The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-17 00:00:00

)CIET

MEETING AT CHEST

members and

An interesting and influential meeting of
friends of the Foreign Aid Society was held at the Town-

hall, Chester, on Tuesday last
the objects of the above valuable institi
Bishop of Chester occupied the chair, and there were also
hol onddev

f forwarding
The Lord

present tl
M.P., the Rev. Cl
the Rev. J. Collins, t
Artillery in the garrison,

Tollemache, Esq.,
Rev. H. M`Neile,

y to the

society), and a numerous body of the pr

The proceedings possessed great inter
handsome collection was made.

On Friday evenin

public meet

-,iverpool

friends of the soci

was hel

street. The weather was nio
the attendance was not very 1

,t tempest

;quently

respectably filled
Rev. Hugh M'Neil
Barker, the Rev.
Tattershall, the Rev. Mr. I
of Billinge, Major Thorp, G. Duncan
Esq.,.&c. &c.

.ved the

W. Currie, or Wat

On the motion of th(
M`Neile was unanimou
the proceedings having
of the Divine blessing upon th
The Rev. CHAIRMAN said—

Rev. I

'cation

inform you briefly concernii

_
objects of that
!d this evening.

society upon whose behalf we are
The object of the Foreign Aid Socie
fest sympathy with the struggles, at
to the necessities, of the orthodox chri
nent of Europe, especially, al
zerland. The condition of tl
known, generally speaking, in
general idea that the population of Franc
Catholic as to profession, although divic
vidual character, into the superstitious devotee, the caret
and the infidel. Unhappily this
of the great mass of the pope
there is a very considerable nut
apply, a number of Pro
bers to a million and a
the Protestar

assistance

Le conti-

sent, in France and Swit-
little

France i

y Roman

.rds indi-

too trt

on of that country

out of the reformation, was'i
all the powers of the state f
obliged to take refuge in the
that without exaggeration
scription given by the apostle
saints, ofwhom the world w

hunted with
-places, and

hem the de-

were desti-

tute, afflicted, tort

the early

excess; and about the middle of the reign of that celebrated
monarch, it seemed as if France had been absolutely de-
prived of all Protestants—it seemed as if the Protestants
had been exterminated and controversy silenced, not by ar-
gument, but by the edge ot:the sword. Very little
concerning the struggles of
that period till tt
no sooner had ft

'ranee from
ution ; but

Napoleon Bonaparte come into the ascendant, than a law n a
passed giving full toleration for Protestant worship, and pre-
scribing the oreer of the ecclesiastical discipline, under
which the Protestant churches were to be governed. That
law of Buonaparte is still the law of France with regard to
Protestant churches. It was recognised by the peace in 1815,
and confirmed by the charter in 1830.
conducted by what they call consistories
corded by law, of uniting in one synod. A
ing to the law of Napoleon, is compos

vernment is

power ac-

tory, accord-

certain district, assisted wit

a few la

e pastors of a
not less than
ye in each
ected by the

six in number, and not

consistory : theie

laymen were

pastors or any of the Protestants of t
absolutely designated by the letter of the
the laymen in that district who pay thi
annual income tax, so they are, at least six, or any number
between six and twelve, of the richest laymen in that district.
These were ex officio members of the consistory. Of such
consistories there are at present in France ninety, without
reckoning a few Luthersit consistories upon the eastern
boundary of the kingdom, along the banks of the Rhine. The
ninety consistories of France have now about four hundred
pastors. Unfortunately, many of these pastors, and many
of their coadjutors, the laymen in the consistories, do
not hold Scriptural orthodox doctrines ; they have been af-
fected with the neclovy of Germany and other infidel and
semi-infidel and Socinian views, in opposition to the revealed
truth of God. Some of them have been taught better; and
of late years an increasing number of the pastors and laymen
comptising these consistories have become christian and or-
thodox men. In proportion as they have themselves been
taught divine truth they have become, as all men so taught
will ever become, anxious that others should learn the same;
and they have formed themselves into societies, called Evan-
gelical Societies, for the purpose of disseminating more
widely among the members of their own consistories, and the
congregations assembling under those pastors, the saving
knowledge of God's revealed will. It is, then, to aid these
societies, these " Societes Evangeliques," or Evangelical So-
cieties, that this institution has been formed in England.
You must perceive from this brief sketch of the state of
things in the Protestant Church of France, that such societies,
still in a minority arid struggling upwards, must needs re-
qnire assistance ; they require the countenance of christian
people in other countries ; and bein poor, thy require not
only christian sympathy, but the genuine produe eeof christian
sympathy, christian liberality. This briefly explains our
immediate object In this association. Then, if you inquire
about the nature of the church government under which
these people are, I have already said that they are allowed by
law to have their consistories, and to assemble, if they will,
in a general synod. The synod is to be composed of one
pastor and one layman from each consistory, which should be
the representative in the synod of the particular district
from which consistory they were sent. Hitherto the
general synod would have been composed of so large
a majority of

aw—they are to be
largest amount of

hat no md

results could possibly have been expected from the assem-
bling of such a synod ; but now it would appear, that if
a general synod were called, as far as the pastors are
concerned, there would be a majority of-the orthodox, and
we have every reason to hope, that if the progress of divine
truth that has manifested itself of late years among them
continues a few years more, the assembly of a general synod
would enable them to pass revolutions that would greatly
advance the cause of divine truth in France. As yet, how-
ever, no synod has been called ; they are struggling upwards;
they are helping themselves ; and they ask us, not to send
missionaries to France, not to attempt the work by our own
agents, but to give them our countenance, and give them
some portion of our superfluities from this country. That
is simply the object in view. These persons have not the
same sort of church government it is our happiness to have.
They have never had the opportunity of such. When the
Reformation took place upon the continent, none of the
bishops became reformers. No bishop in France, no bishop
in Switzerland, became personally a reformer. The conse-
quence was, that the people of those countries imagined—
and the same applies to Scotland—that bishops were identical
with Papists, and episcopacy and papacy must stand or fall
together ; therefore, although sound argument was against
them, yet the outward appearance of the case being in favour
of that view, the people threw off episcopacy at the same
time they threw off papacy ' • and the Reformation in Switzer
laud, and Scotland, and France assumed a Presbyterian
aspect. These churches in France, therefore, have done no
more than protest against Popery, as we did in England, only
in England—mark the difference,—some of the leading
protestors were themselves bishops. The Archbishop of
Canterbury (a name familiar to you all), in those days, was
Cranmer ; the Bishop of London, Ridley; the Bishop of
Worcester, Latimer; the Bishop of Gloucester, Hooper.
When these men came forward as reformers, the people of
England saw the difference between episcopacy and Popery :
they saw Protestant bishops ; they saw their protest in the
persons of these bishops ; and in England alone the people
had the great happiness of getting rid of popery without
shaking off the orginal, primitive, Scriptural episcopacy of
the Christian church. (Cheers.) The churches in France
are not to be blamed : they never had the opportunity, even
if they had the wish, to put themselves under episcopal
government ; and it would be a refinement of barbarity, and
not Christian orthodoxy, for any man in England, under
pretence of a jealousy for the form of church government
which he has the happiness to live under, to withhold his
right hand of fellowship from them because they have not
that form of church government themselves. They could
not have it. There is, a great difference between them and
those in this country who, with an apostolic church within
their reach, do willingly and wilfully separate themselves
from it, and refuse to avail themselves of it. (Cheers.) I may
say, without any unkindness, and certainly without intend-
ing to wound the feelings of any, but for the sake of truth,
that I think those who so dissent in this country are cer-
tainly to blame, because a better way is in their reach,
and they refuse to avail themselves of it ; but in France
there is not the same blame, because they cannot have
bishops without having Popery ; and, well as I love a
bishop, I would rathlr never see one than have Popery.
(Cheers.) Everything is comparative. I would rather have
this hand cut off than protest against episcopacy ; but I would
rather have both cut off than submit to the Papacy. (Cheers.)
This explains the position, as clearly as I can in a few words,
of a Christian church upon the Continent; and I am happy
to say I am highly and strictly orthodox at this moment,
standing not in the exercise of mere private judgment, but I
stand delivering the sentiments of my diocesan. (Hear.)
On Tuesday last I attended a meeting in the city of Chester
on behalf of the Foreign Aid Society : it was my happiness
to behold the Lord Bishop of the diocese in the chair—to
behold him supported by a noble marquis (Cholmondeley)—
and, in the midst of a large company of the rank and dis-
tinction of the county of Chester, of seeing the truly Pro-
testant member of parliament for one of the divisions of the
county, Mr. Tollemache. (Cheers.) I do but speak the
sentiments of the Bishop, then; and therefore, I say, I am
highly and strictly orthodox in drawing this line of distinc-
tion; and if any of you wish for further authority upon this
point, I would refer you to a publication of the present
Bishop of London, made by the junior rector of Liverpool—
republished, I should say, in this town by the junior rector
of Liverpool, with a preface expressly written to advance the
circulation of the tract, in which these very sentiments are
laid down with the clearness and the perspicuity for whirls
the present Bishop of London is so remarkable. This dis-
tinction will, therefore, I think, satisfy the minds of many
who have a godly jealousy for apostolic church government,
in which I entirely agree with them. I entertain a godly
jealousy for that government, but I entertain, I trust, a godly
sympathy for our dear friends upon. the Continent, who can-
not have such government. I believe they have all that we
hold essential to a Christian church, though not all we desire
for the perfection of such a church. The Church of England
declares that the apostolic form of government is ancient—
from the time of the apostles : she declares it is essential for
communion with herself—that she has a right to do as every
society has a right to do, so far as communion with herself
and participation in her advantages ; but the Church of Eng-
land nowhere declares that it is essential for the salvation of
a sinner. The highest and best defenders of the Church of
England, from the days of the Reformation to our own days,
have hailed the Protestant Church of France as a sister
church; they have manifested a desire and a wish to keep up
a fraternal communication with them, and to give them the
countenance of our sympathy and the right hand of fellow-
ship, by assisting her in every way we can. I will not, in
the position von have called upon me to occupy, take
up
your time longer, but call on the honorary secretary to give
you some details connected with the operations of this soci-
ety. I will just add for your information, however, that the
persons through whose instrumentality our assistance
ren-
dered are the leading men in those little societies I described
just now, personally known toourhonorar
uponysecr theetar y,who
takes great delight in this work,
who is often
Con-
tinent, and sees them and knowsbtheeamud;
practicable, tla
t
upon
against any imposition
will be and has been taken,
" tlsslieliberalityofEnglishmen.
wbcb
Those orthodox men who are the medium through
this money is administered, are known to the Rev. Mr.
Burgess, rector of Upper Chelsea, who has long devoted
himself to this noble and evangelical work of brotherly and
Christian kindness abroad, and whom I shall have the plea-
sure to introduce to your notice. (The rev. chairman then
resumed his seat amidst much applause.)
The Rey. RICHARD BURGESS, rector of Upper Chelsea,
then rose to move the first resolution. He said that, after
the clear and lucid statement which the chairman bad made