of Lin-
coln, at their recent audit, increased the salaries of the
Lay Vicars by £lO each, upon condition that they shall
attend the afternoon services. The salary of the organist
has likewise been augmented.
Cnuucn OF SCOTLAND.—The enthroning: of the Rev.
Charles Wordsworth, warden of Trinity College, Glen-
almond, and recently elected bishop of the united diocese
of St. Andrews, Dunkeld, and Dumblane, took place in
St. Ninian's Cathedral, Perth, on Wednesday.
CONFIEMA.TION.—On Wednesday, the Lord Bishop of
the diocese held a confirmation in St. Mary's Church,
Birkenhead, for the district of St. Mary, Holy Trinity, St.
John, St. Ann, and Claughton. The number of young
persons of both sexes who received the rite amounted to
450, and their serious and proper demeanor excited the
warmest commendation__

TESTIMONIAL.—On Wednesday, the Rev. D. T. Barry
was presented with a very handsome pocket communion
service, with silver plate engraving on the outside, bearing
the following inscription:—" Presented to the Rev. D. T.
Barry, 8.A., late curate of St. Paul's, Prince's-park, by the
teachers of the Sunday school, as a tribute of their affec-
tionate esteem."

CONSECRATION OF FREDERICTON

CATHEDRAL.

THE following is an account of the consecration of Christ
Church Cathedral, Fredericton, New Brunswick, abridged
from The Head Quarters, a Fredericton paper :
Wednesday, August 31st, being the day appointed for
the consecration of Christ Church Cathedral, newly erected
in this city, was the occasion of a large assemblage of
Bishops, clergy, and laity, from the United States, Nova
Scotia, and all parts of this diocese, who felt an interest
in this great and glorious work.
At ten o'clock the Bishops of Quebec and Toronto,
Bishop Southgate, Rector of the Church of the Advent,
Boston, and our own revered diocesan, were met at the
Province-hall by sixty of the clergy, vested in surplices,
several members of the bench and bar, in their robes,
officers of the 76th Regiment, the worshipful the Mayor,
and other distinguished inhabitants of the city and neigh-
bourhood, who formed in procession, and, attended by
little boys bearing banners, on which were depicted the
arms of the North American colonial sees, and other ap-
propriate and ecclesiastical devices, advanced towards the
building.
On reaching the cathedral green, the clergy commenced
chanting the 121st Psalm, and on approaching the great
western doors they filed off, allowing the Bishops to pass
through and take the foremost place in the procession,
which then moved slowly up the nave, chantino. the 24th
Psalm to the sth Gregorian tone. At the 7th verse the
choir took up the solemn strain, and the full peal of the
noble organ burst forth as an accompaniment to the Gloria'
Patri. It was an impressive and overpowering scene, and
the heart of many a brother and sister in the Lord was
sensibly and deeply affected when the venerable prelates,
and doctors, and presbyters, thus joined with one voice in
the triumphant melody of the Church's ancient song.
It may be mentioned here that the doors of the cathedral
were thrown open half an hour before the arrival of the
procession for the admission of the wives and daughters,
and the aged and infirm members of the chhurch ; these
having been cared for, and those who formed the pro-
cession provided with seats, the doors were open to all,
and while the gentlemen who had kindly undertaken the
trying office were engaged in finding accommodation for
the congregation, as far as it was possible to do so, a
suitable voluntary was performed on the organ. The
building was soon filled in every part, and it was remarked
by many, to the honour of the vast concourse of people
there assembled, that they had never witnessed more
quiet, orderly, and devout conduct in the house of God.
The Bishop of the diocese then commenced the con-
secration service from the throne in the choir, and the
sentence of consecration having been pronounced by the
Rev. F. Coster, rector of Carleton, St. John, morning
prayer was read by the Rev. Richard Podmore, curate of
St. Anne's Chapel. The first lesson was read by the Rev.
Dr. Haight, Professor in the Theological Seminary of
New York ; the second • lesson by the Rev. W. Q.
Ketchum, curate of the parish. The exhortation was
read by the Yen. George Goster, archdeacon and rector of
Fredericton, and the anthem by Dr. G. Elvey, organist
of St. George's Chapel Royal, Windsor, commencing: with
the words, " Open ye the gates," (Isaiah xxvi. 2), was
skilfully sung by the bishop's choir, consisting chiefly of
volunteers residing in the city, who were on this occasion
assisted by the Carleton choir, and some members of the
choirs of Trinity and St. Paul's Churches, St. John. The
Litany was read by Rev. Dr. Edson of Lowell, Mass., and
I then followed a hymn sweetly sung by thirty children of
both sexes, who came forward from the south transept
into the choir for that purpose, and touching and beautiful
it was to hear the praises of the adorable Trinity rising
for the first time within those now hallowed walls from
the lips of the youthful members of Christ's holy Church.
The communion service was commenced by the Bishop
of the diocese. The epistle being read by the Bishop of
Toronto, and the Gospel by the Bishop of Quebec. The
sermon was preached by Bishop Southgate, from Psalm
cxxii., verses 8 and 0, and was an able and eloquent ad-
dress, expressive of the deep joy felt by the members of
the American Church in this event, as au earnest of the
wider extension of Catholic unity.
I After the sermon, the alms of the clergy, collected by a
deacon, and those of the people by the churchwarden and
others, were by the Bishop humbly presented on the altar.
They amounted to upwards of £2so—the largest collection
made, it is believed, at any one time in British North
America. The holy communion was then administered
by the Bishop, assisted by presbyters, to a large number of
communicants, who retired from this first service in their
new cathedral, we may firmly trust, with feelings of devout
thankfulness to Almighty God for putting it into the
heart of their spiritual Father to build this beautiful church
for His glory and their good, and with humble prayer that
His blessing and presence in the place where He has now
recorded His name, may indeed be among them and
remain with them for ever.

At half-past six o'clock the cathedral was again filled
with worshippers, when evening prayer was offered up
with the accustomed musical service. The anthem com-
posed by Dr. Boyce was taken from Job xxvii., commenc-
ing with the words, " Where shall wisdom be found ?"
The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Quebec, for-
merly rector of this parish, from Ist Chronicles xxii. 1,
and contained a masterly defence of the principle of devot-
ing the best of God's gifts in nature and art to the deco-
ration of His house, and the solemn celebration of the
divine offices. After the sermon, Handel's Hallelujah
Chorus was sung by the choir, most effectively accompa-
nied on the new instrument by U. S. Hayter, Esq., organist
of Trinity Church, Boston, and formerly of Hereford and
Salisbury Cathedrals, to whose kind co-operation and
valuable services the members of the Church in this city
are much indebted. A collection was then made, amount-
ing to £l4, and after the congregation had dispersed, the
Bishop addressed the choir in a few affectionate and en-
couraging words, acknowledging their attention to their
duties, and the efficient manner in which they had been
discharged.
On Thursday, morning prayer was read, and the
anthem selected was by Dr. Blow, to the words, " I beheld,
and 10, a great multitude," (Rev. vii. 3). Morning prayer
being ended, the Bishop, seated in front of the altar, de-
livered his triennial charge, which was listened to with
breathless attention by a large concourse of laity as well
as clergy. It would be vain and presumptuous in these
short limits to attempt anything like an analysis of this
most eloquent composition; full as it was of sound and
Catholic principles, enunciated in that vigorous and lucid
style which characterises all the productions of the Bishop's
pen, and uttered with the impressiveness of a wise coun-
sellor, the affection and sympathy of a kind father and
friend.
Evening prayer was again read at half-past six, and the
anthem on this occasion, taken from Psalm cxlvii. 3, was
composed by the Bishop, and now performed for the first
time. The sermon was by the Rev. Dr. Haight, on St.
John iv. 34 ; in the exposition of which passage, the
preacher set forth in forcible and glowing language the
pre-eminent importance of spiritual worship, which,
though it be necessarily connected with external acts and
observances, yet must not in any wise be superseded by
them. After the sermon, a further collection was made,
amounting to gl4, and the Hallelujah Chorus was again
performed.
was read, and the
On Friday morning, the Litany only
clergy then proceeded to business, which was conducted
with the greatest tinanimity and brotherly love. In the
evening crowds were again assembled within the walls,
and the choir was also full of its willing and unwearied
occupants ; the anthem was by Dr. Croft, to Psalm
32 and following verses, and these interesting and de-
lightful solemnities were brought to a close by a sermon
from Rev. Dr. Edson, on Eph. iv. 4,5, 6, in which he
earnestly exhorted the congregation to cultivate the spirit

of christian love and catholic unity. The collection at this
service amounted to £9, making altogether, with a further
donation from• a lady in Fredericton, the large sum of
a3O is. 2d.

After evening service on Friday, an address was pre-
sented to the bishops and clergy who had come from a
great distance, and with some difficulty, to be present at
the feast of consecration. The Lord Bishop of Quebec
responded for the colonial clergy and also his brethren,
that he and those who journeyed with him felt it a high
privilege to be permitted to take part in these services.
Bishop Southgate spoke on behalf of himself and the
clergy from the United States. He said that, though in
the course of his eventful life he had been brought into
contact with the Catholic Church in many countries, and
had been present on many great and memorable occasions,
none had left on his mind a deeper impression than this
glorious event, fruitful as it was in import and interest,
and indicative of the great truth, that the members of the
Anglican Church, under whatever civil government Divine
Providence may have placed them, are one in the bonds of
mutual love and fellowship, and in union with their great
Head.

An address was then read by the Venerable Archdeacon,
conveying to the Bishop of Fredericton the warm congra-
tulations of his clergy on the completion of his cathedral
church, and an expression of their respectful desire to
possess in a more permanent form the excellent charge
they had heard the day before. The Lord Bishop thanked
the clergy for the kind feelings and sympathy they had
evinced towards him, and said he was confident that a
report of the proceedings of the last three days would be
read with the liveliest satisfaction by his old parishioners
and friends in England, who had followed him from the
time he left them until this day with their fervent prayers,
and who would extend their sympathy and prayers to all
the clergy of the diocese, when they saw them aiding their
bishop in the completion of this work.
Thus terminated the proceedinge of these long looked-
for days, and, in spite of any deficiencies which have
existed, and may still exist, the crowded congregations,
the reverent demeanour of the worshippers, and the large
amount of the offertory collections, show that the great
body of the people take a very hearty interest, and an
honest pride, in their new cathedral church. We hear
that a public meeting of the parishioners is in contempla-
tion, for the purpose of closing the cathedral accounts,
and presenting the Lord Bishop with an address of con-
gratulation on the happy accomplishment of his anxious
Labours on their behalf. Both of these objects will meet,
we are sure, with the ready concurrence of every right-
minded member. of the community; but we need hardly
say that the presentation of an address of this nature
would be premature while the former object remains un-
attained. If we would view with unmitigated satisfaction
the sacred structure which now stands forth, complete in
all its parts, and ready to embrace within its walls high
and low, rich and poor, one with another, let us now
come forward with hearts yet warm with the flame of
devotion, kindled by the solemnities in which we have
been engaged, and free the noble founder from all further
responsibility and anxiety in this matter, and then offer
our grateful acknowledgments for his indomitable and
ceaseless exertions for our temporal and eternal edification.
" Freely ye have received, freely give."

CHURCH TEMPORALITIES AND
CLERICAL POVERTY.

(FROM THE " JOHN DULL.")
OF all the anomalous and cruel positions in which our
social system abounds, there is none, perhaps, more anoma-
lous or more cruel than that in which the so-called " work-
ing. Clergy" are placed. In no other country is the dis-
proportion so glaring between the wealth of the community
at large and the scantiness of the provision made for the
support of the Clergy. The perusal of a page or two of
the advertisements for Curates which appear in the Ec-
clesiastical Gazette, will furnish abundant proof that men
of education, brought up, at a great expense, in the position
and with the habits of gentlemen, are "in the market" on
terms on which no man, having a decent character to refer
to, would take a situation as butler, coachman, or valet.
The greater part of the work of our Church is carried on
by men whose professional income does not exceed, often
does not come up to, the wages of a skilful mechanic, or
even to those of the labourer who carries the bricklayer's
hod. And this is the case, not only with regard to those
who, as Assistant Curates, fill subordinate positions, in
which their responsibilities, and the demands made upon
them, are limited, as well as their means ; many In-
cumbents, belonging to the class designated as " the bene-
ficed Clergy," are doomed to subsist on equally insufficent
incomes, while they are expected to sustain all the burdens,
spiritual and temporal, which devolve upon a person having
cure of souls. Our New District Churches, being wholly
or mainly provided for by that most objectionable mode of
raising an income for the Clergyman, the system of pew-
rents, do not furnish to their Incumbents more than a bare
subsistence, and often not even that ; so that it may well
be questioned whether, of the two, the position of " Per-
petual Curates," or that of Assistant Curates, is the worst
and the more onerous.

That under such a state of our ecclesiastical affairs every
"season" brings round long Ordination lists, containing
the names of numberless young men, two-thirds of whom,
at a moderate, calculation, are thus voluntarily, and with
their eyes open, dooming themselves to a life of privation,
without going through the ostentatious ceremony of a
" vow of poverty," is a fact which speaks well for the
spirit of the rising generation, and for character of our
Universities and other Seminaries of learning. As, how-
ever, lie who rides a willing horse to death is not the less
an inhuman brute because the horse is willing, so the
devotion of "the working Clergy" to the duties of a pro-
fession whose labours are so ill-requited, does not remove
the reproach to which the wealthiest nation on the face of
the earth is justly liable for keeping their Clergy down to
starvation allowance. We are quite aware that many
deem it a sufficient excuse to point to what is called " the
overgrown wealth of our Church establishment," as
furnishing both an explanation of this state of things, and
an apology for it. This, however, is no more than an ex-
cuse,—a convenient and a plausible one, we admit,—for
salving over the consciences of a laity who, with rare but
honourable excepitons, have become wholly insensible to
the duty of appropriating a portion of their worldly sub-
stance for the Service of God and of His Church. The
greater part of the endowments which constitute the
wealth of our Church, consist of property devoted by the
piety of our forefathers to the particular localities and
institutions to which they are attached. They were not
intended to relieve posterity of a duty which is com-
mon to Christians of all ages, the duty of contributing
towards the support of the ministrations of religion. The
most glaring mis-appropriation of these endowments—as
is the case of the Hospital of St. Cross—is not a greater
departure from the spirit and intention with which our
ancestors set apart a portion of their property for religious
uses, than is the neglect of that sacred duty on the part
of the present generation, under cover of the alleged
sufficiency of the religious endowments of former ages.
Nor, irrespectively of this consideration, would these
endowments be, as is often alleged, sufficient to meet the
existing wants of the Church. They would not be found
more than sufficient to effect the objects for which they
were created, if those objects were properly carried out.
Our Cathedral endowments, for example, which of all our
ecclesiastical endowments have been most obnoxious to
the spoliation schemes of the pseudo-Church-reformers of
the present age, would not be found more than sufficient
for the various purposes for which the institution of the
Cathedral was originally designed,—not only to present a
model to the whole diocese of the decent performance of
Divine worship, of daily Service, and weekly Communion,
—but to surround the Bishop with an Ecclesiastical
Council for the government of the diocese ; to afford
opportunities of preparation for their sacred culling to
candidates for the ministry ; to form a centre of religious
education, including the training of school teachers, for
the entire diocese ; and to supply the rewards of honour-
able distinction to meritorious, as well as a comfortable
though humble refuge from the visitations of age and
poverty, to aged and infirm clergymen. If all these pur-
poses belonging to the Cathedral Church were carried
into effect, no ecclesiastical commission would be required
to appropriate, or, as the case may be, to misappropriate,
its " surplus funds." Several of the most urgent wants
of our Church would then be provided for, in the proper
and legitimate way, and we should not be compelled to
have recourse to such palliatives,—hignly commendable
though they be as remedies for " the present distress,"--
as the " Disabled Clergy Institution," proposed by a
valued correspondent of ours in a letter which appeared
in our columns last week, and other charitable institutions,
designed to alleviate the sufferings consequent upon the
impoverished condition of the great majority of our paro-
chial clergy.
No plan of Church reform will ever be acceptable to
the great body of Churchmen, or really conducive to the
Church's efficiency, which does not embrace these two
points,—the rigorous application of the endowments al-
ready existing through the piety of our forefathers, to
those objects to which they were devoted by the donors,—
and the creation of fresh endowments to meet the spiritual
wants of our increased population, by like piety and mu-
nificence on the part of the present generation, setting
apart for the service of God and the promotion of Christ's
kingdom, a portion of that enormous wealth which has
been, and is being accumulated, beyond the example of
former ages, in this day of gigantic progress and enterprise.