BY THE REV. C. MACKENZIE, M.A., PREBENDARY OF ST. PAUL'S, RECTOR OF ST. BENET, GRACFCHURCH-STREET, LECTURE VII. IRELAND AND THE BIBLE. BY THE REV. R. BICKERSTETH, RECTOR OF ST. GILES. I AM glad to know that by a change which has recently taken place in the constitution of the Church of England, Young Men's Society, it has now become possible for the members of that Association to give their support, in their capacity as members, to the Society for Irish Church Missions to the Roman Catholics. Hitherto, you are aware, that Society has embraced four of the great Missionary Societies of the Church of England viz. the Church Missionary Society, for the evangelization of the heathen; the Colonial Church of England Society, for the Colonies and dependencies of this great empire; the Jews' Society, for the conversion of God's ancient people, the children of Abraham; and the Church Pastoral-Aid Society, for conveying the inestimable blessings of a Gospel ministry to those portions of our own country which have been hitherto left miserably destitute of the means of grace. It seems strange that there should have been left out, in the calculations of those who were originally concerned in framing that Society, the wants and miseries of the sister-country, Ireland. Happily, however, that defect has been supplied by the change to which I have alluded; and those who are concerned in the government and management of the Church of England Young Men's Society, by determining to aid a fifth Missionary Society, have, as it were, completed the circle of their Missionary operations; and Ireland being now included within the sphere of that M missionary field of which this Society desires to help the cultivation, I earnestly trust that there may be a very large amount of support contributed towards the work which the Society for Irish Church Missions is endeavouring, by God's blessing, to accomplish. I rejoice that our friend, Mr. Cadman, has made my course so very clear in the observations which have fallen from him, and has put before you in the light in which I should have most desired, what I have to do in standing up to address you here to-night. My simple purpose is to give you information of as practical a character as I can, and in as plain a manner as I can, concerning that very important reformation which is going forward at the present time in Ireland. I may presume that all present have heard more or less of that movement. You know that it has attracted, of late years, almost universal attention; it has been spoken of in nearly every one of the leading journals of the day, and alluded to over and over again by Roman Catholic journals, more especially in Ireland. It has been deemed to be of so important a character as to require the organization of a distinct Society on the part of the Roman Catholics in Ireland, for the purpose of suppres sing the movement; and recent intelligence tells us that it is still deemed of so much importance, that solemn deliberations have been held in Paris for the same purpose. If, however, the movement be of God, we know that all plans formed against it will signally fail; if it be not of God, I think it is sure soon to be discovered that such is the case. In the meanwhile, I am quite convinced that it is a movement of so much importance, and pregnant with such vast results to England, to Ireland, and the whole world, that it may well demand the most serious and careful consideration, and may well call upon us to investigate its nature, the causes by which it has been brought about, and the ends to be achieved by it. Now, I need hardly go back, or ask you to go back, in thought, to the time of the Reformation in this country; yet it is important to do so, in order to clear the way for the better consideration of this most important Reformation, which is now going forward in Ireland; for I believe that Reformation must properly be considered |