IRISH CHURCH MISSIONS.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 669, 11 September 1852, Page 4

IRISH CHURCH MISSIONS.

A very full mooting was held on Monday at the Mansion Louse, in mil of this society. The meeting was called m consequence of a inquisition to tho Loid Mayor, signed bv scveial iuilupnti.il gentlemen. The T,oid iMa>oi provided, ,u\d was Mippoited b} r tho heath of many 'of tho most influential firms in the city and other gentlemen, among whom w> re the Duke of Manrhnsier, Admital Unicorn t, Admiral Hope, Captain 'hotter, Mr. Juln> Paul, i\lr. John l?ock«tt. Alderman Who, Mr. 11. Blanchaid, &.c Tho amount of sub scriptious niuioimced at the elosoofthe meeting was upwaids of £<11. Amontr bevcial handsom» donations wore — Mr. 11. lilanchaid, i, Jl00;J l00; ftlr J.Bockett, ifl(K); Mr. K. C. J>vnn, XJIOOX J 100 ; Mi. R. T. Durnnl, ;£100; Mi. (l^oi^o Jl.tchcoclc, JtlOO ; Mr. Thomas JS'oK, C>o ; Rev. 10. I3u\l«n, £2.}, &.c. 'I Ik> jiioi ling having been opened by a prnyor by the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, The Lord Mayor expressed the pWsuic he felt in presiding over a meeting, the object of which was to promote the best interests o{ their fellow subjects in Ireland, an object which lie was Miro would be niteiestiit« to every Chris! uu mind, and in Liking pait in these proceedings lip was only actuated by tin* prineiplo of advancing tho social, moial, and religious welfare of tho people of li eland. Mr lie van uis>ed that the cause they advorafed af fected the social, spinlual, lempoi.'il, and political wolhte of their fellow-men in Ireland, and stippoited the Loul Mayor on the o'-oasion with gieat pleasure, ay ho, he thought, bail acted the pait of a tine Chiistian in consenting to preside over the present meeting. Mr. Hevan concluded by moving the following ic-cohilion :—: — " Ho-o!ved. — That tho acknowledged success which, under tho Divine bles-ing, has Inthcrto attended tho optir.diotis ol the Society for lush Chuich Minions, justifies the expectation that tho continued and mci eased efforts of the Society will produce the most beneficial results to the population of Ireland, in n leligious and moral noint of view, and will thus grently tend to amehorat the condition of tho country at large." Tho Hor. A, 11. ('. Dallas seconded tbo resolution, and in a vciy ao'o aid eneigetic speech advocated tho cause of the Sociptj . lie first dtew the attention of the meeting to two points connected with tho prmci plet. of the Society, which give it a peculiar charaoier. '1 he first was, that the movement ongmatod by them was wholly a relmious and not a political one. The fact was, that the Roman Catholics had not the Bible, and their gieat object had been to give a to thorn, that they might judge for themselves. They had contum Uy been charged with biibing their converts. They had constantly been called on toanswei the mostabsuid charges till they wero tired ofdoing so, lie denied it fl.uly. He slated that there never had been a .single act which could be characterised as bribery. Dr. Wliatoly wrote that he would not assert that a single case of bnbory bad never occurred, but ho had made tho most ligiil in quiiy, and no fact of it had come to his knowledge. The person who had advanced tho chaige could only bring forward one case, and that occuired sixteen yeais before tbo famine. Theconverls.on thecontrary, wereexposed to the most umerited persecution from tho Roman Catholics. Mr. Dallns went very minutely into the early history of the society, which was first set upon foot in 18-1 !• by the munificence of Mr. Durnnt, and the exertions of some gentian en who paw the reinai It able feeling of dissatisfaction which was growing up botween the liish and their priesthood, und was finally oigamsed js tbe Irish Church Mission Society in 1848. Their success outtran the most sanguine expectation of any of the promoters of it. There was an extensive call m Dublin and the missions in the west. In the latter, in !&''>, the Bishop of'Tuam confirmed 401 conveits. In the last September 743 were confirmed, of whom 3i were original Protestants and 712 converts. Tho movement m the east of Ireland he described as being even greater than in tbe west. He drew attontion to the changed chaiactei ' of the- people in tbo localities whereahoy bad established their opeiations. In one, wheie there weie 5,000 converts and 3,700 children at the schools, not one had deen biought before a magisliate, when in (owner days there used to be 30 or 40 cases. He &aul, if they had £10,000, in the course of six months they could send agents to the strongholds of this system of superstition, and open the minds of the people. Thpy would give them all ;iu opportunity at a crisis when a peculiar feeiling was running all through Ireland, a feeling which was acknowledged by the priests themselves. Ihey would spend it in engaging agents who wero now liaining in Dublin, and send them to all those places they could not now assist. lie would not say in such a case what might be done, /or fear of being thought too enthusiastic for the times. Mr. Dallas then read a paper which he bad leceived, which was as follows :—: — " JE3OO are piomised, in order to commenc 0 a subscription for the purpose of raising the sum of £10,000. This offer is made upon tbo condition that the whole i£lo,ooo be subscribed within three months, in like sums of .£5OO ; half to bo paid in 1852, and half in 1853." Iho first lesolution was then carried unanimously. Mr. J. Iloare moved the next resolution, and bore his testimony to tho truth of the statements of the previous speaker from a personal visit ho bad made to holand. Tbe resolution was to tbe effect that the meeting pledged itself to supply the society with prompt pecuniary assistance, and to recommend its claims to their fellow citizens. It also nominated a committee of gentleme to receive the funds. The Rev. R. Hickorstctb seconded theresslulion. lie observed, t lint it could not bo too strongly impressed on their minds that this was not a work to confer only tempoial benefits on the Irish 1 but was a gieat spintual work for (he sake of those who wero in darkness and ignorance, tobiing them out of that into the light and knowledge of God's word, that it had pleased Goc to put it into the hearts of some in this countiy to inquire int>. the 6tate of the minds and feelings of the Romanists, and * ey found a grow mg feeling of dissatisfaction among them in Ireland at the religion which their piiesnj bad aught them, and a desno for fomething better. On his they determined to make an effort to pivach the gospel in Ireland, to givo them an opportunity to come out of the bondage of Rome. What had been tho result ? In less than three years 20,000 to 30,000 converts bad been made through thn operation of this society. Tn the west of Gidway, in CoHneraaia, thoie were only 500 Protestants when they began ; now tliWe were from 5,000 to 6,000. A tiact of country 50 miles in length and ,"30 in breadth in that district was now churacleiibtically Protestant ; before, it was Romanist. The Bishop of Tuam had issued an appeal in order to build twelve new churches in Gal way for the spiritual necessities of the converts. AtSelieina, where one was to bo built, the numbei of sittings stated by tho missionary as requisite was 900. All these had bpen brought out of Popery, through the instiumentality of the pi enchod gospel. The second resolution having been cart led, and tho list of subsciijitions announced, The Dukr of Manchester^ president of the society, moved, and Aldeiman Wire seconded, a vote of thanks to the Lord Mnj*or, which having been unanimously earned, and the compliment suitably acknowledged by his Loidship, the piocecdings terminated. j