The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-04 00:00:00

THE CHURCH AND THE DISSENTERS.

TO THE .EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST4IND2IRD.
PREMATURE PLR/MM.—Dr. Monk, the present Bishop of Gloucester,
has publicly pledged himself to devote a tenth part of the revenues of
that See to the augmentation of small livings within his diocese.
[Had not Dr. Monk better wait till we have settled the affairs of the
Church ?—no doubt. we shall save him the trouble of thus disposing of
his tithes.]--Vide Liverpool Mercury, 23rd November.

SIR, The above is the language of the editor of the Mercury,
and, no doubt, (were they as candid,) of the other liberal editors
of our local journals, aud, with them, the heads of the party.
Some time ago, when these gentlemen took upon themselves
the task of suggesting improvements in our nanonal church,
the working clergy were the peculiar objects of their solicitude,
and the only alterations they appeared wishful to make, were,
to take some part of the revenues .of the better, and of what
they considered over-paid part of the clerical body, and distri-
bute them among their more needy brethren; now, however,
not only are they not to share any part of the largess, but every
one, rich and poor, are to be deprived of the whole of their living.
A short time ago' when the friends of the Establishment
were wont to cry, "Church in danger," it was retorted upon
them that there was no ground for such alarm, (and these libe-
ral gentlemen insinuated that the cry was raised with some de-
signing end in view—often with the intent of injuring the cause
of freedom). Now, however, there can be no mistake ; all,
friends and foes, are agreed that an attack is about to be made
upon the church, and the hopes of the one, andfears of the
other, are therefore not groundless. What, then, ought to be
the conduct of Churchmen at this important crisis ? Ought it
not to be to avail themselves of every opportunity of exerting
themselves in its support? Let Churchmen at this time forget
all manner of differences amongst themselves : let no such idle
distinctions as orthodox and evangelical be heard amongst
them. The common enemy is at tue gate, and they ought to
be united, hand and heart, to resist the attack that is about to
be made upon her. Let neither party indulge the vain hope
that they may gain some advantage over their brethren if. they
give the enemy their support. They are the enemies of both ;
and if they make overtures to either, let that party steadfastly
withstand them, for if they listen to them they are undone.
Unanimity amongst ourselves, at this time, is of the first conse-
quence. It is, as I observed above, not the intention of the
hberals to reform, but to annihilate the church.
Of the Evangelical Dissenters, among whom I class the, Me-
thodists, though I am aware they do not generally consider
themselves as Dissenters, I would say a word or two. The at-
tacks upon the church are principally made by the Unitarians,
backed by the various hordes of other unbelievers ; and, know-
ing their own feebleness, (and not from any fondness they have
for them,) they are seeking the support of the orthodox Dis-
senters, and hope 'to accomplish, with their assistance, that
which they find they cannot do by themselves. From having
been educated among the Evangelical Dissenters, and mixing
a great deal with them, I feel au interest in their welfare, and
have always given them the right hand of fellowship, wherever
I have met them; and I therefore lament to find that some of
their amiable body
.are listening to these dangerous men. I
would ask, what c,ann have this religious body, or rather irre-
ligious body, upon them ? Is it not notorious that they have
-robbed them of almost all their endowed chapels ? Have not
the Socinians filled the pulpits of these chapels with men that
preach doctrines that, could the founders of these place S-arise
from their graves to hear, would strike them with horror? And,
I would ask, do they not, whenever they mingle with them,
damp their zeal and infuse amongst them a withering spirit of
thindirifferenc itheering theology to the essentials of piety ? a natural tendency of
e w,
From whom have the orthodox Dissenters received those
principles which have animated them with so much
zeal, which, for the last few years, they have exhibited in the
spread of the Gospel, but from the Established Church ? Did
those holy and zealous men, Whitfield and Wesley, spring
from the cold regions of Socinianism or Arianism, into which
the old Dissenting churches had fallen ? Did they not emanate
from- the Church of England? Did they not draw from her
hallowed streams those divine principles which animated them
in their work of holiness? and what does not that body owe to
those good men ? From these reasons, therefore, I call upon
the orthodox Dissenters to pause before they lend themselves
to these wicked men, to be the instruments in their hands to
work the destruction of our holy Zion. " Come out from among
them, be separate, and touch not the unclean thing.." They
have not, or ought not to have, any feeling in unison with
them; between you and us there is little or no difference, and
I look forward to the day when we may be united in the same
communion ; but with the Unitarians neither they nor the
Church of England have any feeling in common: The grand
principles the orthodox Dissenters hold are held by us, and they
cannot deny the fact. From our church the majority of 'their
best divines have proceeded. Let them not forget " the rock
from whence they were hewn, and the hole of the pit from
whence they were digged."
Upon Churchmen I call to do all in their power to support
that noble fabric, and ever to keep in mind its holy
doctrines they
taught, forgetting not " that the blood of the martyrs was the
seed of the church."—Yours, &c.
Kirkdale.