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"Sir,

66 Vicarage, April 5th, 1843.

"I am liable to error, and never above acknowledging it, and making the best reparation in my power. Cheerfully will I insert your note; and with it this reply, in which I ask your pardon for the unintentional misrepresentation.

"I am sorry not to address you as 'Reverend '; but pray you not to attribute my omission to a peevish nicety, nor to any desire to offend or disparage you. The rule of the Church, in which I believe, is that the Ministerial office belongs only to those, whom she considers lawfully called and sent. And with such belief I cannot consistently give a title, which I regard it sinful to

assume.

"I remain,

"Sir,

"Your faithful Servant,

"J, E. N. MOLESWORTH.

"Mr. Cheetham, Fair View, near Littleborough."

Before Mr. Cheetham's letter was received, the following article was in type. It will be seen that, in neither that, nor in the original notice have we pretended to enter closely into the particulars of the case, and that our inaccuracy, such as it was, is as unimportant. as it was unintentional. It matters not whether the money were in a pocket, box, desk, or drawer, if it was appropriated. And, though Mr. Cheetham had voluntarily given notice, he describes his opponents as fearing that arrangements might be made to retain him, and using their arts to secure his exclusion. We do not

state this to withdraw our plea of guilty to the charge of inaccuracy in the strict sense of the term; but merely to shew that there is no substantial error in our statement. The object, for which Mr. C. supposes his accusers to assail his character, is vir tually, though not literally, his expulsion.

DISSENT IN ROCHDALE.

ANOTHER CONGREGATION SPLIT, AND

ANOTHER

(SO CALLED) CHURCH SET UP BY AN EXPELLED

MINISTER.

(Continued from page 96.)

Mr. Cheetham's rejoinder to Mr. Southworth has appeared. We must leave the matter to those who know them better, and have a more immediate interest in their character and proceedings, than we. In our last we were led, with respect to one charge, to express an opinion; but, from the nature of the case, it could be only an opinion. With respect to other charges on either side, we give no opinion. will deal with the matter in that point of view, in which alone the purpose of our publication concerns us, viz.:—the illustrations it may afford of the rottenness and mischief of dissent.

But we

1. Our first illustration will refer to the miserable state of dependence and servitude, to which the voluntary system may subject a Minister of the Gospel.

To enable him to "reprove and rebuke" with boldness and faithfulness, he ought not to be in the power of those who may be the subjects of his rebuke or reproof. That his exhortations and ministerial attentions may not be obstructed by a suspicion of truckling and interested motives, his income ought not to be dependant upon the favor of his flock. The position of the endowed priest of God's Church is unexceptionable in these respects. His rebukes need not be restrained, from fear of displeasing those from whom he has to beg his subsistence. His pious and affectionate offices cannot be attributed to a desire of seeking proselytes, or propitiating givers, to increase his income. Let us see how stands the Dissenting Minister in this respect. Poor Cheetham shall tell his own story.

"My Salary" he says, "was regularly falling off, and on one occasion my quarter's income of ten pounds had been paid at nine times-and the last payment was three months after date, another quarter money then being due."

Again, "At length, I found I was leaning upon a broken reed -besides which my income having fallen off, from 131. per quarter to 101.-and from 107. to little more than 6l.-and out of fortyone pounds which were due to me a few months ago-having had to remit twenty-three, and accept eighteen as a final settlement of the whole, I saw clearly that my family, comprising eight individuals, including myself, could not be honestly maintained upon my salary."

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Again. "There are certain individuals who endeavour to shelter themselves from public reproach, by exaggerating my income, and branding me with the charge of extravagance. I beg leave to offer a few words upon each topic ;-My income since I entered the Ministry, from all sources apart from my pension, has been from thirty pounds to eighty-seven per annum, never below the one, nor above the other; and for several years, when my salary was fifty-five pounds a year, I was then paying ten guineas rent. As to extravagance, the charge is unfounded -in clothing, no man can well be more careful: in food, no man, reasonably, more easily satisfied, either as regards quality or quantity. never use Sugar in Coffee, and but little in Tea; Ale, Wines, Spirits, &c., have been for many years, almost proscribed in my house, and though I never signed, yet for a great number of years I have kept as much as possible, to the principle of the total abstinence pledge, which is well known to my friends in general."

Even Mr. Southworth admits his temperance and that his income (with his pension as an old soldier) does not exceed 1127. 10s. making his average income from his congregation about 701. With this he has to maintain eight people, and to supply the demands charitable, or other, incident to his office. Yet the tender mercy of the Voluntary system denounces him for extravagance! And to such tender mercy its advocates would consign every Minister. Again, in his distress and under the inconvenience which he suffers from having his miserable pittance doled out in driblets, he tells some of his flock that he is "treated more like a pauper, depending upon parish relief, than a minister of the Gospel", and that he " can and will legally claim" his due. For

this he is taunted as though he were guilty of a crime. Alas! the fact is (though it will not justify those who engage him as their pastor) he is no minister any longer, than it may be their pleasure, to make him one. He is their Minister, not a Minister of their Lord. And be has found to his cost, that if he displeases them by convicting them of wrong, he must return back to his pension. They make the idol and they can unmake it.

Moreover, while he is thus dependant upon his flock, who are rather his directors, than he theirs, his necessities bring him under another kind of despotism-the power of one or more influential individuals connected with it, either as deacons or otherwise. A wealthy tradesman, either from charitable motives, or considering that the custom of the congregation may be attracted by patronage of the Minister, and finding him necessitous; gives him credit, or advances him money. He falls under the power of his creditor-the creditor rivets the chain by strengthening, through the subserviency of the Minister, his rule over the congregation. Thus at any time he can partly through his debt, and partly through the lever which it gives him with the congregation expel him. We will acquit Mr, Southworth of any deliberate plan to get Mr. Cheetham into his power. But he cannot himself question the fact, that Cheetham was so in his power; and that what in his case arose accidentally, might in other cases, be brought about intentionally; and, according the state of many dissenting preachers, at a much less cost. Again, if the poor pinched Minister shall contrive to keep himself without the obligation of debt, yet how commonly, almost necessarily, is he first indebted for his appointment to some wealthy or managing deacon or member of the congregation, who in return expects from him compliance, rather than rebuke or authority. Yea more! how often has such a member sufficient influence, to place

the Minister at his mercy for his comfort, if not even his continuance in his office? And how is all this frequently aggravated by the state of the Minister himself, whose miserable and depressed condition causes the office to be filled by a class of men who have no other means of subsistence; and therefore no other choice than submission to their task-masters, or being turned loose upon the world to independence and starvation. What a condition of slavery for one who is to act as an ambassador of Christ, to rebuke to reprove and to exhort! The old Soldier had better have been contented with his pension and his crust, coupled with freedom and faithfulness to the Church of his fathers and of the Apostles, than to have placed himself under the harrows of dissenting dictators, and voluntary patrons. Poor man an independent Minister! What a mockery in the name!

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The next article being an extract from the Nonconformist, a dissenting publication, will give the testimony of Dissenters themselves to the truth of our remarks. We copy the extract from the "Church Intelligencer."

(To be continued.)

THE CRACKED SYSTEM.

(From the Nonconformist.)

"The fatal crack in the voluntary principle -that which, whatever recommendations it may otherwise possess, renders it essentially unsound, and totally unfit for common use-is the strong temptation, we are told, to which it necessarily exposes the teachers of Christianity to accommodate truth to the taste of their hearers, and to lower the standard of its pretensions and claims with a view to please the corrupt cravings of those upon whose

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