The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-17 00:00:00

CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the friends and supporters of
this society was held last evening, in the lecture-hall of
the Collegiate Institution, which was crowded to excess
with a most respectable audience.
A few minutes after six o'clock, the worshipful Henry
Raikes, Chancellor of the Diocese, accompanied by a
number of influential gentlemen, entered the hall, and
was received with loud cheers. Having taken the chair,
he called upon the Rev. Thomas Nolan, who opened the
proceedings with an impressive and appropriate prayer.
The Worshipful CHAIRMAN then proceeded to ad-
dress the meeting, but in consequence of the position in
which the reporters were placed, not one half of what
was said could be heard by them. We understood him
to say, before he proceeded to call upon the Secretary to
read the report of the operations of the society during
the past year, he felt it due to himself to explain the cir-
cumstances which led to his appearance in that position
that evening. There were many reasons why it was
most gratifying to see a layman in the chair ; but
in consequence of Mr. Horsfall being prevented from
attending, it afforded him an opportunity of showing his
adherence to, and approbation of, the cause. (Cheers.)
At the same time be felt, upon these occasions, in that
society, the chair could never be so properly filled as by a
layman ; for it was formed by laymen for the benefit of the
clergy, and the good of the church at large. He, therefore,
refaiced at seeing the chair filled by.a layman, in order
that the clergy might have an opportunity of testifying to
them the warm feelings of gratitude by which they were
actuated for the assistance and support of their lay bre-
thren. (Applause) But be might take the liberty of
saying that, when deprived of the assistance of a layman
to occupy the chair, they could hardly find amongst its
members a warmer friend to the society than the humble
individual who then addressed them. (Cheers.) He was
therefore willing, upon the present occasion, as he had
always hitherto done when an opportunity presented
itself, to bear his testimony to the usefulness of the so-
ciety. Had it not been for, the operations of this society,
the church, in this diocese at least, in its endeavours to
supply the spiritual wants of the population, must have
met with such an amount of inefficiency and difficulty as
almost to overwhelm it. (Hear.) Through the agency
of the Pastoral Aid Society they had met the difficulty in
part, and let the society only be supported as it ought to
be, and there was hardly any thing it would not be able
to accomplish. In truth, he trusted he spoke to those
who felt the value of its operation—in fact, their com-
mon interests were concerned in its, success—laity and
clergy were bound up in one common cause; the clergy
were but labourers in their master's service—they were
but agents for the good of the laity, and just in propor-
tion as they both anted together would success attend
their efforts. (Loud cheers.) Before he sat down he
hoped they would allow him to observe, that whilst the
present aspect of affairs presented much cause for
apprehension, and much fear for future consequences,
he wished to impress upon all the importance of the so-
ciety. It pleased the Almighty disposer of events to
work by means, and whenever God had an object to pro-
mote—whenever there was an end to be accomplished—
means were to be used, and such means as were most likely
to accomplish the end in view. Thus, when the increase of
the population bad almost b'd defiance to the efforts of the
Church to meet it, the wondrous but simple machinery of
this society was set to work, a few individuals met, the plan
was formed, and when he looked at its operation he could
not refrain from concluding that God had blessed the
means, and that it was the purpose of God, by means of
it, to enlarge the usefulness of the church, and to show
how wonderfully it was adapted to meet the wants of
the population. He loved the society not merely for the
good it had done in what was to be expected from it, but
in a higher sphere of action, as a sort of pledge from God
that he would still make the Established Church a bless-
ing to the land, a security for the happiness and welfare
of the people. (Loud cheers.) The Worshipful Chair-
man concluded by calling on one of the clerical secreta-
ries to read the report.
The Rev. C. W. LAWRENCE then read the report, of
which the following is the substance :
The committee expressed their thankfulness to God that
the funds collected in this town would fa'l only a few pounds
short of the returns of the preceding year, a donation in
1844 having swelled the returns of that year to an extent which
they feared would not be realized this bear. They were labour-
ing not only to increase the number of ministers, but to main-
tain those already employed in necessitous cures. There were
parishes containing thousand. and tens of thousands of souls,
which, if they satisfy the eye of a benevolent man when he corn.
pares the shepherds with the dimensions of the fold, only do so
while the hand of the society supplies the means of snbsrstence,
and should that hand withdraw its aid, the nice proportions are
gone, the lights will fail in the prospect, and the darkness of
death rest upon the moral landscape. The committee adhere
to the principle and plan of the society. It was at this conjunc-
ture of the church that men were wanted to enter upon the
fields white for harvest. The society has been the means of
sending, not only the ordained minister of God into the vine
yard, but the lay agent; and it washer privilege to contend for
the employment of humble but devoted men, who, simply, but
under the orders of the incumbent, might warn the unruly, com-
fort the afflicted, and instruct the ignorant, and it is now her
privilege to see a society instituted for the same sp' eine purpose,
sending forth' similar men Into the streets of the metropolis,
under the high sanction of the Diocesan. As much depen ed
on the character of a minister, the society were careful whom
she employed, and sent such only as gave guarantee to walk in
the stepp and preach the Gospel of the Lord. If the open Bible
be the privilege of the Protestant—if the power to understand
its contents be recognised in the laity of the church—if there be
a wholesome result, as we should expect, in attending to the
Lord's command to the people, "Take heed what ye hear,"—
then was that procedure of the society as scriptural us it was
wholesome, by which the spiritually enlightened ear and eye of
the laity of the church are brought to bear upon the character
of those ministrations which they are instrumental in providing
for their fellow countrymen, and transmitting to their children.
There are few better preservatives from the leprosy of popery
than the just resentments of the people at large, when directed
into such channels as that society presented, which, true to the
church of which she is the scion, esteems a protest against error
an essential feature of an h nest allegiance and of truth. The
committee rejoiced that the Bish p of Oxford, the son of Wm.
Wilberforce. had cordially expressed his approbation of the so-
ciety. In Liverpool the society supported ten curates and two
Scripture readers. One incumbent says : " Our Scripture reader
had not been long at work before the effect was visible in the
seats which are assigned to the poor. He is now engaged in
visiting others who yet feel a reluctance, or who are kept back
by want ,f clothing. The filthy courts, the wretched habita-
tions, in which a large mass of the population lives, the un-
wholesome atmosphere they breathe, the sickness and distress
which abound, render his labours as difficult as self-denying.
Yet good is doing, and the clergyman discovers that the lay
agent has a much easier access to the poor than he can possibly
have—that they are mere communicative with him than him-
self—and that through his instrumentality he learns more of
their actual condition, their wants, their knowl dge. and their
ignorance, than he ever knew by personal visitation " On the
subject of third services in churches, your c ,mmittee think it
would be well if such more frequently occurred, as the wants of
many might thus be supplied who cannot attend the other ser.
v ces. In St. Simon's the grant received was £lOO, and the
amount returned .45a. In Edgehill, the grant £5O, the amount
returned aEBS, so that in the latter case there was a gain. At.
tention is next called to a plan of increasing the parent socie.
ty's funds, which had this year fallen short by nearly £lOOO as
compared with the previous year. It had been proposed by the
Rev. H. M'Neile (whom the committee highly compliment), to
raise ..e5OO, by obtaining promises from individuals of donations
to the amount of such a sum ; such promises not to be called
upon till the sum promised amounted to the sum proposed. A
sum of £es7o had been promised, and it remained f ,r the friends
of the soc'ety to complete the promises in behalf of the object.
The report concludes by an earnest scriptural appeal, and a
prayer that it may be effectual to the setting forth of the glory
of God, and tl.e increase of His kingdom.
THE Rev. Canon Nl'NEtez then rose to move the
first resolution, and was received with loud and continued
cheers. When they had subsided, he commenced by ob-
serving, that whilst the Chairman was speaking, a multi-
tude of thoughts crowded into his mind on the subject of
the Pastoral Aid Society as an auxiliary to our church.
Its name sufficiently expressed its objects. It is an aux-
iliary to our Established Church in one of its most im-
portant functions,—the supply of competent and efficient
pastors. Our church requires such help, because the po-
pulation to whomit is a debtor for scriptural instruction,
and pastoral superintendence, has largely overgrown her
original and stated resources. They were aware, none
more so, that vast multitudes in our large towns, and in
our manufacturing and mining districts, are in a condition
utterly deplorable in a land called Christian—they have
not tire opportunity, if they had the will, of receiving
Christian instruction ; they are as sheep scattered abroad
without a shepherd. He was thinking that the skeleton
frame-work of a national church was still scattered over
the land, whilst the principle of a national church is vir-
tually repudiated in much that concerns the spiritual wants
of the people, and thrown upon the voluntary principle.
It was, however, a good thing to have the frame• work,
because every new church, school, or pastor which was
established came immediately within the range of that
frame-work. But it was deplorable to see a number of
vacant spots on that frame-work. the more so because
they were not altogether empty. There was sometling in
those places congenial to the condition of man. There were
men in this country, as in all countries, anxious to upset
the present state of things in order to better their own con- I
dition. Such persons were not scrupulous about the means
they would use. Weapons which they themselves despised,
if successful, were used without scruple. Hence it was
that infidelity was wielding superstition with great effect,
whilst she was looking with contempt and scorn upon the
ignorance that could he acted upon by such instrumen-
tality. (Hear, hear.) The society, then, in whose behalf
they had met, was an auxiliary to the church in sending to
the people the only efficient remedy. There was, and
could be, no efficient remedy but in the gospel of the
grace of God, and as it had pleased him to adopt human
instrumentality for the spread of his truth, therefore they
might truly say, there -could be no iernedy but in the
adequate multiplication, of competent pastors. This
was the only remedy which could reach the real
state of man's disease, in our most thickly populated
districts. Nay, more, in carrying out the sacred medicine
of the Gospel to the bed-sides of the sick and dying poor,
the Church Pastoral Aid ,Society was a proved and tried
friend. (Loud applause.) It was simply on these grounds
they presented it to them for their support. (('ontinued
applause.) He was thinking on these things when he found
that he had undertaken a very difficult task, and that was to
move the adoption of the report without making a speech.
The rev. gentleman then read the resolution as follows :
That the report now received be adopted, printed, and
circulated, under the direction of the committee; and
that the following gentlemen comprise the committee for
the ensuing year." He looked to the other side of the
paper but found no names. (Laughter.) He looked to
his reverend brother, the secretary, and found he
had no names. He was so satisfied they were so
well acquainted with the society that they would re-
collect the names of those who formed the committee
for the past year, and therefore he had left the list at
home. (Laughter.) They would. perhaps, naturally
ask why he came under such a very ticklish eligfwenient
lie would tell them. He was lately at Cheltenhltu fur
this very society, and at Cheltenham they made him the
LlON—(cheers)—and therefore he made a very long
speech. It would not become him to say it was a good
one, but the people of Cheltenham seemed to think tO.
(Applause.) Now the Cheltenham lion had come to Li-
verpool. (Loud and continued cheers.) And he was
content on the present occasion to be a much smaller I
animal, he would be the mouse that nibbled the cord, that