The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-12-02 00:00:00

MANCHESTER PROTESTANT OPERATIVE

Church of Rome. The rev. gentleman then proceeded to
read the articles from Pope Pius Creed, and showed their
opposition to the ancient creed of the church, which was
propounded in 325, and had never been altered as the
creed of the church up to February 4th, 1546. They had
the evidence of the Council of Trent, and in this instance
he bowed to its infallibility, that up to that time no other
creed was ever known or heard of in the Christian church.
The four first general councils proved this creed to the
year 451 ; and the last general council, 109.) years after,
the Council of Trent proved it up to the 4th February,
1546. Was this, then, the true and ancient creed of the
church until the middle of the sixteenth century, or not?
If not, the Council of Trent had told a falsehood; if it
was, it must be so at this day. If it was the true Chris-
tian faith then, it was so now ; and the church that held
it then, and the church that held it now, must be the
church that held the ancient Christian faith. But if toe
Council of Trent was true in asserting that the reacting of
this creed had been the shield against heresies, that it had
even converted heretics and confirmed the faithful—how
was it possible, on the authority of the Council of Trent,
that the men who held that creed at this day could be he-
retics ? If the whole Christian church held it then, (and
the Council of Trent said so,) surely they must admit that
those who held it now were the Christian church? How,
then, could they denounce Protestants as heretics, when,
on their own showing, Protestants held the faith which
they declared to be the firm and only foundation against
which the gates of hell should never prevail ? The rev.
gentleman concluded amids' great applause.
At the suggestion of the Chairman, a great number of
shares were taken for the erection of a Protestant Hall,
and it was determined to purchase the Hall of Science,
(lately belonging to the Socialists.) for that purpose.

ASSOCIATION.

The seventh annual meeting of this association was
held on Thursday last, and was attended by a crowded
and respectable assembly. Between fifty and sixty
clergymen were present. The Rev. Hugh Stowell, the
president of the association, took the chair, and delivered
a very animated address, after which the report was read,
from which it appeared that the society was accomplishing
wide-spread good. Many thousands of tracts had been
distributed during the year, and a library had been in
operation for some months, containing upwards of 130
volumes. _

The speakers were the Revs. W. W. M`Grath, J. H.
MacGui'e, W. K. Tatam, W. Huntingdon, T. T. Eager,
and R. J. 111`Ghee. We can only find room for a por-
tion of the address of the latter gentleman. _ .

The Rev. R. J. M'GHEE, after alluding to the degraded
and immoral condition of the Papacy during and before
the sixteenth century (as admitted by Romish writers
themselves), and the consequent general clamour through-
out Europe for reform, went on to speak of the Reforma-
tion as follows ;—England first began to carry it into ef-
fect; it was begun in 1537, eight years before the assem-
bling of the council of Trent, but not by Luther. Before
the reformation, all the services were in Latin, of which
the people did not understand a single word. They con•
sisted of prayers taken from ancient liturgies, and various
others that had been superadded, as the corruptions arose
in the church, to saints and to the Virgin Mary ; and
these constituted the public worship of the church, pretty
much as they were at present in the missals and the bre-
viary. The first act of reformation in the time of Henry
VIII., was to have the prayers and public service in a lan-
guage that the people understood ; but this was not the
act of Henry VIII., nor of Luther, but of the Bishops of
the Church of England in convocation assembled, who
appointed a committee to draw up a book in the
language the people understood ; and that book was
called " The godly and pious institution of a
Christian man." It contained the Lord's Prayer,
the ten commandments, " Ave Maria," and the
seven sacraments. This was published in 1540; three
years after it was corrected and amended, and was then
called—" A necessary doctrine and erudition for any
Christian man." The convocation, however, petitioned
for a reform of the rituals and offices of this book ; the
word of God was having free course and being glorified
among them ; and as they read their Bible they became
more and more discontented with the services that had
been introduced into the Church of Rome, for they could
not find the seven sacraments or " Ave Maria" in the
Bible. A committee of divines was again appointed, and
in 1545 they published a book called "The King's
Primer," containing the Lord's Prayer and the ten com-
mandments,—the seven sacraments and the " Ave Maria"
were gone.—and the morning and evening player in Eng-
lish, pretty much as we had them at this day. This was
in 1845, so that England had been carrying on her reform-
ation for eight years. Now commenced a new era in the
reformation ; for on the 13th of December, 1545, the
Council of Trent was assembled for the purpose of re-
forming the Church of Rome ; and from that time the
Church of England and the Council of Trent proceeded
step by step together in their mutual reformation till the
year 1563. In England, on the 2nd of December, 1547,
the first year of Edward VI., the convocation unani-
mously resolved that the communion in both kinds
should be given to the laity. This was ratified by an
act of parliament, and a committee of bishops was ap-
pointed to compose a communion service, according to
the rules of Scripture and the usages of the primitive
church, and afterwards a whole liturgy. This book was
set forth by the common agreement of the provincial con-
vocations of Canterbury and York, and was then ratified
by act of parliament; it proceeded, as it ought to proceed
from the bishops and the clergy, they were the persons
who made the reformation, and then it was ratified as it
ought to be, by the law of the land. This was in the 2d
and 3d of Edward VI., 1548. The Council of Trent as-
sembled on the 13th of December, .1545 ; in 1546, she
held four sessions ; in 1547, she held her sixth session on
justification, and one on reformation ; the seventh session
was on the sacraments in general, and baptism and con-
firmation; the eighth was on the Eucharist; and the
ninth and tenth were prorogations; and then her assem-
blies were suspended for three years—]s4B, 1549, and
1550. Our liturgy, which had been composed by one
archbishop, seven bishops, four deans, and one archdea-
con, was again revised and amended in 1551, and so con-
tinued till the end of the reign of Edward VI., in 1553.
When Mary ascended the throne, this liturgy was abo-
lished, and the mass was restored as the service of Eng-
land. The history of Mary's reign from 1553 to 1558,
was a history written in tears and in blood ; the Bible,
liberty of conscience, and the free worship of God were
proscribed ; and those who had established that church,
now so basely betrayed by some and deserted by others,
sealed its establishment with their blood. Winn Eliza-
beth ascended the throne in 1558, the liturgy of Edward
VI. was restored, with some slight alterations, one of
which he deeply regretted—the omission from the litany
of the prayer, " From the tyranny of the Bishop of
Rome, and all his detestable enormities, good Lord de-
liver us." The Council of Trent, which had suspended
its sessions during Mary's reign, held its 17th session in
1562 ; and the 25th session was the last. During these
sessions there were 1U decrees and 134 chapters on reform-
ation,—a pretty clear evidence that Rome acknowledged
that reformation was wanted in her church. It was
worthy of remark that this council closed its sittings by
pronouncing an anathema on all heretics,—which, nccord-
jug to their own interpretation, meant devoting them to
eternal destruction. Was this the language of the minis-
ters of Him who came to seek and to save that
which woe loot ? Was it the language of the heart
of any Roman Catholic present? Would they not rather
say, salvation andlmercy to all heretics; for such was the
language and the prayer of Protestants on their behalf ?
Now the two reformations had proceeded together, step
by step, in England and in Europe : which of the two
churches had purified the profession of the Christian faith
from the errors from which it confessedly needed to be The annual meeting of the Liverpool Auxiliary Branch
reformed, and brought it back again to the primitive of this Society, was held on Thursday evening, in the
standard of ancient Christianity ? To determine this Music Hall, atict was numerously and most respectably
question we must ascertain what was the standard of the attended. Amongst the clergymen and laymen on the
ancient Christian church.— [Here the rev, gentleman platform were Dr. Byrth, Dr Raffles, Dr Edwards, the
exhibited, upon a pole provided for the purpose on the Rev. Messrs. W. W. Ewbank, F. Parry, W. Appleford,
platform, a copy, printed in large letters, of the " Nicene Cordeaux, Hampton, Davies, and G. °shone—Messrs.
creed."]—This was the creed of the ancient Christian W. Cook, Edwd. Cropper. C. H. Jones, W. Maples,
church ;it was composed at the Council of Nice, in 325. John Priestley, W. J. Tomlinson, Wm. Ray, Jost ph Y.
The "Apostles' Creed" was so ancient that no ecclesias- Ashton, John Crosfield, R. A. Payne, Thos. Crook, J.
tical historian could assert when it was composed ; if not 0. Jones, and others.
by the apostles themselves, it was composed at or near to Dr. BYRTH, Rector of Wallasey, was called to the
the apostolic age. It might be asked why a new creed chair, and toter some remarks in favour of the society,
was composed in 325 ? It was not a new creed ;it contained which, from what it had already and was yet destined to
no new articles; bat the Council of Nice having assem- do, he hesitated not to say, was the grandest for the pro-
bled to oppose the Arian heresy, which bad then pogation of the Holy Scriptures, stated that the Rev.
sprung up, they enlarged the points of the Apostles' S. C. Dudley, Secretary to the Parent Society, would
Creed that involved the divinity of Christ. Such, then, furnish some most interesting statements, showing such
was the profession of the whole Christian church at the a revival of true religion in various parts, as called for
Council of Nice in 325. The Council of Constantinople, the deepest gratitude to God, through whom alone it
in 381, recapitulated the creed of the Council of Nice, as could have arisen. He hoped these statements would
did the Council of Ephesus in 431. At that council it was create a new impulse.
mentioned that two elders had proposed a different creed The Rev. W. FWBANK introduced the first resolution,
to some persons who were to be received into the church, to the effect, that while the meeting desired the blessing
and the council decreed that it should be lawful for no of God on the labours of the Parent Soc;ety, and re-
one to profess, write, or compose any other form of faith joiced in the increasing evidences of that blessing, both
except the Nicene Creed, and that any one doing so, if a at home and abroad, it recognised an imperative cltuim on
bishop, should be deprived of h's episcopacy ;if a clergy- all Protestant Christians to give still wider diffusion to
man, of his clerical office, and if a layman, he was to be the Holy Scriptures. In the course of his address he
excommunic ited. It was clear, then, that was the stand- remarked that the Clergy of the Church of England were
and of Christian faith up to 431. The Council of Calce- not bound by the canons to keep aloof from such societies,
don assembled in 451, and again recited this creed and as- unless str ctly forbidden by the Bishop, and in this in-
serted these principles. Thus, four successive councils, stance their course was easy, as their excellent diocesan
up to the middle of the fifth century, declared that this was himself favourable to the object in view. Although
was the only creed of the Christian church. There was parties differed in their interpretation of portions of the
one more evidence, which was the most important poist Bible, if all studied it, they would arrive, with the
in the whole Romish controversy, for it supplied a weapon teaching of the Holy Spirit, at a knowledge of those
with which the Protestants might beat down all the power essential truths which could alone lead to salvation.
of Popish priestcraft. On the 4th February, 1546, (the Dr. BYRTH introduced Mt. Dudley to the meeting,
date was important,) the Council of Trent assembled in as the Indefatigable friend of the cause, who had nearly
its third session, which was convened for one single ob- 30 years ago been the means of his attaching himself to
jrct,—the exposition of the faith of the Christian church the Society.
from the counnencement of Christianity to that day; and The Rev. Mr. DUDLEY then came forward, and was
they decreed—" Tnat this creed, which the holy Roman enthusiastically received. He stated the object of the
church uses as that summary io which all who profess the society, which was the diffusion of the word of God,
faith must necessarily agree, acid that firm and only without note or comment throughout every part of the
foundation against which the gates of bell shall never pre- world to which it could obtain access, and showed be nu-
vail, shall be read in those words in which it is read in all nierous details, the great progress it had made since its
the churches." And then they recited the creed of the formation forty-one years ago. When it was established,
Council of Nice; so that the creed which had been set —on the 17th of March, 1804, there was not a single
forth by the tour first general councils, and held by all the society that had for its sole object the circulation of the
intervening councils, was acknowledged by the Council of Scriptures, though the re were several societies who corn-
Trent to be the only creed of Christendom in the year bined this to some extent with other objects. Now,
1546. Then the question arose, in the reformation of the i then- were in England and Wales no fewer than 3,008 so-
two churches at Trent and in England, which church had cieties having that sole purpose in view; In Ireland, there
abandoned all the corruptions that had crept into and rte- were 553 ;in Scotland, about 60. Iti the various Pro-
filed the church, and caused all Europe to cry out for re- testant states of Europe: there were 1740 similar socie-
formation,—and set up for the people the ancient creed of ties; and it was gratifying to say, that at this moment
the holy, catholic, Christian church, anti thrown open the j every Protestant sovereign was friendly, including our
Bible for all her subjects to read and understand ?—(Loud gracious Queen, who was a subscriber. In Asia, there
applause, and " The Church of England ") What church were 91 Bible societies ; in Africa, rude as it wee, 21; in
had altered, corrupted, and added to the ancient creed 12 North America, including Canada, &c., 2,800; in the
new articles unknown in the former one ?—(Here the rev. Wes, Indies, 400, of which 212 weie conducted by eman-
gentleman exhibited a copy of the creed known as Pope cipated slaves; in Australia, New South Wales, and Van
Pius's creed.)—This was the novel creed of the Church Dieman's Land, 17. Thus there were in all upwards of
of Rome, never heard of in the Christie,. church till 8.000 of such societies, and wherever they had been esta-
December 9th, 1564, when the pope printed it in a bull, blished, there was a co-operation of all for the benefit of
and commanded it to be read by the whole Christian all, every one having for its object the universal circula-
world. Which, then, was the ancient, and which the tion of the word of God. At the time of the society's
novel church ? How could they determine the anti- formation,there werebutabout4 000,000 copies oftheßible
quity of a church ? What was meant by a church ? circulated, and about halt' of these in England. In
Not a certain body of men, who were continually forty-one years, that is, up to March last, there had been
changing, but a succession of men united together for the circulated by the Parent Society 17,000 000. in whole or
same profession of Christian faith. AA that body of men in part, and in America 11,000,1,00, waking a total of
who were proved to be united together by the same faith 28,000.000, or seven-fold the number at the time the so-
whicn the apostles held, which the primitive church held, ciety was formed ; and so far from the demand decreasing,
and which never was changed, on the evidence of the it continues rapidly to advance. Another evidence of the
Council of Trent. till the year 1546, which at that day favour of God was to be found in the multiplicstion of
minuted the creed of all Chi istendom—that church must translations required. Before, it had been translated into
be the true and the ancient church ; while the church only 41 languages; it was now printed and circulated in
which had added to that creed a set of novel articles, not 138 different languages. Before, it was accessible to only
ktio an iu that creed—never heard of by a general council 200.000,000 of people; now it was eastribiated in the lan.
—never kn swn in Christendoeu—never acknowledged in a guages spoken by 600,000,000. He related an interesting
Christian church—that church was the novel church and statement of the pious labours of the late Hannah More,
the apostate churco. He would now ask the Roman Ca- in a village in England, where she at first found only one
tholics where was their church before Luther ? Luther Bible, and that supporting a flower pot, but soon after
died in 1546; and we had the evidence of the Council of could not find a family without one, and such was the
that date this was toe creed of all the effect upon the morals and character of the people, that
Trent,
church. This was the creed of the English he had seen two gaols tenantless, and on asking the turn-
cChrhieirnriCtti'li that
liaiattt hueP t
time of Luther's death ; it was the creed of key to what he attributed the change, he replied," To
all Christendom before ; and it was the creed of the Eng- I the Sunday schools, and the circulation of the Bible.'
lisp church at this day. (Applause, and "Ihe 39 anti- I He next noticed France as furnishing of late years further
cles.") Of the 39 articles of the Church of England not evidence of a revival of true religion. The Bible was then
one was proposed to any man as an anicle of faith. The distributed by the agents of the society, the col-porteur,
Counc lof Ephesus denounced any one who should dare or hawkers, who carried them over the country on their
to add to that creed anything to be proposed to those who backs, and sold them for a very small price. Their ex-
were to he admitted into the Christian church. The 39 cellent agent in Paris had last ye it disposed of 150,000 of
articles were never proposed to a layman; they were the the sacred volume in that city alone, and these, together
standard of doctrine, according to which the clergy ought with the labours of many excellent Protestant pastors who
to teach ; but they contained not a single new article of bad sprung up, had wrought a wonderful change amongst
faith. But the Church of Rome proposed the new creed large communities, where during the blood-stained days
to any one wino sought admission into that church ; and of the revolution, the Bible was not only scoffed at, but
they could not be admi ted unless they subscribed it. committed to the flames amidst the most horrible impre-
Thoee who subscribed the old creed joined the Church cations. Holland, though a Protestant country had been
of England ; those who aubtcr,bcd the new joined the found deplorably destitute of Bibles; and the Society had

NECESSITY OF CHURCH EXTENSION IN
TOXTETH-PARK.

Political economists may talk of the extension of our
trade, and statesmen refer to the favourable budget of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, in proof of our national
prosperity and resources—the result of the enterprise and
industry of our general population ; but however flatter-
ing may be their asseverations, they furnish no decisive
proof of the true well-being and prosperity of the coun-
try. Commerce may flourish, and the finances of the
country may be sufficient to meet all honourable engage-
ments ; but these do not constitute the true happiness and
security of a people. Tnere may be, and there generally
is, in the background, much of that reckless improvidence
that frustrates all genuine enjoyment ; much of that im-
morality and crime, with all their deplorable consequen-
ces, which meet not their observation ; and no community
can, collectively or individually, be truly happy or secure
unless they he imbued with religious feelings, in the wake
of which follows just and kindly feeling between man arid
man. The gratification of mere animal and luxurious
propensities never yet permanently elevated the character
of a nation. Where religious instruction and impressions
are wanting, prosperity cannot be borne with meekness,
nor adversity with patience. The Word of God, which
points at the future destiny of man, according t.) his de-
serts, and which cannot be evaded, can alone effectually
restrain those rampant propensities to evil which are in-
herent in his nature ; and its dissemination is far more
potent than whole armies of police, or the uplifted sword
of the human law. Thus it is that the clrristian is a bet-
ter subject, a better far her, a firmer friend, than the
scoffer or the unbeliever ; and it therefore becomes a duty
of all who acknowledge the blessings of religion in them-
selves, when they find a multitude of their fellow-creatures
around them thirsting for the waters of life, to step for-
ward and lead them to the sacred fount of which they
have themselves gratefully partaken.
We are led to these remarks by finding the respected
clergy of St. James's, St. Bride's. and St. Thomas's. in
Toxteth-park, have recently repeatedly met " to delibe-
rate on the lamentable state of religious destitution in
their respective cures, and to advise upon the best plan
tor effecting an increase of church accommodation. At
one of the meetings a detailed statement of the condition
arid requirements of these districts (which are rapidly in-
creasing in population) was submitted, and as a remedy,
in the first instance, it was suggested that three new
chu ches should be erected and endowed. A subscription
was entered into, and £1055 was immediately raised.
Several donations have since been received, amounting in
all to about £2BOO, and a committee and officers has been
appointed to conduct the good work, ar.d, we trust, pro-
secute it to a successful issue. The appeal which they
make in behalf of these churches is based upon facts
which claim the most serious consideration and ge-eroiss
aid of our whole christian population. In St. James's
district there are 20,000 inhabitants, with accommodation
for 1000 only in St. James's Church, and for 4300 by Dis-
senters and in Welsh chapel,,, leaving 14,700 without ac-
cess to the House of God. In St. Thomas's district the
population is 17,149, and but 3313 are accommodated,
leaving 13,831; unprovided for. The free sittings in both
districts are very few ; and it is proposed to allot at least
one thousand in each of the three new churches, by which
it is proposed " to multiply the instrimentality of the
Church of England, whose peculiar excellence it is to
unite with divine worship and preaching, a system of
pastoral superintendence over a specified district, thus
teaching from' house to house,' and carrying counsel and
insitition to the homes of the poor." Ir is also intended
to attach a school to each church. Amongst the donors
and amounts already subscribed we find :—Nlatthew
Gregson, Esq., £200; Edward Cropper, Esq.. £2OO ;
John Swift, Esq., £200; " A Friend to Church Exten-
sion," £3OO ; Richard H a rbord , Esq., £lOO ; with several
others of £5O, £4O, &c. The cause is a holy one, and to
each and every of our wealthy townsmen we would say ,
"Go thou and do li .ewise." It will be seen by ah an-
nouncement in another column that a public meeting on
the subject will be held on Friday next, when the Lord
Bishop of the Diocese will take the chair.

THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY