The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-11-01 00:00:00

To R. H. SHERLOCK, ESQ.

Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.—Arark, vii, 7.
SIR,—As you have deemed it wise, under the pica of de-
fending your own conduct and blaming that of others, to
stand forth as the champion of the Tracts for the Times, and
their authors, Messrs. Newman and Pusey, and thus make
yourself a public character, I trust you will not take amiss
my making a few remarks for the good, I hope, of yourself
and others, and thus extracting good out of evil. In the first
place I must confess to you that I am one of those poor igno-
rant laymen who have never perused the aforesaid tracts ;
this for several reasons : Ist, I have heard their doctrines re-
peatedly denounced by men whose piety you allow to be great,
and are willing to believe is sincere; men deeply read in the
Word of God, and whose reading I believe, (and I dare say
you will not disagree with me.) has been accompanied with
much prayer, for the help of God's Holy Spirit, to give them
understanding to understand what they might read. 2nd,
my daily avocations leave me little time in the week days for
reading any other work than the Scriptures of truth, those
sure guides for time and eternity, and by the aid of which
when I go to the House of God on the Sabbath, I am able to
try the doctrine preached by my pastor, and to know whether
it was of God or uot. Thus, Sir, I know no theology, or ec-
clesiastical learning beyond that taught in Sacred Writ, and
have seldom any controversy, save with the world, the flesh,
and the Devil. You will, therefore, perhaps, consider it very
presumptions in one so unlearned, so illiterate as myself, to
dare to make any remarks, or draw any inferences from your
acknowledged conduct, and from your most learned letter
lately published ; but, Sir, though unlearned in tractarianism,
I nevertheless can discover in yourself one more instance of
the worse than folly of reading those soul-perverting works ;
so true is it that " evil communications corrupt good man-
ners ;" so true is it, to use a homely adage, that " you can-
not touch pitch withoub bring defiled." Though no reader
of these works of Roman emissaries, I have, nevertheless,
watched closely the effect produced by them almost invaria-
bly upon laymen, particularly when the individuals have been
somewhat talented, and of an intellectual turn, which proba-
bly you are, though I am totally unacquainted with you, ex-
cept through your letter. Nor is it necessary that they should
have read the tracts themselves, for the same pernicious doc-
trines are put forth, we all know, under the disguise of novels,
stories, and poems, adapted to all ages and capacities. Thus
young people, inexperienced Christians, in whose hearts and
understanding the good seed of divine truth has scarcely taken
root, tasting this forbidden fruit, become suddenly puffed up
with vanity and self-conceit. The beauty of holiness, the
meekness and lowliness of our blessed Saviour, is displaced
by pride and arrogancy, easily discovered through a specious
veil of sanctity thrown over them in the guise of forms and
ceremonies, which the convert is uninitiated in and does not
comprehend ; the reading of the Word of God no longer ap-
pears half so important as the reading of works containing
and bearing upon the doctrines and practices put forth in the
Oxford tracts ; no other conversation half so interesting as
that relating to the same subject,—a species of mania* ap-
pears to seize the mind of the individual.
In penning these few lines my chief aim is to warn fellow-
Christians against following your example, leaving tha clear
crystal stream which flows from that pure fountain, the Word
of God, to drink of those muddy waters from the Roman
marshes with which Rome's emissaries are now irrigating this
Christian land. That you, Sir, may be able to retrace your
steps is my sincere desire, though I doubt if you can. The
spurious learning of the Oxford Professors is evidently suited
to your natural mind, and it flatters the vanity or pride of
that intellect which you evidently in some degree possess.
May He who has bestowed this intellect upon you direct you
to a better use of it than studying to attain a knowledge of
those things denounced by our blessed Saviour himself in the
chapter with which I commerce this letter.
I remain yours, a lover of that true Christianity which
Christ himself taught, which is learnt only from His word,
and by the help of His Holy Spirit.
* More properly, perhaps, to be called demonia.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL
INTELLIGENCE.
OXFORD, OM 29.

There will be an election at Balliol College on Tuesday,
November 29, to fill a vacant Fellowship and two Scholar-
ships, on the old foundation of that college ; the former is
open to candidates who have taken the degree of 8.A., the
latter are open to candidates who have not exceeded the 19th
year of their age.
Exhibitions will be filled up at the same time ; candidates
from the county of Somerset and from Ludlow and Hanley
Castle Grammar Schools have a preference.
The usual certificates and testimonials are to be presented
to the master by the respective candidates for the Fellow-
ship on the 21st, and for the Scholarships and Exhibitions
on the 19th of November_

The following gentlemen have been appointed to be public
examiners :
hi LITERIS HUMANIORIBUS.
Thi) Rev. J. A. Hessey, Fellow of St. John's College.
The Rev. N. Pocock, Fellow of Queen's College.
The v. P. C. Claugbton, Fellow of University College.
DISCIPLINIS NATHEMATICIS, ET PHYSICIS.
e The i. S. Waldegrave, Fellow of All Souls College.
1c,4
Yesterday the following gentlemen were elected Scholars
of Corpus Christi College :
Mr. Hughes, Trinity College.
Mr. Prince, Brasenose College.
Tne Lord Bishop of London has nominated the Rev. T.
Henderson, of Christ Church, to an unendowed canonry in
the Cathedral of St. Paul's,
The Lord Bishop of Glocester and Bristol has presented
the Rev. C. Holder, of Trinity College, to the perpetual
curacy of Hanham, Glocestershire.
The Venerable W. H. Hal,l, of Oriel College, Archdeacon
of Middlesex and canon of St. Paul's, has been presented to
the Archdeaconry of London.
The qov. J. B. Morris, Fellow of Exeter College, has had
awardedto him the prize of £2OO for the best essay on refu-
tation of Hindooism ; this prize was offered by an unknown
benefactor, through the Bishop of Calcutta.
The University Seal has been affixed to a letter of thanks
to Messrs. Rnndell and Bridge for their gift to the Univer-
sity Galleries of a bronze cast of the shield of Achilles by
Flaxman.

CAMBRIDGE, OCT. 29.

CAIUS COLLEGE.—The following gentlemen have been
selected Fellows of this society :
On the Ancient Foundation.—Frederick William Hill
Jerrard, M.A.
On the Frankland Foundation.—John Thomas Walker,
M.A.
On the Wortley Fonndation.—John Rustul Crowfoot,
M.A.
On the Wendy's Foundation.—Alfred Tolver Paget, M.A.
PERSE FELLOWSHIP.—At a meeting of the Perse Trus-
tees, the Master, and four Seniors, Richard Baggally was
elected a Perse Fellow of the same college.
ST. PETER'S COLLEGE—Frederick Fuller, 8,A., has been
elected a Foundation Fellow of this society'
CHRIST'S COLLEGE.—The following gentlemen have been
elected scholars of this society :—Edward Rogers Pitman,
William Chantler Izard, John Thomas Layard, Arthur Da-
venport, William Osborn Jenkyn, Francis Lambert Cur-
shawe.
JOHN'S COLLEGE.—The Rev. Charles Easther, 8.A.,
has been appointed Head Master of the Grammar-school of
Kirby Ravensworth, Yorkshire.
TRINITY COLLEGE.—A. monument has been raised by
public subscription to the memory of the late Rev. John
Ileyrick Macauley, Head Master of Ripon School, a gentle-
man of great classical learning, and
possessing all the good
qualities of a benevolent disposition. The monument con-
sists of a massive white marble table,with and
base mould-
pen of the Rev. Henry Thom,
ings of the same, containing an eloquent inscription, from the
son of Wrin ton,
scholar of St John's, in this Unp g
iversity. formerly

THE CHURCH.
The following appointments have taken place:—
The Rev. Frederick William Hill Jerrard, M.A., of Caius
College, to the rectory of Strytton St. Mary, Norfolk.
The Rev. Richard Barber, M.A. of St, John's College, to
the perpetual curacy of Heage, in the county of Derby.
The Rev. Joseph Wix, M.A.' of St Peter's College, to be
domestic chaplain to Lord Braybrooke.

FreeunlNgrTaltliEfieTdErbAymEthse.—fiTnhdeinlogveorfs
an
ofefwthde"Trinity
EXTRAORDINARY
the marvellous have
enormous eel in the river Thames and the capture of a small
engaged
dg
itnh eolna
one
t On
Saturday
whale, a vetrhyaunbauisinaalatinviesniteeri,l
lighters brought up in a scoop what they first took to be a
large snake, but which was soon ascertained to be an eel,
measuring nine feet six inches in length, and two feet in cir-
cumference. The captain of a Waterman steamer offered a
large sum for the eel, but it was finally disposed of to a fish-
monger in Shadwell. The ballastmen stated that the eel
snorted and barked at them like a dog when, they first took
it out of the water.

- We understand that a meeting of the Clergy of this dis-
trict took place after the delivery of the Bishop of London's
sitation charge, when a unanimous feeling was expressed that
the suggestions laid down by the rev. prelate should be car-
ried out, where practicable, in the several parishes. The
alterations were commenced in our church on Sunday
last. The usual hymn at tha beginning of the service was
omitted, and the clergyman gave out the psalms which were
sung; he also preached in his surplice, and after the sermon
proceeded to the altar, and read an offertory sentence, and
the prayer for Christ's Courch militant, as prescribed
by the
rubric. The rector, in his discourse, alluded in a very able
manner to these changes, which he said, though he consider-
ed some of them of small moment, he had adopted in com-
pliance with the wishes of his diocesan. He also announced
that daily service would be performed in the Church at eight
o'clock in the morning, and the vigils of saints' days would
be observed.—Chelmsford Chronicle.