The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-05 00:00:00

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In conclusion, he condemned the anti-corn law agitation, as
calculated to disturb, to no purpose, the patience with which
the people bore their sufferings.

Mr. M. GIBBON defendede anti-corn law agitatiou, and
said he had no better mode of creating a public opinion
through the country, than by sending missionaries to teach
and enlighten the people. He would not say that the corn
laws were the sole cause, because there were other mischie-
vous restrictions, but they were, in his opinion, the main

cause of the distress.
Mr. WILLIAMS then moved that the debate be adjourned
until Monday next, which was assented to by Sir R. Peel.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and t e
house adjourned.

PRIVY COUNCIL.-SATURDAY

THE VICAR OF GEDNEY AND THE WESLEYAN METHO

ESCOTT V. MASTIN.—Their lordships gave judgment in
this case, which was argued last week, and which has excited
so much interest in the church and among the dissenting bo-
dies. It was an appeal from the Ecclesiastical Court in a
suit against the Rev. Mr. Escott, vicar of Gedney, in Lin-
colnshire, for refusing to read the burial service over the body
of a child, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Cliff, the 16th
and 17th December, 1839, on the ground that she was un-
baptised, i.e., had been baptised by a Wesleyan minister,
which, according to the appellant's construction of the canons
and rubrics of the church, amounted to no baptism at all.
The foundation of the suit was the canon of 1603, entitled,
" Ministers not to refuse to christen or bury," by which it
was ordained, that no minister shall refuse or delay to
christen any child according to the form of the Book of Com-
mon Prayer that is brought to the church to him upon Sun-
days or holidays to be christened, or to bury any corpse that
Is brought to the church or churchyard, convenient warning
beine, given him thereof before, in such form as is pre-
scribed in the said Book of Common Prayer; and if he shall
refuse to christen one or bury the other, (except the party
deceased were denounced excommunicated majori excommu-
nicatione for some grievous and notorious crime, and no man
able to testify of his repentance,) be shall be suspended by
the bishop of the diocese from his ministry for the space of
three months." The sentence of the judge below was,
" That the Rev. Thomas Sweet Escott, clerk, be accordingly
suspended for the space of three mouths, from all discharge
and functions of his clerical offices."
Lord Brougham went at great length into the arguments
on the part of the appellant, on which it was contended, that
baptism, by a person who had not received episcopal ordina-
- -e effect than baptism by a layman, and
dden by the canons and rubrics from
has, conset

performing
was invalid

hr the rite so performed
d if so

the ministers of the Church were not only justified in refu-
sing to read the burial service in such a case, but were bound
to do so under severe penalties. Their Lordships were of
opinion, that, taking \Vesleyans and other ministers, not
episcopaly ordained, to have no more authority to baptize
than laymen, there was nothing in the canon of 1603, or the
rubrics of Edward the Sixth and Elizabeth, to show that lay
baptism was invalid. There were passages in each which
showed that cases were contemplated in which the attendance
of a clergyman could not be procured, from want of time and
distance of place ; and, although lay persons were subject to
ecclesiastical censures, if they obtruded themselves unneces-

sarily into this or any other office of Church, it was plain
that the rite was valid by whomsoever administered, if done
in the prescribed form. viz., by the sprinkling of water in
the name of the Trinity. After going very ably and elabor-
ately into the other points, his lordship concluded by ex-
pressing their Lordships' strong disapprobation of the lan-
guage in which a judgment of Sir John Nichol in a former
case (in which he had come to the same conclusion) had been
spoken of by the appellant, and " other reverend persons,"
and which he could only ascribe to " that heat of temper
which is unfortunately too commonly found in theological
controversies" ; and stated that the sentence of the Court
below must be affirmed with costs. -