Evan Powell Meredith
| Evan Powell Meredith | |||||||||
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| File:Meredith, Evan Powell.jpg | |||||||||
| Born | 1811 | ||||||||
| Died | 1889 | ||||||||
| Residence | Agincourt Square, Monmouth | ||||||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
House Notes
proposed 1867.04.30
Notes From Elsewhere
EVAN POWELL MEREDITH AND A CHURCHWARDEN John Morgan, coach builder, churchwarden, was charged with that he did, on the 13th instant, profanely curse and swear. He was further charged with having, on the same day, assaulted Evan Powell Meredith
" A very curious correspondence between the Bishop of Llandafp and Mr. Evan Powbll Meredith, of Monmouth, has j«ist been printed, which is likely to be useful in more ways than one. The Bishop, on the 27th of last July, preached a sermon at Monmouth, from the words of the Book of Ecclesiastes, * Money is a defence,' in which he took occasion to maintain the usefulness of riches when rightly applied, and enumerated some of the evils which poverty engenders. One of his hearers was the aforesaid Mr. Powell -Mereoith, who seems to have devoted himself to theolo- flcal studies, with a result wholly adverse to the supernatural claims of Christianity. This gentleman, therefore, thought it his duty to question the Bishop of Llandaff as to the conformity of his recent discourse with the teaching of the Gospel ; reminding him that the Evangelists represent their Master as always extolling, not wealth, but poverty, pronouncing blessings on the poor, and requiring His disciples to sell that whidi they had, in order that, by * giving alms,* they might have treasure in heaven. « Mr. Meredith puts his case with considerable force, and urgently requests of the Bishop to explain to him how it was possible to reconcile such teaching with the principles of his sermon, which distinctly advocated the utility of capital. At first, the Bishop fenced in his reply, stating that he had been misrepresented, and that he had not inculcated the pursuit of wealth. Mr. Meredith, however, was able to produce a idu>rt-hand report of the sermon, from which it appeared that the Bishop had really attributed many beneficial consequences to the possession of property, and not without considerable reason for his faith, since it is plain that, if almsgiving be so great a virtue that must be valuable to possess, which it is so desirable for the poor to receive in the way of doaation ; and the Bishop had used the words, *■ Poverty is a source of Unbounded evil. His questioner, therefore, plied him again with the Gospel texts in support of voluntary poverty, and persisted in asking for an explanation. The Bishop now took his stand on higher ground. He said he was the Bishop, and had no time for corres- pondence with individual gentlemen on theological matters perplexing to their minds. If Mr. Meredith was puzzled to reconcile the doctrine in Ecclesiastes with the doctrine of the Evangelists, let him consult some of the working clergy at Monmouth, who were perfectly competent to afford to him every satisfaction. If he sincerely desired to avoid danger to his soul, he could not err in a Uteral obedience to the Gospel texts ; and if he sold all that he had and gave it to the poor, it Would scarcely be impu- ted to him as an offence worthy of condemnation. This did not satisfy Mr. Meredith at all ; he thought very little of his parish clergymen, and he returns to the charge with still larger citation of texts in favour of poverty, and shows the Bishop that the world oould not go on if every one literally obeyed these exhortations of the GospeL He now further avows himself a disbelietrer in the Divine authority of Christ, and explains why he had not avowed this at first; because, ' had I done so, your Lordship, in accord- ance with tilie usual practice of tJie Anglican clergy, would not have deigned to furnish me with a reply, — ^would have retreated into a fortress of unapproachable taci'> tumity, deeming it beneath your dignity fairly and fearlessly to meet the argu- ments of a Deist.' And this letter ends with a bitter complaint of the general refusal of the clergy, to answer the arguments of sceptics. Immediately, however, that the Bishop of LLA.NDAFF fouud out that his correspondent was an unbeliever, he seems to have made up his mind to listen to him no longer. The issue, therefore, is the publication of a series of pretentious but vigorously- written letters, in which Christian- ity is made to appear as a piece of impracticable folly, and its ministers as men who dare not undert^e its defence. We should be very glad to know what business there was in the diocese of Llandaff of greater importance than setting an example to the clergy of that neighbourhood of a successful answer to an able and courteous but rather unscrupulous sceptic, whose case was at least strong enough on the surface to deserve consideration. Mr. Meredith had written with decorum, and with an appearance of argument which deserved better treatment There is but too much truth in the complaint that the objections of honest doubters, can obtain few answers icom the clergy Considering the vast numbers who are devoted to the work of public instruction, it is not surely expecting too much to require that in every jwpulous neighbourhood there shoidd be at least one or two learned and able Christians com-* .petent to encounter the objections of infidelity, and with good temper and brotherly patience to meetthe sincerely-felt difficulties of doubting inquirers. And how could bishops better serve the cause of revelation than by finding time to explain why it was that Christ laid so much stress upon the poverty of the £st ministers and missionaries of the Gospel, and so particularly warned them against rabbinical titles and lordly aspirations ? The too common plan of flouting all * infidel ' opposition may seem to bear a show of wisdom in ' not answering a fool according to his folly;' but not all sceptics are ' fools.' There is abroad a widely-spread spirit of doubt which requires better satisfaction than comes with the afifirmation that the most leiamed ministers ore too busy to deal with it." As to the Vicar, his letters are deemed amply sufficient to exemplify his spirit, hiM skill, his knowledge and his reasoning power. Probably, his Christian brethren will console themselves by regarding him as one of those ministers who, the editor of the Patriot, in the article just cited, says, are qualified to recommend Christianity by their lives, and by a simple announcement of its beneficent message, but who are not qualified by temper or by knowledge to undertake the confutation of honest gainsayen."
Publications
External Publications
The Prophet of Nazareth, or, A critical inquiry into the prophetical, intellectual, and moral character of Jesus... by Evan Powell, 1811-1889 Meredith (1 Jan 1864)
Six hundred octavo pages in horribly small print by a gentleman who, some years ago "quietly withdrew from Christianity."
Correspondence, touching the divine origin of the Christian religion, between ... John Fairfax Francklin, M.A., and Evan Powell Meredith by John Fairfax Francklin
[Amphilogia, or correspondence on the teaching of Jesus, between the ... Bishop of Llandaff and E. P. Meredith ... Also, correspondence touching the divine origin of the Christian Religion, between ... J. F. Francklin ... and E. P. Meredith.] by Alfred Ollivant
