The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-11-14 00:00:00

CLERICAL INTELLIGENCE.

a.
The Bishop of Chester will, hold an Ordination on
December 17th, and not on December 24.
At the Church Missionary Jubilee, held in Bristol, more
than £lOOO was raised.

The Rev. Dr. Cookson, Master of St. Peter's College,
has been elected Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge for the
Academical year of 1848-9.
The Very Rev. William H. Tighe, Dean of the Chapel
Royal, and the Rev. Francis Sadleir, Provost of Trinity
College, have both been spoken of as likely to succeed to
the vacent see of Down.

The Bishop of Oxford (Samuel Wilberforce, D.D.)
said at the jubilee meeting of the Church Missionary
Society, held in Exeter Hall, London, last week, that the
said society was founded at a time when the church was
in a frightful state of apathy, and when it showed its
semi-vitality, by the casting out of the great and good man,
John Wesley." •
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM.—Several scholarships in
this university have just been filled up after a keenly con-
I tested examination. The following are the successful
candidates :—The Open Scholarship, Mr. C. B. Hasle-
wood, commoner of Bishop Hatfield's Hall ; Dr. Eller-
ton's Scholarship, Mr. 0. Sumner, of Bishop Hatfield's
Hall; the First and Second Year Scholarships, Mr. F.
Long and Mr. A. Dixon, of Bishop Hatfield's Hall.
These scholarships are tenable for three years.
THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.—King Edward VI.,
in the year 1548, issued a commission, consisting of thir-
teen English divines, with Archbishop Cranmer at fueir
head, for the purpose of preparing a Book of Common
Prayer. The commission met at Windsor in 1548, and
drew up a Book of Common Prayer, which was approved
by Convocation, and finally ratified by an act of parliament
in the January following. This book, which is substan-
tially the same as our present Commoh Prayer Book, was
enjoined to be used for all Divine offices from the Feast of
Whitsunday, 1549. The Bishop of Gibraltar has pro-
posed, in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, that
this 300th anniversary should be specially observed as a
day of thanksgiving and jubilee in our churches through-
out the whole extent of the British empire, on Whitsun-
day, 1849.—The Churchman's Almanack.

THE SURPLICE RIOT AT EXETER.—After an inquiry
before the Bishop into the late disgraceful proceedings at
the church of St. Sidwall's, it appears that the bishop
was satisfied with the statement of the Rev. Mr. Ingle,
that he had intimated some time previously, that, if he
preached in the church, he should wear the surplice.
His Lordship also referred to the behaviour of the laity
on the occasion alluded to, and said they had evinced
that tremendous spirit of Puritanism which, two centu-
ries ago, had levelled the church and the throne with the
dust, and to that feeling he would by no means advise
his clergymen to succumb, The Rev. Francis Courtenay,
the incumbent of the parish, intimated his intention to
close the church on a Sunday evening. As a reason for
so doing, he proceeded to describe a state of dissoluteness
and disorder, as the usual state of things at this church,
on a Sunday evening, which is hardly credible. At the
conclusion of the inquiry, the impression on the laymen
who were present appeared to be, that the bishop had
acquitted Mr. Ingle, and tried the Mayor, who quelled
the disturbance, in his place.
JOHN WESLEY AND THE CHURCH.—Few, if any of
our readers, will grudge the space which we devote to a
report of the Jubilee Meeting of the Church Missionary
Society, held at Exeter Hall on Thursday. We insert it
not merely as a token of the sympathy with all the Pro-
testant Missionary Institutions which we expressed last
week, but through an appreciation of the interesting and
Catholic character of the speeches. As Wesleyans, we
cannot but be gratified to find the Bishop of Oxford doing
so much justice to the venerable founder of our denomi-
nation, as he has now done. It will be seen that he bears
full testimony to the (spiritually) neglected and destitute
state of the country at the commencement of Mr. Wes-
ley's evangelistic labours, and to what he candidly and
truly describes as the utter coldness, darkness, and apathy
of the Church of England. That church, he frankly
declares, " allowed her influance at home to wither and
decay in her hand, leaving our increasing population to
grow up in Heathenism, and only showed her semi-vita-
lity, or anti-vitality, by casting out from her bosom that
great and good man—that saint of God—John Wesley."
Mr. Bickersteth, with his usual readiness and cordiality in
every word and work of Christian love, caught up the
acknowledgment, and spoke of it as " an expression of
repentance, by the Church of England, for the injustice
she did to John Wesley." These seem to us weighty
sayings, which suggest thoughts, on which, in the crowded
state of our columns to day, we cannot just now enlarge.—
The Watchman.
THE EDUCATION QUESTION AND THE CHURCH.—
Since our last notice of the differences between the Com-
mittee of Privy Council and the National Society, meet-
ings of the diocesan societies have been held at Canterbury
and Wells, at which the subject was prominently brought
under discussion. ' At the Canterbury meeting, over
which the Archbishop presided, it was resolved-Ist, On
the motion of the Archdeacon of Maidstone, seconded by
Sir Brook Bridges, " That the board be empowered, if
they think fit, to make arrangements with the National
Society. or with any diocesan board, for the training of
schoolmasters and mistresses, and to apply such funds as
they may think necessary towards the promotion of the
general designs of the National Society." 2d. On the
motion of the Earl of Romney, seconded by the Hon. and.
F ev. F. J. Noel, " That the board be requested to com-
municate again with the National Society, with reference
to the relations.existing between the National Society and
the diocesan boards." The Archbishop reminded his cle-
rical brethren' that, after all, they had an advantage which
nothing in the woi Id could takr-from them. They were
the ministers of their respective parishes—they had a
congregation Of people in their own parishes, they might
enter the schools when they pleased, and all religious
instruction was committed to them alone. Nothing else
could give them equal advantages, and they were advan-
tages which nobody could take from them. Convinced
that the clergyman really took an interest in his school,
no other management would have effect—he must be the
superintendent—he must be as it were the mainspring by
which all the works would operate. Formerly their diffi-
culty consisted in so much requiring to be done that they
could hardly find adequate means—now there was so little
that some persons thought it hardly worth their energies.
Enjoining the endeavours of all to aid in the appointment
of =stets and mistresses for schools in small parishes,
his Grace concluded with a declaration of his determina-
tion to render all the co-operation he could to carry out
the noble work in which they were engaged, and sat down
amid loud applause.
SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY FOR CHURCH ESTABLISH-
MENTS.—Abraham, one of the highest examples in Holy
Writ, who was himself a " mighty prince " among the
shepherd tribes, established the worship of God among
his people. Melchisedec his contemporary, was both a
prince and a priest, exhibiting in the fullest degree that
union of church and state which has been so severely
censured. Nor was he, any more than Abraham, con-
nected with the now abolished Levitical dispensation,
but was of that " order " to which Christ himself was
declared by St. Paul to belong. Following the history of
God's chosen people, we find that every one of their
rulers, whose conduct met with the approval of God,
employed his influence and authority in establishing Di-
vine worship. Moses and Joshua, David and Solomon,
Jehoshaphat, ITezekiah, and Josiah, are all thus described
in the Word of God. And it is difficult to conceive how
the Scriptures are to be used to any profitable purpose,
if we are to conclude that with all these examples we
have either nothing to do, or that the use we ought to
make of them is to shun and not to follow their footsteps.
It is recorded, for instance, of Jeboshaphat (2 Chro. xvii.
7) that " in the third year of his reign, he sent his princes
to teach in the cities of Judah ; and with them he sent
Levites and priests. And they taught in Judah, and had
the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went
about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the
people." And (observe!) a proof of the Divine approba-
tion is immediately added—for it is said, " the fear of the
Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the land that were
round about Judah, so that they made no war against
Jehoshaphat." Now, here is no mere Levitical rite or
observance, but a plain acting out of the broad moral
principle of the responsibility of a ruler towards God and
towards his people. And, in like manner, when even a
heathen king, Artaxerxes, issues a decree for the rebuild-
ing of the temple from the public funds, and the re-
establishment of the worship of God—the exclamation of
Ezra (that inspired servant of the Lord) is thus recorded
—".Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who hath
out such a thing as this into the king's heart, beautify
the house of the Lord !"—Rev. C. A?ford's Sermon.
IMPORTANT CHANGE AT CAMBRIDGE.—A change was
made last week in the curriculum of Cambridge educa-
tion which seems to hare taken every body by surprise,
and which will revolutionize the system adopted in that
University. A congregation was holden for the purpose
of presenting for acceptance by the Senate graces confir-
matory of the adoption of the report of the Syndicate
appointed to consider of the best means of affording en-
couragement to those studies for the pursuit of which
professorships have been founded in the university. The
report in question commenced thus :—" The Syndicate,
admitting the superiority of the study of mathematics
and classics over all others, as the basis of general educa-
tion, and acknowledging therefore the wisdom of adhering
to our present system in its main features, are neverthe-
less of opinion that much good would result from afford-
ing greater encouragement to the pursuit of various other
branches of science and learning which are daily acquir-
ing more importance and a higher estimation in the
world, and for the teaching of which the university already
possesses the necessary means In accordance with this
the Syndicate made five recommendations, which occupy
too much space to be given at length in a weekly paper at
a period like the present. They recommend, 1, " That,
at the beginning of each academical year, the Vice-Chan-
cellor shall issue a programme of the subjects, places, and
times of the several professors' lectures for the year then
to ensue."-2. " That a new honour tripos be established,
to be called the Moral Sciences Tripos, the places in
which shall be determined by an examination in the fol-
lowing subjelts :—Moral Philosophy, Political Economy,
Modern History, General Jurisprudence, the Laws of
England. That all students who shall have passed the
examinations and kept the exercises required for the
Degree of Bachelor of Civil Law, or Bachelor of Physic,
or who shall have passed the examinations entitling to
admission ad respondendum questioni, may be candidates
for honours in the Moral Sciences Tripos next succeeding
such examinations."-3. "That a New Honour Tripos
be established, to be called the Natural Sciences Tripos,
the places in which shall be determined by an examina-
tion in the following subjects :—Anatomy, Comparative
Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, Botany, Geology."
This Tripos is on the same footing as the Moral Science
Tripos.—The 4th recommendation has been framed " with
a view to encourage attendance at lectures of the mathe-
matical examinations of the university."-5. " The Syn-
dicate, having respect to the great importance of the
study of theology, and with the view of giving increased
efficiciency to the regulations already established for the
promotion of it, further recommend—' That all persons

who present themselves for examination at the theological
examination, established by. grace of the Senate, May 11,
1842, be required to produce a certificate of having at-
tended the lectures delivered during one term at least by
two of the three theological professors—viz., the Regius
Professor of Divinity, the Margaret Professor of Divinity,
and the Norrisian Professor of Divinity. That the re-
gulation now proposed shall first come into operation at
the theological examination in the Michaelmas term of
the year 1850.' "