suppose that the official would now be at his wits' end. But not so; for he now proceeds to take out a summons against the poor fellow for non-payment of the rate. Emboldened, however, by the recollection of his excessive destitution, and anxious to earn a few shillings now that he has free labour, the latter presumes upon neglecting the summons, tempted thereto more especially by the consideration that to appear before a bench of magistrates at a distance of seven miles from his abode, would involve the loss of a day's work. But, alas! his non-appearance is construed into contempt, and now a warrant is duly signed for his apprehension, and duly executed too, for he is taken from his work before a magistrate, and sentenced to one month's imprisonment in Hertford gaol, where the writer saw him undergoing that sentence, and suffering all the undefinable horrors of the silent system. Behold, then, an instance of levying the poor's rate upon the destitute poor. This heart-harrowing case the writer at the time put before the public in a letter addressed to the editor of the Times The relieving officer himself came forth as the bold defender of the parish, in reply. And how did he do this? Why, by informing the world, that he himself on a former occasion put his hand into his own pocket to screen this very man from the consequence of being unable to pay the rate. Yes, the well-seasoned official even had found himself vanquished. True, extortion should be made of sterner stuff; but one word, O ye Pharoahs, for your task-masters and exactors Men's hearts are not suddenly petrified. Even steel must have time to cool before it becomes inflexible. Now all this may be found carefully stated and enlarged upon in the Times, and other newspapers at the close of 1842. Having given thus a sample of the tender mercies of the Poor Law in London and in the country, let me take now just a glance at its operation in Scotland and Ireland. A seven years residence in the former of these, has given me some acquaintance with the subject. In the case of aged persons, such as are almost, if not wholly beyond work, out-door relief appears to be pretty generally afforded. and were it adequate, nothing need be added on the subject But you constantly meet with the aged of both sexes in the shape of bold beggars; and no marvel, for the parochial aid they get is one shilling per week! As to the dread of the union, I will relate an incident, which affords an illustration.* The time does not justify my adding more in Scotland. But let us pass to Ireland. Here in the south and west, the people can in truth complain of great suffering, since the introduction of the New Poor Law. There is no need, however, of vague reports. It is only to point to the awful revelations which the humane Mayor of Cork, only a few months since, made known concerning the half-starved, stunted, and loathsomely diseased state of the children who had been committed to the tender mercies of the Cork guardians. An investigation took place; and abundant testimony was adduced to prove that the dietary and general treatment were such as, if persisted in, would produce men and women only half developed, both physically and intellectually. An indignant outcry, of course, followed, and probably, little more; for the Poor Law Commissioners have just published their report, from the tone of which it is tolerably apparent that the beau-ideal of the authorities is such a balance sheet as to approve some reduction in comparison with former years. Now, if Poor Law Commissioners and Poor Law Guardians only aim at keeping down the rates by reducing the expenditure, it may easily be conceived that such a state of things as the benevolent Mayor of Cork has so nobly exposed, will only be too general. "Children eaten up with scurvy, stunted in their growth, emaciated and impotent." such as those at Cork were proved to be, from want of sufficient food of a proper character, will only, alas, be found in union workhouses throughout the three kingdoms. *The incident here referred to is found related in a pamphlet entitled "A Few more Words on the Introduction of the Italian Opera into Edinburgh." I have said in my letter to the Morning Advertiser, that "unless we retrace our steps so far," that is, as a nation, to "break off our sins by righteousness, and show mercy to the poor," poor orphan children, poor widows, poor blind and impotent persons of both sexes; in short, those that are cast out and have none to help them; God will surely continue to have a controversy with us. Yes, we must amend our ways and our doings, would we avert the threatened and most just judgments of God. It is surely the part of prudence, no less than our religious duty, to alter our course when we find that we have proceeded upon the wrong one. The prophet says-" Shall a man turn and not return?" that is, shall a man go wrong and refuse to be put right? And then, speaking for and in the name of God, he says, "But this people have revolted from Me by a perpetual blacksliding; they have refused to return;" though finding themselves wrong, they obstinately refuse to be set right Alas, alas, the good old paths of faith, hope, and charity we have turned aside from, and all that we now do is to persecute those who would fain bring us back into their safe and peaceful, because God-commanded course. It is thus, moreover, as it regards our conduct towards those brought under our power abroad, as well as at home. Look at our doings as a nation in India. There we have unjustly dethroned a king; forced from him his kingdom; caused his family to flee into exile, where his queen dies of a broken heart, and thrust the king himself into prison, at the moment too when our nation was indebted to him to the amount of three millions, to say nothing of the debt of gratitude which we owed for his faithful employment of his influence on our behalf. Brethren, "I speak as to wise men, judge ye what I say," when I ask, is not the righteous Governor of the earth causing even now the word to go forth from that throne, where at least righteousness and equity have their habitation-" Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" .6 To revert, however, but very briefly, to the subject which has brought many of us together this evening: I said at the beginning, the melancholy occurrence upon which I have considered it my duty to address you bears another aspect. Yes, suicide is a very dreadful thing; so are many other sins, adultery, for instance; and yet you will remember, that when a woman had been taken in the very act, and set before Jesus, her crime having rendered her obnoxious to the punishment of death by stoning-a punishment which it would seem her accusers were ready at once to inflict-all that the All-knowing said was He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Perhaps, having heard now somewhat, but in reality a very little of what might be said upon the subject of the tender mercies of unions, you, my brethren, with what severity soever you may be disposed to regard the crime of laying violent hands on one self in general, would rather be silent in this case, as were the woman's accusers in hers. But though we say thus much, though we would leave all judgment till the great day, of which we spoke this morning, when we ourselves must be judged, we cannot but declare that to rush unbidden into the presence of our Creator appears to be an act wholly at variance with every part of Scripture. Paul speaks of "finishing his course;" but what does such an expression mean, but that his duties and sufferings were assigned him? Who ever of the sons of men was called to such a fight of afflictions as he? What arduous duties he had to perform, what persecutions he endured! "But out of them all the Lord delivered him." The course, then, however trying to flesh and blood, however, as he himself expresses it, he was pressed out of measure above strength, so that he "despaired even of life," yet that course through grace he would finish, go on in, until he came to the appointed end. Well, then, to every tried man and woman here before God this evening (doubtless there are many, and the heart knoweth its own bitterness) we would say, touching these afflictions, as knowing that all the faithful servants of God are appointed hereunto-Bear on, struggle on, fight on, pray on. Your merciful Saviour, if you have but faith in him and love to Him, knows all, nay, with you, feels all. He, though God over all, blessed for ever, is nevertheless bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, and on that account is not ashamed to call us brethren, the poorestand most outcast amongst us; and it is declared of Him for your and my ever lasting consolation that He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, that is, that He sympathises with our sorrows and is Himself afflicted in our afflictions, let those sorrows and afflictions be what they may; and there is added as the reason of a statement so marvellous, that He was in all points tempted or tried like as we are. Oh! think of this, thou afflicted and tossed. Let thy sins and thy sorrows be what they may, Christ, the Son of the Blessed,-Christ the seed of the woman, though Himself without sin, knows by experience all thy misery; though without guilt, He knows and pities, for He has felt the same, all thy pangs and thy anguish, all thy woes and thy wretchedness, and it is to you and such as you that He says, Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Yes, beloved brethren, go to Jesus for sympathy and help, and then, though you will still have need of patience before being called to inherit the promises, yet by His Spirit shall He speak the word and it shall be done, "In patience possess ye your souls." We say, then, with St. James, when addressing the suffering poor in his day, "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord"--and seeing that these are inspired words and written for your and my admonition, we add in the words of the text, "Hear ye now what the Lord saith." And now one word to all in conclusion. In the Providence of God you and I, my hearers, have thus been brought together face to face, how many of us for the first time in our lives, and God only knows how many of us for the last time. Solemn thought! when next we meet, eternity with all its dread realities will have burst upon our astonished view. Here is a Union, which, dread as we may, none can avoid entering. When next, then, some of us will meet, it will be after "The tolling of that knell Which summons us to heav'n or to hell." One parting word, then-Oh! are you the conscious partakers of that Salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory? And here take our motive for thus pleading for the honest but indigent poor. We wish them, too, to become the partakers of this great salvation. Were men all mortal, our philanthropy might stimulate us to do something on their behalf; but, what is the body to the soul, what is time to eternity? Oh, then, that we may be wise, that we may ponder these things, that we may understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Then shall we possess our souls in patience here, and in God's good time be transplanted to that world where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. DURHAM PRINTED AT THE "COUNTY ADVERTISER" OFFICE. Works by the Rev. Bichard Hibbs, M.A., As noticed by the Illustrated News of the World, March 3, 1860. "GOD'S PLEA FOR THE POOR." London: Hatchard. "THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERIES OF DISCOURSES ON BAPTISM." London Hamilton, Adams, and Co. "REMARKS ON THE ITALIAN OPERA IN Edinburgh: Kennedy. EDINBURGH." "A FEW MORE WORDS ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ITALIAN OPERA INTO EDINBURGH." Edinburgh Moodie and Lothian. “SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL ROMANISM." Edinburgh: Paton and Ritchie. "TRUTH VINDICATED." Fifth Edition. London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. "As the champion for the poor, the author has been a martyr for the poor."--EDITOR. From the Manchester Review, February 11th, 1860, respecting the above publications : "The author of these pamphlets is a minister of an Episcopal Chapel at Edinburgh. He has been chiefly and most honorably conspicuous for his devotedness to the interests of the poor. It is a common notion that persecution in our own day has ceased; but they who entertain this notion have only to read the deeply interesting narratives whose titles we have given." Other notices of "TRUTH VINDICATED" : "This is a withering, scorching exposé."-Caledonian Mercury. "As a proof of the evils of voluntaryism, it is one of the most important, though painful, documents we have ever seen. We think it but right to say, that from its internal evidence, it is manifest that an exposure of strifes and hearthburnings, which are a disgrace, and had better been covered than exposed, was rendered absolutely necessary by the manner in which Mr Hibbs had been assailed."-From the Evening Packet, Dublin. "We know nothing personally of Mr Hibbs. We know, indeed, nothing farther of him than that he has built a chapel in Edinburgh, where he appears to minister faithfully in the vineyard of Christ; and although it is the bounden duty of every Christian, and especially of every Christian minister, to forgive his enemies, yet we consider that it is equally due to himself to defend his character," &c., &c.-From Macphail's Ecclesiastical Journal (notice of third edition). |