The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-19 00:00:00

POPERY THE " MYSTERY OF INIQUITY."

FEARFUL DISCLOSURES.

(From the Morning Herald.)

It will be remembered that about a year and half ago
considerable alarm and indignation were excited by the
discovery that a young Cambridge student, named Morris,
had been offered a dispensation by the Romish clergy,
permitting him to remain in Cambridge, to continue his
studies, to feign himself still a Protestant, deceiving both
his parent and his tutors,—he having been, in fact, ad-
mitted into the Romish church.

Dr. Wareing, the Romish Bishop of Northampton, in-
dignantly denied the charge; but it was clearly proved
that the young man himself had, in the simplicity of his
heart, spoken of the offer ; and no reasonable doubt could
remain that such a proposition, immoral as it was, had
actually been made to him.

On .that occasion, however, the wickedness was only
contemplated. We had a glimpse, it was true, of the
morality of the Romish Church, but it was only a
glimpse. The last few days has brought to light another
case, in which this same atrocity has been absolutely per-
petrated. and that for a series of months !
The Rev. Dr. Hook, the Vicar of Leeds, has just pub-
lished a sermon, preached and published " with reference
to a late act of apostacy." Of that act of apostacy he
thus speaks, in a preliminary address :

" I preached this sermon on love to the Church of England,
and, at your request, I publish it, because, as you are aware, a
clergyman has apostatised to the Church of Rome, who, a few
months ago, was officiating as a curate in this parish. I was
desirous of laying before my congregation, in one short dis-
course, the important subjects upon which I am accustomed
to enlarge.

" Mr. Jephson was recommended to me as a curate, by .a
clergyman holding a high position in the Irish Church; who
informed me that Mr. Jephson had at one time been unsettled
in his principles, but assured me that he was now devoted to
the interests of the Church of England. He showed me a letter
from Mr. Jephson, in which lie expressed himself to the same
effect. Mr. Jephson, who had been curate of Wilby, in Nor-
folk, produced the necessary testimonials, signed by
beneficed clergymen, and countersigned by the Lord Bishop of
Norwich. To me he was a perfect stranger, but he declared
himself to he a decided Anglican.' His license bears date the
Bth of January, 1847." three

The date is ;mportant. In January, 1847, we beg
our readers to observe, Mr. Jephson became curate of
Leeds, and he continued to hold that curacy until Mid-
summer of the present year 1848. He remained in Leeds
until August, the month which has just passed away►
mingling with the clergy and laity, as a clergyman of the
Church of England, and never uttering a word of any
preference for Popery. •In August he left Leeds, profes-
sedly to seek the restoration of his health, and avowedly
purposing then to take another curacy. But then, adds
Dr. Hook :
" A few days after they had left Leeds. and two months after
he had resigned the curacy on account of ill health, Mr. Jephson

sent to tee senior curate at the parish church an insulting letter,
in which he announced the fact that he, together with his wife,
had been received at Birmingham into the Church of Rome."
This might be considered somewhat strange, but what
will our readers say to the following ?

"Judge, ge,tlemen, of the surprise which, under these cir-
unstances. I experienced when I received info/I,IIMo, last

week, that Mr. and Mrs. Jephson had been received into the
Church of Rome, not on their quitting Leeds in iluoust, 18482
but in the year 1846, before his coining to Leeds ; that, even,
then, while professing himself to be ' a decided Anglican,' lie,
was actually a member of the apostate Church of Rome.
this fact you may receive the proof by referring to ,The
(Roman) Catholic Directory Almanac and Eczlesiastical
Regis-
ter,' for 1847, of which a copy will be left at the publisher s.
This work, which was published in January, 1847, is of indis-
putable authority, being the annual register of the Romanists,
which is issued permissu Superiorum. At page 186 you Will
find the following passage:—

" CONVERSIONS.—In the directory of last year we chronicled
a few of the leading conversions to our holy faith, most of which
were then recent. We now give the names of other cot verts,
who made profession of the (Roman) Catholic faith after the
directors went to press, and also the names of others who have
since been admitted into the church. The list, though select,
is by no means complete, for we have reason to know that other
distinguished names could be given. Were an enumeration
made of all the converts since our last publication its vastness
would excite surprise. The names of the new converts we now
give as follows.'—Then follow the names of 14 clerical apos-
tates, the fifth name in the list being that of the Rev. J. M.
Jephson, curate of Wilby.' At page 187 a list is given of other
converts,' and in that list occurs the name of Mrs. Jephson,
who is described as Mrs. Jephson, wife of the Anglican minis-
ter, who also became a (Roman) Catholic.' "

Thus it appears quite clear, and beyond the possibility
of doubt, that Mr. Jephson was received into the Church
of Rome in the autumn of 1846, and being so received,
his next step, taken, doubtless, with the approbation of
his new spiritual guides, was to offer himself to
Hook, as curate of the parish church of Leeds ! Th,,a"
this implied no sudden revulsion,—that he did not oat
itft
yrhe from
enp
wtriiess
mre
were
Protestantisms again,eyv several
rila lis
Rs
caoltinmeCoaei Popery,rshfcr
pormti;ost ithisicasanntdL circumstance
retehcdet
Leeds, who
wybackho s
v:te7roi
se Ti. b:uni
.!
version. And had theme believed him toe be a recreant from
their body, resentment would have led them to denounc,
him. But beyond question they were made acquaintea
with the part he was acting, and quietly followed the
instructions they received. eeted,
nib
uaHtn
nownereer:
tthen,hat establishedaims
atnhienh appallingat
clergymen of the Churchshelo3efmethe h'l
all w 1 e,
important churches in all England, he being,
and therefore, of neces-
sity,a publicly-professed Romanist, of
a hater and detester of the Protestant Church
England, and a contemner of her rites and her belief.
The fact, it is clear, shakes the very ground under our
feet. It is sufficiently obvious that not only have We 'er()
Eno
ns!io onsdi
publicly,tivi le
ministering,oa on
ed
ol rf r f rh
ee
maa able
at

an apostate clergyman, willing to deceive—to act a Par
to assume a false character ; but we have also the Rornish
authorities in this country, ready to give, in this, and
doubtless in other cases, what they offered to poor
MORRIS, DISPENSATION to converts, to appear and
profess themselves whatever may tend to advance the
interests of the Church." And this readiness neces-
sarily spreads a wide distrust. How many men have
we in the Church of England, who have long pro-
fessed Romish doctrines, and whose apostacy has been
expected for years past, as a natural and proper act
on their part ? But they do not apostatize, or rather,
they do not openly apostatize. What is the inference
which must be silently drawn by many minds ?
Dispen-
sations are ready—are promptly offered, by the Remise
authorities, to persons in these circumstances. Who,
then, can tell, whether the Puseys. Dodsworths, Bennetts,
are, or are not, actually Romish Priests at this moment.
They may be such, and yet be still ministering among es,
that fact Dr. Hook has now established. they act as
such persons would act, that is open to all men's view;
Who can help wishing that such a " mystery of iniquity
as this miscalled " Church of Rome" were thoroughl/
understood and appreciated among us, alike by• ouri
bishops, our legislators, and our rulers both in church an
state ?
This poor man must, we apprehend, when licensed fs,r
the first time in the diocese of Ripon, have anew subscribed
the Articles of the Church of England,—those Articles
which, in the plainest terms, and under a variety of beads,
condemn the doctrines of the Church of Rome ! Yet he
had just before submitted himself to that Romish system'
and had avouched his belief in those very doctrines whichl.-
at Leeds, he disclaimed ! What a religion is that 01.
Rome; or rather, how truly does Scripture term it—the
mystery of iniquity !

VICISSITUDES OF TRADE

(From the Times.)

The problem is to distinguish between real and fictitioul
prosperity, between an increase in permanent trade, ...51°'
that which is merely the result of a transitory crisis. x 4",
traordinary prosperity in our manufacturing districts
invariably followed by a reflux. The Registrar in ht
report instances the case of Birmingham, and discusses 6
length the fluctuations in its trade. Increased demand i¢
that town, realising to the masters increased profits, to te"
men increased wages, to the boys rapid promotion, is II;
eertained now to have but a limited term. For five Yet';a
it lasts—the sixth is the year of reckoning. The w
has occasion but for so many teapots, dolls, fireirons, it
tannia-metal spoons, brass rods, and lamps. China eve,h;
and the Indian Archipelago, have occasion for so e2'l.'e
and no more. Now, it is found that in five years' t'rni,
the Birmingham men, when they set themselves to wetb
with a hearty good will, can supply the human racel,fi
more of these articles than they can can consume.
Ddi-
ing this heyday time, " youths have married, the exP°lo.
ture of families has been increased, employers haveelied
larged their establishments, and young men have °P
ared
new factories—for the prosperity at the time Blic me-
perpetual. What really does happen during suc'ffu-
tallic jubilees is merely an anticipation of the wages ° pc;
11,
ture years. The tide ebbs more rapidly than it flowed, ,
an increased population, habituated to an increased :r,
penditure, is thrown out of employment. The RegPtr ear,
General, finding the " tendency to marriage" begill?the
to operate again on the population of Birmingham at en.
beginning of this year, offers them the following veil
sible advice

Y, it
" Without discussing the great question of the Cu
appears anything but unsound advice to recommend the,vio
ple of Birmingham, in the periods of prosperity to .varl
(which I hope are not far distant, for they began t° las,
again in the spring of 1848), to deposit a part of their incr_„d o,
profits and wages in security for at least six years, at the s:tirce
which time it is probable theywill find it a convenient res.,:otest
to fall back upon until prosperity returns ; and should ticsoti.
' value-one-pound,' ever supersede the sovereign, or t foll°°
thequ atseadm
s' Icaparrosme,isuenttoil pthaye-y,'
flint
awboyueldxpsettiilel
experience
that
tdfhne yell:
01:
t a liTshmea
case i c paopfer. '
of the trading atmosphere are for ever stilled by the Jag
Birmingham,,,reoP
is of course given but -09 ed to
gratid ;—Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, are OPof tode•
precisely the same vicissitudes and fluctuati°ll and inti"
More than this, the interests of the agriculturs ,_rwoveri
nufacturing districts are now so inextricablY inw eroirit
the se -
that the loss of the one has ceased to be even -
gain of the other. We shall hear no more of ers sPe
fi.ardistres.'
culating upon high prices in years of commercia i Essex'
Huddersfield and Lincolnshire, the Potteries ariu
must stand and fall together. ber othe
Meanwhile we have to consider the nurn eache"
registered in England alone in the year 1846 r
4.,
_id and'
I+lY
number of 572,625. At the present mcarlacn_t'....roba,
young, men, women, and children, there_ 17)01), witil
about 29,000,000 of us struggling for life aned,l
,eq, in the
the narrow compass of these little islands ; ,r,-I!ndon:i 6
year 1846 the emigrants from the United NI
a state ef s°'
_
not reach the number of 130,000. This is
world
history
ciety which has not yet been known in the.s
I attend aP9II
Did we not feel convinced that remedies
_e should
nature, w 0
evils, and are
regardssueted by their very se 1
we
be disposed to with alarm even anY ices,wh n,
. 1 resour Reg',
the development of our commercial
returns of the vie
see its inevitable consequence in the
nd still.
aral But we cannot recede
re
retreat is
are now fairly embarked in a carcer whe
im-
possible. f blrtb