Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

1 article on this Page

THE CHURCH CONGRESS.

News
Cite
Share

THE CHURCH CONGRESS. [BY oca OWN REPORTER.] SHREWSBURY, TUESDAY. The thirty-sixth acnual assembly of the Church Congress opened, on Tuesday at Shrewsbury. For the opening day the weather was unfortunately very uufavout :ble, rain falling heavily throughout the who I?* ,f tho day, making matters very uncomfortable tor the large number of clerical and other visitors, who were drawn to the town by this great annllal event. Most admirable arrangements had been made for the gatherings. A spacious temporary hall erected in a charming spot known as the Quarry was set apart for the principal deliberations of the Congress, and provision was made at the Music Hall for other meetings. The whole arrangements in fact were of a character which reflected the highest credit upon the sub- scribers, guarantors, and Reception Committee. Since its formation thirty-five years ago the Church Congress has assembled for its annual session in almost every quarter of the Kingdom, east, west, north, and south. The first Congress was held at Cambridge in 1861, under the presidency of the Archdeacon of Ely. In 1862 it was held at Oxford in 1863. at Man- chester; in lo54, Bristol; in 1865, Norwich; in 1866, York; in 1867, at Wolverhampton; in 1863 (the year of the abolition of Church rates) at Dublin in 1869 (the disestablishment of the Irish Church had been accomplished) the Congress met at Liverpool in 1870—the year of the parsing of Mr W. E. Forster's Elementary Education Act—it JWet at Southampton in 1871 at Nottingham in 1872 at Leeds in 1873 at Bath in 1874, Brighton is 1875. Stoke-on-Trent; in 1876, Plymouth in 1877, Crovdon in 1878, Sheffield in 1879, Swan- sea in 1880, Leicester; in 1881, Newcastle; in 1882, Derbv in 188.3, Heading: in 1884, Carlisle • is 1885, Portsmouth; in 1886, W Itkefield; in jggy Wolverhampton (second visiV; in 1888, Manchester (second visit) in 1889, Cardiff; in 1890 it was at Hull; in 1891, Rhyl, ivHer the presidency of the Bishop of St. A^r-K here, as naturally sue- jested by its locale, the "Church in Wales" was t °Penir, presidential address, his (•rcrehip s contention being that the position of the Church m the Principality had been grossly mis- represented by politicians presnmablv for party pnrposes: and he showed by statistics that the Church was rapidly gaining a firmer footinsr in Wales. In 1892, the Congress assembled at Folke- stone in 1893 at Birmingham in 1894, Exeier was the scene of the Congress, and last year (1895) it met at Norwich, for the second time, after an interval of thirty years. SUBJECTS OF THE CONGRESS. The Shrewsbury programme for the Congress was an excellent one. Elementarv education and the relief of voluntary schools occupied a prominent place. and the other subjects down for discission included t; The continuity of the Church in Eng- land," Church Reform," Self government of the Church through a reform of Convocation," The part of the laity in the Government and adminis- tration of the affairs of the Church." The Discip- linary of the powers of the Church over clergy and laity respectively," The different aspects of the Holy Communion," The bearing of the theory of evolution on Christian Doctrine," "The duty of the Church in regard to the problems of the day," Strikes and lock-outs," The status of the unbene- ficed clergv," The Impoverishment of the clergy," &G. u. THE CONGRESS BUILDINGS. The spacious Congress Hall is worthy of more than a passing notice. It was built from capital designs by Mr. E. Lloyd Oswell, architect, of Shrewsbury. Mr Clark, of Stoke-on-Trent feeing the contractor. The hall was a substan- tial wooden structure, lined with match board throughout it was 186 feet long by 82 wide, and afforded accommodation for 2,500 persons. The roof, whilst not pretentious, was appropriate. It was after the Gothic style, and in the centre was 47 feet from the floor. It was com- posed of corrugated iron. lined with matchboard, and supported on powerful wooden pillars and cross- beams, with iron principals to give extra strength. Two rows of lantern lights ran along its entire length, so that the hall most efficiently lighted bydfiy. Ample illumiLV io?. was provided for the evening meetings by a large namber of powerful electric lamps, the work of laying on the electric Srht having beea most efficier.; !y carried out by Messrs Lea. Son, and Co.. electrical engineers, of Shrewsbury. The floor was boarded over through- out, and comfortable chairs were placed in the regulation rows. Galleries ran round the side and wme end, and at the other end was the platform and speaking rostrum, which afforded a commanding fiew of the body of the hall. Behind and beneath tke platform were the Bishops' room and a JHlmber of commodious committee rooms. The pillars of the hall were draped in pale green, and tke various congress banners (many of them ex- ceedingly beautiful) were hung round the walls or suspended from the roof. Further decorations in e shape of flags and banners, &c., were also ear- ned out, and the whole structure presented a most pleasing appearance. The Mnfic Hall, utilised for j sectional meetings, was also a capital building or the purpose, and afforded accommodation for 1000 persons. The large hall in which an esiastical and Educational Art Exhibition was tln«r a<^iacent to the Congress Hall. In general resem^e(l that structure, both buildings knflth i611 deHiSmed by the same architect, and 40ft hv oruLSame contractor. A reception room, Seninl^S WaS *nilfc at tbe side for use at the The interior of°tbe bn-ld? Iayor on Monday night. a nave and aisles Til Panted the aspect of night by fourteen' f exhlbltl0n was lifted at roof of the nave Th« s°9Pended from the ing arrangements were Z^' electric H^ht" Son, and Co. The floor °ut by Messrs Lea. a speciallv-made material \»v M c°Tered with Blower, Shrewsbury. Me<W«Messrs J. and B. florists, were entrusted with^he 'iw "V* i and *on' Q the floral decorations. CONGRESSIONAL SERMONS A.t various churches in Shrewd s. special sermoms in view of th °n uZJ preached. At St. Mary's ChurchTn^ i*e Bishop of Shrewsbury deliver i *7 admirable discourse on permissible differ the evening the sfrmon was preached by^Tr h m Anson, who spoke on the value of congresses A tie Abbey Church, Archdeacon Richardson V ef St Mary's, Nottingham, preached the m'orn^1" sermon, and the Bishop of Wakefield, from the same palpit in the evening, delivered a vigorous defence ei the Church, while at the morning service at St Giles' Church the same prelate spoke on Clergy wstentation and Congress work generally. At the same Church in the evening, the pnlpit was 80Cnpied by the Dean of St Asaph; at St Chad's the morning sermon was preached by Archdeacon Sandford, Exeter, and other special preachers in- cluded Canon Ainger, a Meole Brace Archdeacon Bmery, at Holy Trinity Church; Archdeacon Ainslie, at All Saints' Church Rev E. Bigoe Bagot, Rector of Bishop Lee Memorial Church, Manchester, at St George's and St Julian's Churches, and Canon Bodington at Bicton. On Sunday afternoon an immense gathering was held at the Congress Hall to hear the Bishop of Shrewsbury's opening address. The vast audience was chiefly composed of working men connected with friendly and trade societies in the town and railway workers who Marched in procession from the Market Square to tJae Congress Hall. The Congress Hall was crowded, about 3,000 persons being present, and the scene was a most remarkable one. Addresses were given by a number of the clergy present, and "The BISHOP of SHREWSBURY, referring to the Armenian question, said he was not aware that up t« the present time Shrewsbury had spoken any word on the subject. Shrewsbury felt very deeply, but Shrewsbury had no opportunity of speaking- its Biind on the subject and testifying by a large assembly how deeply they felt the cruel wrongs which were being done, and which the English people seemed to be powerless to restrain. England had always been foremost in works of charity, and had gone forth to clothe the naked and relieve the destitute. At the Mansion House funds were raised on behalf of sufferers of every creed in every part of the world. A great wave swept over the island of Japan, and hundreds and thousands of people perished. The Mansion House fund was started, and money was sent from the Metropolis to relieve the destitute in that country. To his credit let it be said, the Duke of Westminster had from the beginning allowed his name to be associa- ted with the movement for the relief of the Armenians, and was anxious to raise £60,000 in order to relieve those persecuted and down-trodden people. Rev. H. BIOKBMTETH OTTLEY, vicar of East- fcourne, spoke on The cry for relief from our per- secuted and destitute fellow christians of Armenia," aad Archdeacon EMERY moved the following re- gulation That this meeting of men and women of Shrewsbury assembled in the Church Congress Hall desires to record their horror at the massacres ao lone: continued and perpetrated on Armenian Christians in their own land, and in the capital of • Turkey itself; thev deplore the misery and destitu- tion from which the survivors are suffering, and that with the assurance of their heartfelt sympathy they desire to make an offering to the fund which the Duke of Westminster is endeavouring to raise." (Applause.) The resolution was seconded by tha Archdeacon of Salop, and carried unanimously, the whole audience rising to their feet. A collcction was made at the doors on behalf of the Duke of Westminster's fund for the relief of these unfortunate people. OTHER MEETINGS. Extra Congressional meetings were held on Mon- day. The Church Society for the Promotion of Kindness to Animals held a meeting in the Museum Room at the Music Hall; and the Church Sanitary Association met in the same place during the after- noon the Clergy and Artists' Association held a most interesting exhibition on Monday in the Drapers' Hall; a largely attended meeting was held the same afternoon in the Working Men's Hall, under the auspices of the Church Pastoral Aid Society, for the consideration of the subject of Home Missions of the Church of England in the same place in the evening a meeting was held in connection with the Incorporated Free and Open Church Association in the Music Hall the same evening a largely attended meeting of members, friends, and associates of the English Church Union was held. Viscount Halifax (who presided) deliver- ing an address on England and the Papacy." The Shropshire Church Missionary Association held a meeting on Monday evening, and other meetings were also held in advancement of various good works under Church auspices. On Monday evening an ecclesiastical and educa- tional exhibition was opened by the Mayor of Shrewsbury in the specially erected building already referred to elsewhere. The exhibition-a most valuable one—was largely visited during the Congress session. WELCOME BY THE MAYOR AND NONCONFORMISTS. At 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning the ceremony of welcoming the Congress to Shrewsbury took place in the Guildhall. The Mayor presided, and the hall was filled in every part. The MAYOR, in the course of bis remarks, said :— My Lord President, my Lord, Ladies, and Gentle- men,—I have the honour and the pleasure of welcoming you to Shrewsbury. I need scarcely say that I do so as Mayor on behalf of the inhabi- tants of this ancient borough. But I think I may claim also to speak on behalf of many who live out- side its boundaries and in their name too I bid you a hearty welcome (applause). I welcome the Con- gress as a whole, because it is good for itself and good for us (applause). It is good for us not in the narrow and sordid sense that a great influx of visitors to our town must be of benefit, but in the larger and higher sense that the discussion in our midst of great questions of the highest importance, not only to the Church, but also to the nation, and in some cases to the whole of Christendom—(an- plause)—must for the time life us above our ordin- ary standpoint, and by enlarging our horizon, which is too often bounded by petty cares and still more petty jealouses, enable us to catch a glimpse of the great world of light and thought which lies beyond (applause). We welcome the Congress too as good in itself, because it is by its constitution admirably fitted for the elucidation of the truth and for the formation of public opinion (hear, hear). Amongst the subjects set down for discussion there are many, but particularly two, which especially required dispassionate treatment—I mean the sub- jects of education (hear, hear), and the influence of the theory of evolution on Christian doctrine (applause). The subject of the influence of evolution upon Christian doctrine, being theoretical, is one that admits of wider differences of opinion than education which is a matter of practical politics; but surely, the time is coming when we, who are too much occupied with the daily concerns of the world to be able to work out these subjects for ourselves, may fairly ask the admitted leaders of thought in the Church to tell us how this great theory which colours all modern thought, harmonises with Christian doctrine, and particularly with the special place of man in creation, and the im- mortality of the human soul (applause). The PRESIDENT replied: Mr Mayor of Shrews- bury, as president of this Church Congress, and in the name of the members I heartily thank you for the warm words of welcome which you have spoken to us on this occasion, and for those useful and eloquent remarks which you have made in con- nection with the welcome you have extended to us. In the course oLyour remarks yon have referred specially to two subjects which are to come before the Congress this year, one the very important one of education, and the other the theory of evolution as effecting Christian doctrine, and it in not sur- prising that these two subjects should be of special interest to those who live in Shrewsbury, for Shrewsbury has always been very closely connected with higher education in this country (ap- plause). And in regard to the subject of evolution we don't forget that it was a townsman of yours, one who was born in Shrewsbury—Charles Darwin —whose name is ever to be associated with the scientific theory which is associated with that name. You have spoken to us, too, sir, of the effect of a Church Congress in forming public opinion and modifying it; there is another effect, also that of drawing us all together, members of one Church in the different dioceses of the country to which we belong, and making us realise the unity of the Church, and especially do we feel that here on the borders of the Principality of Wales, because wo reflect how much the Christianity of this country owes to the ancient British Church, and how for many centuries the Church in England has been one. And I may refer to the fact which is to me a satisfaction, that a predecessor of my own in the See of Lichfield, Bishop Lee, in the reign of Henry YIlT-who. by the way, consecrated the first Suffragan Bishop of Shrewsbury—lived during his episcopate 1 believe in the county of Shropshire at Ludlow Castle, and filled the office of the President of the Principality of Wales, aud it is to his just administration of the affairs of the Principality that that complete uuitj of the Welsh and English union was accomplished, which has been preceded for so many centuries by the complete one-ness of the Church (applause). I trust that our visit here may be of some use to those who live in Shropshire and on the borderland of Wales, in quickening Church life. and in making all the members our Church more fully realise what their oppartuuities as well as their responsibilities are. Rev T. TOWNSEND (Congregational Minister) said he had been asked by his brethren, as repre- senting the Free Churchs of the town and district, to present an address of welcome to the Church Congress, and he had much pleasure in doing so (loud applause). The address, which the rev. gentleman read, stated, amongst other things, that there were diversities of opinion between them as Nonconformists and Churchpeople, but on the great and essential doctrines of the Christian faith they almost wholly agreed, and it would scarely be too much to say in the words of Baring Gould- We are not divided, all one body we; One in hope and doctrine, one in cliaritv." (applause). the FreeRFvIDENV ^owusend and members of I am Church Union of Shrewsbury, hearts of all the m i y s leaking what ln the say that we do thank °f the Con £ ress when 1 kind and courteua ni701! D?03« sincerely for this welcome to us on thi« 8enta!lon of an address of I have reason to know^if !10?. °f °Ur ™eetin £ here- the members of my nW„ b°sP'tality which extended to those who 1 urc.h,h.ave so liberally order to attend the Conerosf Vsitln8 this town in to those members, but th'^ A, a3 nt>1; ^een limited being accorded by those who hpf™8 hosPltality which you yourself represent Z*118-40 tbo bodies indeed that «od'a glory V » is are met here for the purposes of OUr pi, We gress. We are here to discuss questions which we MunS we belong. There are, no doubt, as you h°ave minded us, differences ot opinion amongst us Tf these differences of opinion did not exist T there would not be these different relSn! bodies in existence either. But we can all unite in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. we can all unite in one great longing desire for the salvation of all human souls (applause) So far as Nonconformity has been and is—as I believe it has been—a witness to that hold which faith in God has over the minds of our fellow countrymen, so far we freely recognise its influence for good amongst u3 we recognise the great prac- tical benefits that have been secured for our people by its means; and we thank God that there has been a spiritual movement which has saved many a distressed conscience, which could not accept the teaching presented to it in spiritual matters, from drifting away and losing itselt in the terrible and deathly wilderness of blank atheism. (Applause). In the presence of a large concourse of people, notwithstanding the continued rain, a long pro- cession was then formed of surpliced choirs (St. Chad's bsing augmented by several other town choirs), clergy, and Church dignitaries, together with the Mayor and Corporation, the Mayors of several other towns, and other gentlemen, and, accompanied by the Shropshire Artillery Band, pro- ceeded slowly along Market street, St. John's hill, to St. Chad's Church. On the way the choirs sang the hymn The God of Abraham praise." THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK ON THE PAPAL BULL. There was a very large congregation in the Church. The first lesson was read by the Bishop of Hereford, and the second lesson by the Bishop of Wakefield. The Archbishop chose for his text I. Thessalonians v. all things hold fast to that which is good." His grace said the con- junction of the two clauses suggested another meaning, which misrht well atiach to the Apostolic precept—that in all inquiry and in all controversy our legitimate object and desire was the discovery of what was good and true, not the detection ot error or the exposure of what was false. This view threw a blessed light on the whole subject of Christian controversy and all questions affecting reliarious truth or religions life. We lived in an age which was eminently one of controversy No age, indeed, had ever been free from this characteristic, and at every period and in every branch of the Catholic Church it had had its place fr-m the days whellPaul withstood Petertohisface until thepresent hour. If ever thsre was a period in the history of the Chnrch of England when a movement for strength- ening the Church's position in Christendom could find ample justification, it was surely in the present day, with its unparalled progress in intellectual and moral science, and its growing acquaintance with the history of the Church and with the trea- sures of theological literature. In regard to the recent letter issued by the Pope in the matter of Anglican Orders—-a matter now largely occupying the minds of English Churchmen—he would gladly have been spared the pain of criticising that docu- ment, but he could scarcely pass it by. and would briefly state the facts of the case. It. had long been known that the Pope was much interested in this subject, especially in connection with his often expressed desires for Re-union, and that he had appointed a commission to inquire into the whole matter. Th results of that inquiry were embodied in the recent Bull, which was certainly one of the most remarkable documents which had ever issued from the head of the Roman Church. The voice spoke from Rome, but it hailed from England. The source of its inspiration, as well as some part of its actual expression, was sufficiently manifest from documents now in course of publication which had been sent to the Pope by English Roman Catholics to influence him in his judgment of the question at issue. The time was well within the memory of some of them there that day when the representa- tives of the Roman Church resident in this country were content with ministering to the members of their own communities lived amongst us. at least in the bond of peace; and in many cases were welcomed, respected, and loved even by those who were most strongly opposed to anything like Papal claims. All this, however, was changed. Their successors had not only availed themselves of the riyht to minister to their own people or to any who might desire their services but had also laid claim to positions of authority and supremacy enforced by high-sonndirg titles which indeed would not bear a moment's investigation. The Church of England had shown a magnanimous indifference to these claims and pretensions, nor had they made any impression whatever upon the great body of the English people. Without and against the will of the people, England had been parcelled out into dioceses and parishes under Roman clergy, by the sole authority of an Italian prelate who recently occupied the See of Rome. Vast buildings had been erected and magrnificent services inaugurated, whilst priests had been multiplied out of all proportion to the need of adherents. Hereand there, no doubt, game had fallen a prey to these fascinations, as they would probably continue to do. But there was no fact more certain than this, that so far as statistics were able to teach us Romanism was at the present time making no way whatever in England, and by the confession of some of its officials was actually losing ground. I n regard to the Pope's letter, he would be a man of very unstable mind with a very feeble hold on Christian truth, and a very scanty knowledge of ecclesiastical history, who would feel disquieted for one moment by such an utterance as that which had been issued from the Vatican and the net result of which had been to emphasise the isolation of Rome for the rest of Christendon, and to shatter and destroy the hopes and aspirations for Christian re-union to which the Pope had him- self given expression. In a few months or weeks the Bull would be forgotten. The Bishop of Rochester preached at the Abbey Church. His Lordship selected his text Psalm exxxi., 1, 2. Lord my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother; my soul is even as a weaned child." The Bishop of Ballarat preaching at St Mary's, dealt with the non-mysterious, the speeial sphere of the Church and took his text from Deutronomy xxiv. 29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." OPENING OF THE CONGRESS. Two o'clock in the afternoon was the time announced for the opening of the Congress, but long before that hour clergy and laity began to assemble in large numbers in the Congress Hall, and whon the Bishop of Lichfield, as President. of the Congress, assumed the chair, the magnificent building was filled in every part, while hundreds were also standing in the aisles," the extensive seating accommodation being insufficient to meet the requirements. By request of the President the proceedings of the afternoon were commenced bv the singing of the first verse of the National Anthem, the vast audience standing meanwhile and joining heartily in the loyal demonstration. Prayer was then said by the Bishop of Shrewsbury, and after the singing of a hymn, the President deliverel the opening address. The BISHOP OF LICHFIELD (tho Right Rev. the Hon. Agustu3 Legge, D.D.), in the course of his address, said that in the year of grace 796, just eleven centuries age, Offa, of Mercia, died. At that date, Highert, whom he had nominated to the See of Lichfield seventeen years earlier, was exercising jurisdiction as archbishop over a province coterminous with Offa's kingdom. Offa had ob- tained the sanction of the Bishop of Rome to the creation of this new province, and a Council of the English Church held at Cbelsea in 787 had formally approved it. "For," said the diocesan historian, the great Offa little liked the fact that all the bishops of his kingdom of Mercia were nothing more than suffragans to an archbishop who lived in a petty Southern State, upon which be looked with contempt." He, therefore, deter- mined to humble Canterbury and to exalt Lichfield, so as to concentrate his kingdom within itself. Offa recognised the power of religion in fostering and inspiring national life he recognised also the right of a nation to regulate its own ecclesiastical affairs, free from the intrusion of foreign jurisdic- tion. But a true instinct led the Council of ClovA- shoe to restore Mercia after Higbert's death to the province of Canterbury; for a wider nationality was opening out for Englishmen. They were grate- ful for the restoration of their allegiance to the chair of St. Augustine and Theodora, aud thankful to number themselves amongst the dioceses ad- ministered by suffragans of so worthy a successor in the See of Canterbury as their present metro- politan. Now, in the year in which Higbert was consecrated, Offa made himself master at Pen- gwern, the capital of the King of Powis, and called it Scrobbesbyryg, from the abundance of brush- wood on the slopes around it. Then this town of Shrewsbury, with that part of the county which formed the existing archdeaconry of Salop, already long a portion of the ancient British Church, was incorporated in the diocese of Lichfield. Offa built a church on the ruins of the palace of the British king, and happily dedicated i,t to St. Chad, who, by the hands which consecrated him, linked on the British to the Latin Church, and both to the churches of the East, So it came to pass that he was called on to preside at that Church Congress, and not either of his weightier and episcopal neigh- bours in the county of Salop. Shrewsbury was essentially a county town, and that was a Shrop- shire Congress but Shropshire was not yet ecclesiastically one, three dioceses claimed each a part of it. But Shropshire would not always rest satisfied with half measures. As a county it would claim its own diocesan Bishop, exercising JllrlsdlctJon over the whole area of this civil unity. ready the generosity and foresight of one of eir tno81 respected clergy had laid the foundation °ia which this end would be gained, w len he Churchmen oc Shropshire came forward, s ey surely would do, and that at no distant date, TnTl 1iS It was Shropshire, then, T a^. a most hearty welcome to the! urc^ Congress. Here he paused ,° i f er„to aTI which so deeply touched the narrl ° suhject, that they would not pardon h!m, and he should not pardon himself, if f ^f Presentative a meeting of members Withl ,°^Th he passed b" in S.' 'he la"' fortnight the reign of Queen Victoria has exceeded in length that of any other vereign who had sat on the throne of this country. • 'u burnished no record of a wiser or more righteous rule, no example of a purer Court. He leed not touch on the extraodinary progress made m science and in art during the past sixty years nor on the rapid extension of the vast Empire over which our gracious Sovereign ruled, except so far as these thmgs both increased the responsibility of the Church to the world and supplied additional facilities for the spread of the Gospet by her means. He would only express his conviction that the extension of political power to the democracy and the provision of free education for all the children of theii people should serve to impress on the ministers of Christ's Church that the Gospel which they preached was for all, that the society to which they belonged was for all, that the ministrations of religion which they provided was for all, that parish churches were not their property, but that of the baptised parishioners, and, further, that their teaching must appeal to and convince the educated conscience of reasonable men. But he turned to the Church and her growth during thipso sixty years. That period had witnessed the develop- ment of the great revival of corporate Church life which we spoke of as the "Oxford Movement"— the true complement, he believed, when rightly viewed, of the evangelical revival of the close of the last century; the one a social movement, the other individualistic, each having its counterpart in the political and economical tendencies of its day. I It had been marked by the revival of their ancient Convocations, which were awakeuing to a sense of the services they were capable of rendering to the National Church, and which (apart from the question of their reform or reconciliation) would exercise a wider and more beneficial influence as the two Houses learned to trust themselves, and to trust each other, with less hesitation and reserve. Tho same period had seen the revival of the Act of Henry VIII. (1534) which gave power to appoint twenty-six suffragan bishops. Seventeen suffragans had been appointed and seven new dioceses had been created in England during the present reign, so that we had not yet reached the number of additional bishops which were considered requisite for the proper administration of the affairs of the Church three hundred and sixty years ago. Within the same period no less than fifty-seven colonial bishoprics had been founded, having their own organisation, and twenty-four had been added in all parts oF the world to those holding mission from Canterbury. If they might reckon with these fifty-four more bishops of the Church of the United States of America, they had a total of 159 added to those in communion with the Church since the year in which Her Majesty began her splendid reign. And all this growth and progress and development had not been accomplished independently of the personal character of our venerated Queen. As head of the State, as head of English society, as head of a family and household, the Queen had consistently; and unremittingly exercised an influence for good sach as it had been given to few to have either the power or the will to exercise. During the last two years strenuous efforts had been made by some of the most irstructed and devout members of the Church to pave the way for the restoration of the unity of Christendom. The cheapness and ease with which persons of every class could, and did, now visit foreign countries had made Continental places and forms of worship far more familiar to this generation than they were to our fathers, and had accustomed our fellow- countrymen to other modes and expressions of Christian thought than those which had been habitual with them before. Further afield the extension of our own Empire had brought us into close relation with peoples of almost every religious persuasion in the world. We were startled when we reflected that it was only a minority of the subjects of our Queen who confess the religion of Christ. So we were led, first, to a more careful examination of the doctrinal position assumed by the Orthodox Churches of the East; and West respectively; to a more rcady recognition of points of agreement; to a clearer perception of points of difference. Explanations of terms in use were sought and offered which might remove the difficulties that their use had occasioned. It was seen that some of theso difficulties had arisen from changes in the language commonly employed, and from the diffiererice of meaning attached to the same word at different times. They regretted the misreading of history which vitiated the conclusion of the Pope's Com- mission they regretted the Roman Pontiff's misinterpretation of the mind of Christ which his utterance seemed to them to indicate but thev had never believed him to be infallible, and they recognised neither his jurisdiction in the Church nor his authority over their consciences. Extend- ing their vision over a wider range, they contem- plated the missions whom the Gospel of Christ had not yet touched, and it was bourne in on them that the Catholic Church and the human race were potentially one in the sight of God, according to His purpose which stood sure for ever. In the face of the atrocious massacres in the East, which told of the inconceivable depths of degradation into which a persistent course of deliberate iniquity conlcl -jdaagt, God's.talicn creatures, in the face of ( the wars and their attendant miseries, in which i African and other complications, the greed of gain and the Inst for power, threatened to involve the Christain nations of Europe, it was difficult still to cling to this conviction. And, surely it was humiliating for them to contemplate the failure of the Church, in the course of so many centuries, for lack of the missionary zeal which was of the very essence of her life and the test of her obedience to her Lerd's commission, to teach these nations the eternal truth of the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of men, the sacredness of human flesh and blood. Yet that, and no less than that, was ever her function; her work was to save, and not to destroy her message was for the Turk and the bar- barian, as well as for the outcasts of her own Israel her inspiring hope was to fetch them home to the flock of the true Shepherd. The Catholic Church, of which they were members, must needs be restless and dissatisfied until she had accomplished this divine task, and had converted her nominal univer- sality into an actua! and splendid reality. What was to be the share of their own Church in that great work, for the accomplishment of which God, in His wisdom and goodness, seemed to have laid on us trading, annexing, governing English a special responsibility, and to have furnished us with special means. Let them be true to their principles. Christ said that the nations were to be baptised in the Sacred Name. The nations were to bow down before Him and to accept His rule. They believed that the exercise of ecclesiastical jurisdiction was a matter of national concern, and that it was right for a National Church to be free. They were sure that by accepting the fact that, according to the Divine order in the world, each nation had an independent existence of its own; they should further, and not hinder, the cause of catholic unity. Such independence did not release them from the obligations to other nations which our Christianity imposed on us. If they were independent one of another, they would not forget that they were also inter-independent one on another. That was one point. Another was this. They looked for the confirmation of their faith to the Bible, to the Church, to conscience, and to reason. No belief was secure which did not appeal to those authori- ties for sanction and for proof. They accepted the Canon of Scripture on the authority of the Councils of the Church. The Church could not alter the facts, nor change the teacning nor take fr«m, nor orlrl tn thp ipenrd The foundations of Christ's Church were laid on the recorded confession of St. Peter—the earliest and simplest creed— "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." By the preaching of the Church, and by the study of the records, the truth of that confession must be made to cOIllend itself to the conscience and to the reason of every man whom God had en- dowed with moral and intellectual faculties. Surely no presentation of the truth was complete, none "would satisfy the requirements of human nature in its entirety, which did not rest the proof of the doctrines for which it demanded acceptance on recorded facts recognised the authority of the society which preserved the doctrines, expressed them in its worship, and handed them on from generation to generation and enlisted the ap- proval of the conscience and the reason, to both of which the teaching must make an irresistible ap- peal, if it was to become a vital force, recreating human character after the image of Him who made Him. Turning to the Congress programme, the Bishop said they had this year no separate meet- ings for working men. Why should they ? Were thev not all members one of another in the Church of Christ ? They were as welcome as any to all their meetings, and they would have the same op- portunities as others for addressing them. Facili- ties would be afforded them for attending all they could. The subjects that interested them inter- ested those of the Congress too. They, with them, were the Church. They wished to make this plain; and all the more because those who knew told them that there was amongst the peop:e of our great cities a deep-seated feeling against the Church not against her parish priests, or her members, or even her bishops individually, but against the eccle- siastical organisation which in this country consti- tuted for them the Church. And it seemed to him that that was not surprising in the face of the con- trast which her dignity, her wealth, and her position presented to the simplicity, the poverty, and the low- liness of Christ and His disciples—a contrast thrust daily upon them as they went about their business. Proceeding, the Bishop said people did not know how widely the clergy of the Church were feeling the pinch of poverty. Keeping their straitened circumstances in the background, working on bravely amid discouraging circumstances, longing I to do more for their parishes, and often blamed for not doing more, while their own slender private resources, if they had any, were being steadily diminished; tempted, perhaps, to envy the com- fortable, careless lot of the dependents of the neighbouring squire, but without any hand stretched out to help them, while the wages of one head servant in the household alone would to them make all the difference between penury and a sufficiency; saved only by the grace of God from ruin and despair. All honour to thorn for the brave struggle which they so patiently maintained. Neither was the truth apparent that archbishops and bishops led a, life of almost ceaseless toil and anxiety as chief ministers of tho Church; that with increased incomes, enormously increased ex- penditure was demanded of them that in personal fortune they were rather losers than gainers by the obligations and expenses of their office; and, in these days at least, they regulated their lives as servants of the Church. Their present position, with its outward display uf wealth, and power, and officialism, was the result of the triumph of Chris- tianity—a triumph which had taken captive the wealth as well as the poverty of the nation—a triumph which was accompanied by temptations of a different kind from those which beset the twelve Apostles. The temptation of a dominant Church was to abuse the riches and the luxury and the power freely pllCOd at her disposal, and it was a temptation that she had not always been strong enough to resist. They de- deprecated the resentment of the people, and appealed rather to their pity and their prayers. It was above all things hard to be in the world but not of the world. Yet that was to-day their vocation, their trial, and their privilege. How should their Church justify herself to the people ? She must free herself from the fetters of mere conformity to the religious fashion of the day she must shun any approach to compromise with the world; she must countenance no trust in passing feelings, nor in the sentiments aroused by the appeal to the imagination which coloured so much of her teaching and her worship at the present time; she must manifest faith as a vital force in itself and in her members—faith which was so far more than belief, or even trust, in a person external to themselves, faith which was rather the identifi- cation of their life with the life of Him in whom all lived, and moved, and had their being, which revealed and sealed their fellowship with God and mar.. She mnst exhibit herself, not as a machine for manufacturing a few characters after a siodel accepted and approved as saintly by human ecclesiastical judges, but as an instrument of spiritual energy, leavening, elevating, sanctifying the common life of men, pre icing everywhere the fruits of the Spirit of Christ, by leading men and nations to conform to the royal law. The Church which made the greatest sacrifices was the most fully possessed by the Spirit of Christ. The priests who lived in oompletest sympathy with the people committed to their charge walked closest in the footsteps of Christ. And notwithstanding the many hindrances and discouragements which stood in the way of rapid advance, they had no reason to be despondent. History shewed them that religion was the most permanent force in the world that it was, and ever would bo, the moulder of indivi- dual and national character; that while political systems rose and fell, and State panaceas for the regeneration of society were proved abortive, it pursued its path steadily, it vindicated its claim to tnat which was spiritual and, because it was spiritual, was highest and truest in man. They must exhibit their mother Church this week in all her beauty, her charity, her reasonableness, her purity, and her power. And if by the help of God this Congress might succeed in so presenting the Church of Christ to the people, and if by so present- tag her it should rouse their lanquid interest in her should make her purpose and her real work more evident to them, should diminish the mistrust with which they now regarded her, and removed the misunderstandings which led to that mistrust; and if by the candour, by the respect for the conscienti- ous convictions of others, by the honest desire simply to manifest the truth, and by the calm and gentle temper which he was confident would characterise their discussions, while they lessened the mistrust of one another which threatened to paralyse the action and hinder the progress of their Church, they secured the exercise of a wider charity within her borders, they should have no cause to regret the invitation which Shrewsbury was bold enough to send them a year ago; they should know that the Congress had not missed its mark, nor failed to vindicate the claim of their mother Church to declare to the nation, whose citi- zens they were, the whole council of God (applause). THE IDEA OF A NATIONAL CHURCH. After the delivery of the President's address, the first subject dealt with was "The Idea of aN ational Church, both with the of the Nation, and as an Integral Part of the Church Catholic;" and the subject was opened by the Bishop of Peterborough in an address of singular interest. He observed that Dr Creighton had attempted, in the first place, to show what was meant by a National Church, and dealt with the subject historically, concluding that the idea of a National Church involved the following:—(1) It is in no way repugnant to the conception to one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Its local name signifies that it consists of members of that Church living in a particular country. All members of the Church are one through faith in God as revealed in the Scriptures; and that faith is expressed in the Creeds of Christendom. (2) These local bodies of believers have no power to change the Creeds of the Universal Church, or its early organisation. But they have the right to determine the best methods of setting forth to the people the contents of the Christian faith. They may regulate rites, ceremonies, usages, observances, and discipline for that purpose according to their own wisdom and discretion. His Lordship concluded :— This, I think, is all that a National Church implies, and its principles simply recognise the facts of human his- tory. It is griovions to think of all the havoc that has been wrought by a refusal to recognise those facts. The unity of the Western Church has been destroyed by the assertion that a monarchical consti- tution is of divine appointment, i.e. by resolving the Church into a State, and fighting for it as such. The question of the organization of the Church has been confounded with the faith of the Church and Christianity has been used as a means of suppressing national feeling and stifling liberty. Instead of being the divine educator of mankind in the region of truth, the Church too often appeared as busied only with upholding its own organisation, without referenc e to the purpose for which that organisation exists. The clergy has suffered because, instead of explaining positive truth, it has been largely con- cerned with unprofitable negations. Religious bodies have claimed universality for every detail of their own organisation, and have despised others. Thus the idea of a National Church has not been allowed to express itself fully, or to develop peace- fully. England only has maintained it in the West, and in England the influence of outward antagonisms has not allowed the Church to embrace the whole nation, and has in former times obscured its true relations to the State. There is much to regret in the history of the English Church. But it is worth while to notice that the Roman Church has failed more conspicuously, and has committed worse errors. It has been regarded as the enemy of national development, and has been hopelessly worsted in every country of its obedience. If its organisation has been strong enough to prevent the growth of sects, its overweening demands have directly promoted religious indifference. It has not, as a matter of fact, succeeded anywhere in obtaining the authority which it claims. The idea of a National Church can only be judged by com- parison with its alternative. The idea of a Church, universal in its organisation, has been tried, and, as a matter of fact, has failed, because it could not make room for two forces which have been most powerful in shaping the modern world—the forces of nationality and liberty. These forces have their defects, like all else, and need discipline from that spiritual truth which it is the duty of the Church to teach. A National Church stands in close relation to the life of a particular nation, and tries to lead it to a recognition of its eternal destiny, not to force it into a common mould. It persuades rather than commands; its weapon is influence, not power. It has the satisfaction of knowing that it is training the generation on whom the future of the world depends, and it is content to gender sons and daughters into freedom. It both knows the difficulties and the responsibilities of its task, and is willing, nay anxious, to learn from every sid. It longs for peace with other Christian communities; and tries to rise above misunder- standings which ome from ancient warfare. The sense of the greatness of the work which lies before it is teaching it to separate what is trivial from what is fundamental. It has never committed itself to hasty statements in judging others which have erected impenetrable barriers. Its sympathies are growing, and with them its powers of creating sympathy in others. It pleads in the Christian world for that charity which is the bond of unity, and it works in hope of repairing breaches and re- storing ancient ways (loud applause). Mr H. O. WAKEMAN, following on this subject, attempted to answer the questions as to the idea of a National Church as an integral part of the Catholic Church, also what meaning had such an idea for the well being of Christianity and the civilisation of the present day. He argued that when the Church of England claimed to be a National Church she made that claim on far higher grounds than that of the number of her adherents, t and he pointed to the fact that sha possessed the allegiance of the majority of the population, not as the ground of her claim to be the National Church, but as evidence of the way in which she is fulfilling her national duties. The second theory with which we are familiar, he said, is that a National Church meant that particular religious organisation which had received legal iv» i,:i-:nri .n from the Stnte; in common language. that a Churcli was national be- cause it was established. Here, again, surely there was some confusion of thought. Such a theory necessitated the view that the State was prior to the Church in time, which was notoriously not the case. There was a National Church in England and in Wales, in Scotland, and in Ireland long be- fore there was a National State or a national law long before civilisation was sufficiently advanced to admit of the conception of a legal recognition of religion—of an established Church. People who talked of the Church being national because she was established were putting the cart before the horse. The Church, being national, became recognised by the law. She took her part, usually a large one. in :making the nation, and then received definite recognition from the nation which she had helped to make. It was true that in most countries where a National Church existed it had that definite and special relation to the law which we in England oddly called establishment. But in none of them was she national because she is established, but she bad become established be- cause she was national. Establishment, like numerical preponderance, was the evidence, not the cause, of her national character (applause ) The Bnmop OF SOUTHWELL (Dr. Redding) follow- ing upon the subject of "National Church as the Conscience of the Nation," contributed a paper, in the course of which he proposed to speak solely on the theory of a National Church as being in prin- ciple the best for promoting religion in reality as the conscience of the nation. He dealt with con- science as a personal agent, whose office was to regulate personal will in its choice of action by asserting the principle of right and wrong 'as obli- gatory on personal choice, and further dealt with the analogy of a nation as a personal agent." This led him to a consideration of the Visible Church, which was framed to enlarge the Invisible Church by gathering all into it; and he maintained that that Invisible Church was spiritual, though most real. It was Spiritual, but not Congregational; Universal, but not Papal. 118 dealt also with Con- gregationalism which begins essentially in opposition" which differentiated it from the primitive churches which it claimed for its models. He then discussed the qnestion Does schism advance moral causes ?" and concluded by asking Is the extranational range of Papal Church subordination more free and spiritual and unsecular in its aims, methods, and spirit?" He did not mean for the Clergy but for the Church. He went on to say Laymen see that extranational secular schemes, e.g., for arbitration or trades unions, re-, quire at least two conditions as essential for reality (1) representative character, (2) conceive effi- ciency. Church writers see this for secular schemes but not for ecclesiastical; and yet papal history witnesses that the failure of the fpapal system in spiritual character and religious progress is due to its unrepresentative and ineffective catholicity. The papacy is Italian. If ruling powers ever made it otherwise, tendency and conditions have dwarfed it into Italian. It cannot itinerate. Apart from temporal dominion, Rome was its idea and is its glamour. It is also its fixed habitation. The Pope is not the lope, but the Curia. The Curia, with departments and colleges, and traditions and environment, the growth of ages, could not be up- rooted. If an American were Pope, the real Pope would still be Italian. His tforeign, character is fatal to religious rule foreign officials don't under- stand the people, natives he does not understand. Foreign misunderstandings even in secular and national administration are disastrous; but without sympathy religious rule is impossible. Roman methods are as alien to England, as English to Rome; the Inquisition could not act in England, nor liberty of thought at Ilome. It is the same with the other nations. The unrepresentative papacy lacks the mutual sympathy needed for religious rule. My contention is that the one Church system wholly free for spiritual offices and interests is the one system that has its inde- pendence, stability, and acceptance secured in accord with its nation's religious conscience as an ideal National Church (applause). Mr J. W. BIRKBECK, in continuing the discussion referred especially to the Church of Russia, as undoubtedly the most conspicuous example of the realisation of the idea] of tlw subject under dis- cussion; that was ,to saiJ tbe daubte states character which belon once Jiitional ;).!):) catholic. No one could doubt- that the Russian Church was national, and that she was part of the Catholic Church was also clear not only to her own children, bat to the other churches of the world. Those who denied her nationality were those who denied the right of any National Church to exist. Those two elements—the National and the Catholic—permeated the whole being of the Russian Church. The Russian Church did not claim to be the whole Catholic Church, but that the Catholic Church was the whole of the Catholic Churches under Christ's head. Dr MALET said that the difficulties raised by the question set down in the papers were so many and so wide it was difficult to deal with them within the limits of a paper. At the present day the practical morality of England was very low as re- garded work, trade and money transactions. The principle which underlay everything was that of doing the best for oneself—exactly the opposite of the principle of love established by Christ on the basis of true morality. Before any idea of the National Church as an expression of the con- science of the nation," the whole tone of the nation's morality must be improved and altered. The National Church should regard this as one of her chief functions, and the present state of things was no doubt due to her neglect in the past. In that duty would be found one of the truest and strongest claims to her position. Ho went on to speak about the teaching power of the Church in her schools and in ll"'1' literp e, and said that ordinary teach- ing was of small uifect in teaching morality and that was why their teaching did so little. The efforts of the Church had been mainly conversional and spiritual and devoted to the growth of personal piety, but that was not all that was needful. The most difficult moral problems were those which concerned our dealings with each other under modern conditions of trade or society. It should, he thought, bo a part of the education of the clergy to acquire some general knowledge of political economy, especially from the point of view of the less moral writers and some knowledge of work and business matters. In order to b give practical effect to discussions of practical questions in public, each clergyman, with his knowledge of the circumstances of his own congregation, should press on them the moral aspects of their lives and occupations. The nation had had individual teachers of morality in many of the poets, and writers like Carlyle and Ruskin had done much to raise the conscience of the many. If these individuals could do so much, how much more could the Church do? Neither difficulty nor apparent hopelessness should be a deterrent to right doing. Rev NEWTON MANT laid great stress on the necessity for the dissemination of information. The great cause of their weakness was the want of information on the part of their lay people and teachers. Like people who had been brought up as a Conservative body they had taken things for granted. But they had now a deeper sense of responsibility than they ever had before. What they wtinted was the rich and intelligent people of this country to be better informed, for even this class was often ready to accept assertions as the best guarantee for authority. Rev F. S. DONALDSON having spoken, Rev LEWIS W. DENMAN said a few words on the subject of the conscience of England as a nation, which he held upon the whole to be the best existing among the nations, and he instanced the suppression of the slave trade in support of his argument. The meeting closed with the pronouncement of the Benediction. EVENING MEETINGS. AT THE CONGRESS HALL. The evening meeting in the Congress Hall was not nearly so well attended as the afternoon one, owing doubtless to the unpropitioas state of the weather. The proceedings, which were presided over by the Bishop of Lichfield, were, however, not wanting in enthusiasm. THE CAUSES OF INTEMPERANCE. Sir WILLOUGHBY WADE, M.D., on this sub- ject, said there was no disease which is credited to alcohol, with the doubtful exception of delirium tremens, which may not attack even life long abstainers. There are physiiians who incline to the opinion that some of these diseases are due rather to other ingredients of alcoholic drinks than to the alcohol. There were other persons in feeble health who were the better for taking alcoholic liquors. But there were unfortunately many who did not use alcohol in a careful manner. With regard to them enforced seclusion was suggested, but that was an extremely difficult question. Canon B ICKS (Manchester) read a paper, in which he said that, given the temptation, the inciting causes of intemperance were as many and varied as the moods and conditions of humanity. The craving for drink was one of the most incurable and calamitous of diseases, and we 168,000 liquor shops virtually to disease. The colossal gains of the tra- depended upon the success with which they 1 spread the love of drink. The remedies sug!?«-s '\Vo had been substantially two:—(1) To keep people from the drink and (2) to keep from the people. Most were agreed about the but the two must always go together. Pro!Jlb ral without moral education would be a failure; mOg a 1na suason without legislation was futile. bet crime to force drink shops upon localities c elll of not want them. He demanded the direct 0 of ad1 veto as a simple application of the jirinc,P self-government, and affirmed it to be ontf of 1 be the safest and most valuable experiments that cool made in this age of social reform. (l 1'he Commander BOWLY, R.N., in a paper on d' s" 0l) causes of intemperence, and possible real.f.■is said that what had happened was that P°'lClCgad, bad stepped in the Church could not tJ of a with simply disastrous results for the oausee01. { <le temperance, because the extremists of the r | }>c perance party had by their virulence and v10' be alienated the public platform identity of A th. men, who had worked silently, perhaps, but ce• |j lessly for the good cause. The death of the « Veto Bill was the disappearance simply of one » of suggested solution of the great tempcraid ltl question. The question itself survived. lIe ce of not believe the Church of England at Society would meet that. The allies of the ChflT, 4 in the great cause of sobriety, he unhesitatiDs 1Jl declared to be the trade itseli. The trade 11 It deeply interested in the promotion of modera11 j because the drunkard was the greatest danger s pest to the trade. Such a combination b' 11, specially favourable for a crusade against the c b: with their unlimited opportunities for drinkingd oi The Dean of HEREFORD said the paper juS'r 4 was a very remarkable one. The subject j remedies suggested in connection with j £ organisation of the liquor trade, and tbe spea J j whom he supposed represented the trade, proPOtbe that there should be an alliance between t Church and the trade. Well, there were a t difficulties in the way of such an alliance present time (applause). What he wished speak about was a certain matter in connec « wLh the organisation of the trade which it bel)° the Church specially to consider; and for ttbe reason, that there were certain members ol j 1 Church going in for an alliance with the trade, tfl directly or indirectly responsible for a sys j which was fraught with great evil. He agr i with the last speaker in one respect that they 3 sometimes been hard upon the 1 sinners (laughter and applause). Whilst they b1 let off entirely those who might be termed--011e. with regard to the trade—Pharisees, those 1"11 spec-table people in good places who were t alliance with tho trade, and made large sums of a system which placed the poor publican false position and who were one of the reatt hindrances to reform. The Dean pomted out t 11 the profits in the big brewery companies depended upon tied houses, which had described by a licensed victualler as one of t S most grinding, tyrannical, and demoralising syste I that ever existed in the country. rS Mr J. J. COCKSHOTT said temperance refar01B 11 wore divided into two armies, contending with other as to the best means of promoting sobri^ The United Kingdom Alliance represented the pre hibition party. The Church of England Society, reinforced by the Lord Bishop of Cheli(} and his supporters, represented the party of pfl c; house reform. All attempts hitherto made to 1 aboub a coalition between these two forces 11 failed, the reasons being that the difference them was fundamental, and not one of 011 bt The United Kingdom Alliance believed and f that drunkenness was the inevitable result ce drinking. The Church of England Tempe-alletj Society thought that the vast number of sober V f would havs facilities for obtaining ilJtoxicatb drinks, and therefore, the programme of g alliance was untenable. Their foremost duty bØ to endeavour to rivet the public attention upoi glaring defects of the present licensing systje eS One of these was the excessive number of lice°^g granted. Another defect of the licensing law the great addition a license made to the the property licensed. It wa3 the duty of Church on every possible occasion to hold oU^ hand of fellowship and friendship to any g°ve hand of fellowship and friendship to any g°ve ment that would say to the liquor traffic not want you on our side." But though the.orebe cally he was in favour of prohibition, in thought it would not do. In large towns pu Church Temperance Society to show that. original idea was temperance and not proh tion. He believed that if they would go not be too fanatical, and not try to make ever/^ drink water aud nothing else, if only they temperate in their attempt to mitigate they would in a very few years see much greø. progress. f-]s Mr STEPHEN Bboad was convinced that the of intemperance and impurity were closely ated, and it was impossible to attempt to coi$v the one without dealing with the other. rd" Captain HANSON, Chief Constable of Staff0 shire, said in his opinion thev could not have P ( hibition. Neither Lord Salisbury nor any ot leader could give them that, no matter how arde» the attempt were made. Archdeacon SANDFORD said he wished it to jT forth that the Church had been the friend of temperance cause, and that the clergy intended be the friends of it still, and could not join with the liquor traffic until it became entir different to what it was at present. The discussion was continued by Dr Porter, >* W. Martin, Rev A. G. Bemrose, and Rev F. k- W. Martin, Rev A. G. Bemrose, and Rev F. k- Donaldson, and the Congress then adjourned. AT THE MUSIC HALL. SUPPLEMENTARY MINISTRIES FOR HOME MISSXolf WORK. There was a very crowded attendance on 0f day night at the Music Hall, when the St. Asaph presided over a meeting in conne*1 with the supplementary ministries of the Ch111"^ of England for Home Mission Work.—Rev- &■' Wiuniugton-Ingram, rector of Bethual GreeD*^ troducod the subiect in a paper concerning I work of the Oxford House Settlement, Beth;iol Green, of which he is the head.—Dr J. et, Armitage, who read the second drew attention to the work of the Evange^e Brotherhood, which, he said, was founded by ,0 present Archbishop of York in 1887, with of object of supplying evangelists to the diocse 0" Lichfield. Tt had far outgrown its originallnte 0" tion. There were at present 44 evangelists CO fj.t nected with the Brotherhood, of whom 13 weregeS work in the Lichfield diocese, 17 in other dlooe till at home, and six in Colonies, while eight were ded under training. More money was urgently TieeA to enable the work to be carried on and I Rev H. Sutton said he placed the work of tra111^ nurses on a very high standpoint in parochial y. They were a mighty power for good in the parIS fj.t I Mr Hugh Holmes Gore remarked that a many of the supplementary ministers *0 because they neglected to try and take ujj of existing institutions and working them to a I end.—Rev E. R. Ford, Warden of the S-P- j Training College for lay workers, Stepney, de od chiefly with the work of men as evangelists be I readers. Oue of the best ways of loarnln øte lesson, and of teaching it, would surely be to laymen and women to take their due share ° £ spiritual work of the Church. From the rau id the working clergy they were corstantly locioø, those who fell out through death or resign3, and whilst the number of those ordained year still exceeded the losses, it was very si1#? Looking at the situation as a whole they vr0Te v0t' tinctlv losing ground in this matter of the Pr tion of the clergy to the population and th not seem to be any reason for expecting a 01j, growth in the supply of clergy. Might the Ch as needs and opportunities grew, always wisdom to initiate and encourage aIJd supplementary ministries," and to dir0C f J- control enthusiasm without repressing it. 0oO^ W. Gedge (Stepney) gave a very interesting ace risbl of the method of work in his East London p especially in connection with clubs for y°uD?rew'^ Rev J. Howard Swinstead, lately St. Missioner at Fairs in the Diocese of 1 rjgbeS spoke in advocacy of special ministrations in which have classes of people requiring l fø.irs, treatment, such as van people going about &c. Chester, Lincoln, and perhaps others, an 0 g effortS attempt had been made to gather up ltillg by means of an itinerant mission.—Rev urged that the Church of England was sinking^ ^0 as regarded mission work, and was not Jl0 work that she intended some years a iarget, ventured to say that they wanted a fuller, etiiii0* and a more human Gospel than they s0 got.—Rev H. J. Waters described the Church of England Scripture Readers' °oCj fro1^ said there was a fair supply of readers °. all quarters and all stagers of life an Iinder °« society.—Rev C. Wilson Carlisle (th0 ° the Church Army) said it was very pleasa fc0 b1 the sympathy of the Church turned ro« work, whereas about 12 years ago he Qonprr^8 pushed off the platform at the Beading. n ypQJ181 He urged that tramps should not be gIVe A L