Here my labours might appropriately end, Dear friends and supporters of the Church Pastoral-Aid Society! with giving you the voice of the highest authorities of the Church in our favour. All, therefore, I shall permit myself to add, is an appeal to Dr. Molesworth himself—as one to whom we bear no ill-will; as one who has not injured us at all, but rather himself, by his late attack—warning him not again to peril his respectable name on such an unjust and injudicioustirade(for I can call it nothing else) against this Society;—a Society so shielded from his attacks, that he can only injure it through the sides of theChurch, of which this Society is as a specimen of the young wood, and vigorous growth, from that old yet glorious stem, planted by the hands of the Apostles, and rooted in Christ. I exhort him to lay aside his prejudice and his opposition, and join the Society—as many of our members, I hear, have joined his; when we will work together, “the Lord being our helper,” to make the Society as perfect as we can. Then, surely, he would learn to look at things in a more cheerful aspect, and with less jaundiced eye, than to be raising a cry of “schism” (p. 9) in the Church—a reproach which could hardly be expected, and would certainly be untrue (according to any definition that I have heard of the word), even in the mouth of a bigoted Dissenter. I would appeal to the Most Reverend Prelate from whom Dr. Molesworth’s preferment was derived (and whose known gentleness should have taught the Clergyman whom he had preferred, “a more excellent way”), not to suffer this unseemlywideningofbreachesin the Church, if there be such; or, as I think,opening them, where they would not exist without. Is this “the comprehensive, healing, uniting spirit of the Articles” (p. 15) which Dr. Molesworth loves? If it is, I hope he will pardon me for saying (for I wish we might part friends), that his is the mostabstractlove of the principle of which I can form an idea. For my part, I have never either made or acknowledged party distinctions in the Church; nor will I be provoked to do so now. The Church I have ever wished to regard as one body, with that mixture of unworthiness in members which is consequent upon the imperfect condition of all things here below: and I trust I do honour the Church too much, lightly to foment her distractions, or exposeher troubles to her numerous foes. Yet do not mistake, Dr. Molesworth;—I value the Church for the sake of the Gospel, not the Gospel for the sake of the Church;—I value both Church and Gospel for their own sakes, and, by God’s blessing, will support and defend both, according to my poor ability: but it is a truth I am not ashamed to confess, that if by ‘Church’ is to be understood the outward frame-work of this or any other Church, I value the everlasting Gospeleven more, andmuch morethan I do the Church.—The Vicar of Rochdale may have time for controversy: I have not. I have given him once for all what appeared to me to be a full and satisfactory explanation of the points at issue: let the Society—those to whom I address myself—judge. I was quite unwilling that the Committee should follow Dr. Molesworth to the field: I felt, therefore, the more ready to give him the meeting myself.
I am, &c.Caleb Whitefoord.
Hamilton Terrace,St. John’s Wood,January 5, 1841.
Note.—“We feel some difficulty in adopting the nomination, not fromany doubtof Mr.—’s moral character, or of hisactivityin hisministerial duty, but because we do not see thatevidencewhichwedesire to receive of theorthodoxyof his preaching:—thatweare deeply convinced that activity in the ministry can only be useful so far as it is connected with the promulgation of those doctrines which are taught in Holy Scriptures, and exhibited by the Church as theprominenttruths of Divine Revelation. We do not mean to impute to Mr. — deficiency in this respect, butwewish to besatisfiedthat hisinstructionsare such as, under God’s blessing, will promote thegreat endfor which our Society has been established—the salvation of souls through the instrumentality of ‘faithful and devoted men.’”
N.B.A specimen of the “hide-and-seek phraseology,” from the Collection of the Church Pastoral-Aid Society, presented by the Rev. Dr. Molesworth.
Printed by Richard Watts, Crown Court, Temple Bar.
[3]What other inference can be drawn from p. 39 of the Appendix,—where he says, “I have adduced strong cases, collectedwith ease, against the Society. I now lay myself out for them; andrequestthose Clergy, who have been in similar circumstances with regard to the Pastoral-Aid Society, to send me in their cases (postage pre-paid), and thedocuments supporting them.”?
[4]“EveryChurchmanbelonging to it should withdraw his support, and transfer that support to theliberalandtruly ChurchSOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE EMPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL CURATES.” (The Italics and Capitals are Dr. Molesworth’s.) P. 39, Appendix.
[18]See the Note at the end of this Letter.