their entrance into
office. The repeal immediately placed Dissenters and Catholics upon the
same footing with members of the Established church, and was in itself
sufficient to provoke opposition on the part of all who had not united
in the evangelical movement. But the antagonism became still more
decided when Parliament passed the Irish Church Property Act, in 1833,
in spite of the determined remonstrances of the bishops. One half of the
Irish bishoprics were thereby abrogated, Parliament assuming
ecclesiastical authority. The people supported the Parliament, and in
some instances public indignation was hurled at the bishops themselves.

The Low Church has always been on the side of popular reform. Not
forgetful of its lineal descent from that evangelical spirit which
animated Wilberforce, Stephen, Thornton, and Buxton, in their
philanthropic labors, it has sought out the population of the factories
and mines of England, and addressed itself to the relief of their
cramped and stifled inmates. It has reorganized Ragged-Schools, and
endeavored to reach all the suffering classes of the kingdom. Neither
has it been found unmindful of the wants of the heathen world, for no
sooner did the Low Church commence its public career than it founded the
Church Missionary Society, which has established over one hundred and
forty-eight missionary stations, sustains two hundred and sixty-six
clergymen, and includes about twenty thousand members.[200] These labors
have been abundantly successful, for besides the converted towns on the
coast of Africa, "whole districts of Southern India have embraced the
faith; and the native population of New Zealand (spread over a territory
as large as England) has been reclaimed from cannibalism and added to
the church." The same party was chiefly instrumental in establishing the
British and Foreign Bible Society, which has translated the Scriptures
into one hundred and fifty languages, and distributes over two millions
of copies annually.

The Low Church party was the first to tell England that her population
had far outgrown her places of worship, and it accordingly devised means
to remedy the evil. Archbishop Sumner founded the first Diocesan Church
Building Society, in 1828; and after becoming Bishop of Chester
consecrated more than two hundred new churches. Mr. Simeon of Cambridge
had previously set the example of caring for the unchurched population
by his personal labors and the outlay of hi