more and more with the whole Word of God, that it may be “a lantern to our path," and to the path of all whom we have undertaken to guide. It will be our duty to pray that, in seeking to amend whatever is amiss, we may not be tempted to become hasty and presumptuous, but that our love towards God and towards men" may abound in knowledge and in all judgment" (Phil. i. 9). It will be our duty, while we receive with patience and submission the rebukes which our misdeeds may have provoked, still to persevere without discouragement in our good designs; and while we devote ourselves to the discharge of our sacred calling in godly fear, not unmixed with cheerfulness and holy joy, still it will be our duty to look for the forgiveness and acceptance of every service solely from the mercy of God, for the sake of His dear Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Acting thus, the Gospel which we preach, and which unhappily is to many "a savour of death," will be unto us "the savour of life"the source of all comfort in this world, and of everlasting blessedness in the world to come.

TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING

OF THE

CHURCH CONGRESS,

HELD AT CARLISLE.

CONGRESS HALL,

TUESDAY AFTERNOON, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1884.

At 2 p.m., the Right Rev. the LORD BISHOP OF CARLISLE took his seat as President, and delivered the following

INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

MY LORD ARCHBISHOP, MY LORDS, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN-Before I commence the address which it is my privilege to deliver this afternoon, I cannot refrain from expressing my deep gratitude to the Archbishop of York, the Bishops of Derry and St. Andrew's, for so kindly coming to preach to us this morning.

It is nearly a quarter of a century since the first Church Congress assembled in Cambridge. I was present at that Congress, and had the honour of reading a paper, to which I turned the other day, with some interest, if not with profit. The perusal of the report of the infant Congress had the advantage of bringing to remembrance some forgotten facts, and supplying some useful topics of thought. It was interesting to observe that one of the papers was written by Richard Assheton Cross, B.A., M.P. for Preston, in connection with the fact that Sir Richard Assheton Cross has done good work both for Church and State since those days, and is about to read another paper in Carlisle. I found other names connected with the present Church Congress; I will mention one, because Congresses almost own him as a father, and still enjoy his paternal care. I refer to Archdeacon Emery, who holds the office of

permanent secretary, and to whom I should be disposed to apply the words sedet æternumque sedebit, were it not that sitting still seems scarcely to describe the Archdeacon's character.

It is a far cry from Cambridge to Carlisle. There is scarcely as much resemblance between the two places as Fluellen found between Macedon and Monmouth; for while both begin with a C, and for that matter both end with an E, the possession of a salmon river can be asserted only of Carlisle. I call your attention, however, to the manifest contrast between the infant as it was seen in Cambridge, and the fullgrown Hercules which is to be seen to-day, for the purpose of indicating in a few words what are the special features of this Congress, and what have been the guiding principles of those who have been making preparation for it.

I should consider myself to be wasting your time, if at this time of day I undertook to expound the raison d'être of Church Congresses. It was necessary to do this in the earlier stage of their existence; it is not necessary now. To assert such necessity would be the most practical method of throwing doubt upon the truth which we desire to establish. The healthy strong man does many things because he knows and feels that they do him good; he takes his exercise, he climbs his mountain, he gets his friends about him and enjoys their society; a medical opinion, signed by some distinguished physician, would chiefly tend to prove that the man was out of health.

I shall assume, therefore, that the Church of England is following an instinct of health and strength in holding these periodical gatherings, and in discussing those great religious, social, and moral questions, which must ever be rising to the surface and demanding consideration on the part of earnest and thoughtful Englishmen. I shall assume also that these gatherings have incidental advantages, many and various, which need no description; and with these assumptions I venture to point out, that while in many ways we must be content to look with humble respect to such a place as Cambridge, and may even fear comparison with the Congress held last year in Reading, with Oxford on one side of it and London on the other, we nevertheless have certain advantages which may justify us in the modest hope that this Congress will not fall below the average in general interest, and in permanent influence.

For example, our Border situation is an element not to be forgotten. The relations between Carlisle and our Scotch neighbours have not always been of the most loving kind; any of you who visit our Castle

will see the accommodation which in former days was provided by reception committees for visitors from Scotland. Those days have long passed; and I need not say that we have done what we could in the choice of preachers and the choice of subjects to prove our desire to hold out the right hand of fellowship to those who are willing to grasp it from the other side of the Border. I know that in speaking of holding out the right hand across the Border I have to reckon with the fact that the religious body in Scotland chiefly interested in our proceedings claims only a small fraction of the population; but it is a very interesting fraction, and one connected with a remarkable history, one having (as I venture to think) great responsibilities and a hopeful future; one, moreover, enjoying in the minds of thoughtful Scotchmen an increasingly high position. The Seabury festival, to be celebrated next week in Aberdeen, will bring to mind that a century ago, when the condition of this poor persecuted Church was very different from what it is now, she was able to confer a spiritual boon upon our Transatlantic brethren which was sought from England in vain. But I feel confident, that though it is only Scotch Episcopalians to whom we can consistently send an invitation to take an active part in our proceedings, there are many of our Presbyterian brethren who will feel an interest in this Congress; possibly some may attend our meetings; if they do so, I am sure they will receive a welcome.

I have spoken of the Seabury festival. The date of our meeting was arranged with reference to this event, and it was hoped that the American prelates might pause on their pilgrimage to Aberdeen for the purpose of attending the Carlisle Congress. I grieve to be compelled to announce that circumstances have interfered with the fulfilment of this hope. I may say, however, that all visitors from our great sister country and our sister Church, whether bishops, priests, or laymen, will have a hearty greeting. One well-known American clergyman appears in our list of speakers; I trust that others may be induced to take part in our discussions.

To pass on to the arrangements made for the present Congress. We have followed to a great extent established precedents. In fact, the little book which was published after the Derby Congress has made preparations for a Church Congress comparatively easy. We have ventured, however, upon one innovation. We have allotted to all who have been appointed to read or speak the term of twenty minutes, not dictating to them which form of utterance they shall adopt, and giving up the distinction between readers of twenty minutes and speakers of

fifteen minutes, which has hitherto been the rule, while we retain the rule which allots ten minutes as the limit of speeches made by volunteers who send in their cards to the chairman. We have, in fact, adopted the policy of the Midland Railway Company, and have abolished secondclass passengers.

One other innovation-though scarcely an innovation-will be found in our arrangements. We propose to give a more honourable and distinct place to working women than they have had hitherto. In one or more previous Congresses something has been done in this direction. The innovation, and, as we think, the improvement, which we have introduced is this, that we intend to invite our working sisters to meet in all the dignity of this Congress Hall. We did not feel ourselves justified in contracting our series of subjects in order to compass this end, but we attain our purpose by holding the meeting on Saturday evening, which, though after the close of the Congress, will, as we believe, be practically convenient, especially if I am successful in persuading a few of our distinguished members to remain behind for the purpose of speaking at the meeting. I trust it will not be regarded as an evil omen that our meeting will be coincident with a total eclipse of the moon.

We have had probably the same amount of difficulty, neither more nor less, which has been experienced on former occasions in the selection of subjects. Some two hundred were suggested; and this large number was reduced by a process which has, I trust, resulted in the survival of the fittest, to the required limit of eighteen. Many considerations have to be taken into account in making selection; especially the existence of what are called schools of thought, or what in less exalted language, are called parties. The fact is, that in England, not in Church matters only, but in many others, we are under what may be described as a dual control; dual, at the least, sometimes plural. We have two sides of the House in Parliament; two political organisations in every town and county, two newspapers in each place which can support one; nay, we are expected at every railway station to take a side on the important domestic question of mustard; one manufacturer claiming our preference on the ground that his article is universally used; the other on the ground that his establishment is the oldest; while, as if to show that two schools of thought do not always exhaust what is thinkable, we find at some places an appeal from a third manufacturer, who, despising the semper of one competitor, and the ubique of the other, assures you that in his establishment there is no adulteration.

The admitted duality or plurality of schools of thought in the Church