Editing Hugh M'Neile (section)

== Clerical career ==
Following his theological studies, M‘Neile was ordained in 1820 by his future father-in-law, William Magee (1766–1831) – who, at that time, was the Church of Ireland's [[Bishop of Raphoe#Church of Ireland succession|Bishop of Raphoe]] – and served as a curate in [[Stranorlar|Stranorlar, County Donegal]] from 1820 to 1821. Early in 1822, his preaching in London so impressed the banker and parliamentarian [[Henry Drummond (1786–1860)]] that Drummond appointed M‘Neile to the [[Benefice#Church of England|living]] of the parish of [[Albury, Surrey]], from where M‘Neile's first collection of sermons, ''Seventeen Sermons, etc.'', were published in 1825.

From 1826 to 1830, Drummond hosted the annual [[Albury Conferences]],<ref>[http://www.albury.org.uk Albury parish website: Brief History of Albury.]</ref> held in Albury for the Union of the Students of Prophecy moderated by M‘Neile.<ref>According to Flegg (1992, pp.3 7–38), apart from M‘Neile, the participants included the clerics [[Henry Forster Burder|Henry Forster Burder (1783–1864)]], William Hodgson Cole (1806–1852), [[William Dodsworth]] (1798–1861), William Dow (1800–1855), [[Edward Irving|Edward Irving (1792–1834)]], [[William Marsh (priest)|William Marsh (1775–1864)]], Henry John Owen (1795–1862), John Simons (1754–1836), John Haldane Stewart (1766–1854), [[Robert Story (minister)|Robert Story]] (1790–1859), Edward Thomas Vaughan (1777–1829), [[Daniel Wilson (bishop)|Daniel Wilson (1778–1858)]] and [[Joseph Wolff|Joseph Wolff (1795–1862)]]; and the laymen, John Bayford (1774–1844), Thomas William Chevalier (1799–1835), [[Henry Drummond (1786–1860)]], [[John Hookham Frere]] (1769–1846), [[James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier|James Gambier]] (1756–1833), [[Charles Robert Malden]] (1797–1855), [[George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester|Viscount Mandeville]] (1799–1855), [[Spencer Perceval (junior)|Spencer Perceval]] (1795–1859), John James Strutt (1796–1873) and John Owen Tudor (1783–1861).</ref> Each of the Albury Conferences involved days full of close and laborious study of the prophetical books of the Bible; attempting to seek out as-yet-unfulfilled prophecies within them. As they progressed, "[their] prophetic speculations became more and more extreme".<ref>Carter (2001), p.179.</ref> It was at Albury that M‘Neile first met [[Edward Irving|Edward Irving (1792–1834)]]. Irving was a strong believer in the "gifts" of "speaking in tongues" (''[[glossolalia]]'') and spiritual healing. It was through Irving that M‘Neile first encountered the Irish-born Okey Sisters. His experience of the deception of Okey Sisters' reputed speaking in tongues with Irving, and his knowledge of their later association with [[John Elliotson|Elliotson]] and his mesmerism, and their well-attested fraudulent deception of Elliotson, must have strongly informed his later views of the activities of magnetists such as [[Charles Lafontaine|Lafontaine]].<ref>For a detailed treatment of Jane and Elizabeth Okey, see [https://archive.org/stream/autobiographica01clargoog#page/n175/mode/1up pp.155–194] in [[James Fernandez Clarke|Clarke, J. F.]], ''Autobiographical Recollections of the Medical Profession'', J. & A. Churchill, (London), 1874.</ref>

In relation to the reputed prophecy, glossolalia and healing, M‘Neile became increasingly torn between his own developing view that they were not of the Holy Spirit of and his desire to remain loyal to Drummond who thought that they were. In the early 1830s, while still within the "Prophetic Circle", M‘Neile had dabbled with spiritual healing and speaking with tongues himself.

By July 1832, M‘Neile was preaching at Albury against the reputed spiritual gifts and was protesting about Drummond's private prayer meetings, because, equating Drummond's residence to a church, M‘Neile "would not suffer laymen to pray in his presence". Further, he most strongly objected "[that] it was not of God" when a female at one of Drummond's prayer sessions, which M‘Neile had "attended reluctantly", spoke in tongues – and, thus, "contradicting the biblical injunction against women teaching in church". This caused such a rift that Drummond said "if [M‘Neile] persisted in preaching against the work of the Lord and against all who believed in it" he would be unable to remain within the Church of England.<ref>Carter (2001), p.186).</ref> Soon after, Drummond ceased attending services at Albury. Their relationship became so unworkable that M‘Neile resigned his post in June 1834.
{{Quote box
 |title = Evangelical Anglican Opposition to Ritualism
 |quote =&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There were a number of aspects of Victorian ritualism to which<br />
[[Ritualism in the Church of England|Anglican Evangelicals took particular exception]]. Prominent among<br />
them were the [[Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist|doctrine of the real presence]] in the [[Eucharist]], the<br />
use of wafer bread, mixing water and wine in the [[Chalice#Religious use|chalice]] during the<br />
service, [[Reserved sacrament|reservation]], [[Eucharistic adoration|adoration]], [[Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament|benediction]], the [[Ad orientem|eastward position]]<br />
of the celebrant, and the wearing of [[vestment]]s including [[alb]]s,<br />
[[chasuble]]s and coloured [[Stole (vestment)|stoles]]. Priestly [[absolution]], and in partic-<br />
ular making the [[sign of the cross]] during it, the use of [[confessional]]s<br />
and [[Bowing#Christianity|bowing at the name of Jesus]] were all also particularly offensive<br />
to Evangelicals …<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Scotland (1997).
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In October 1834, at the suggestion of a friend, the Revd William Dalton (1801–1880), he was appointed to St Jude's Church, Liverpool. The church, which had been built by subscription expressly for Dalton in 1831, could comfortably hold 1,500 people (it was demolished in 1966). At St Jude's, M‘Neile had "a handsome salary" and "a very large and opulent congregation".<ref>Grant (1841), p.239.</ref> Once installed at St Jude's, M‘Neile's eloquence attracted the attention of the [[Bishop of Chester]] – [[John Sumner (bishop)|John Sumner]] (1780–1862), later [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] – who appointed him as an honorary canon of his cathedral. The next Bishop of Chester, [[John Graham (bishop)|John Graham]] (1794–1865), also held the important and influential ecclesiastical position of [[Clerk of the Closet]] to Queen Victoria. Graham was equally impressed with M‘Neile and possibly used his connections to facilitate the conferral of the Incorporate D.D. upon him in 1860.

Later, at St Paul's, a 2,000 plus seat church specifically built for him and consecrated on 2 March 1848 by John Bird Sumner, then Archbishop of Canterbury elect (it closed in 1974) he enjoyed a large income. Over time, M‘Neile became a rich man and his financial independence meant that he answered to none: "McNeile was a fighter by instinct and a political parson by principle and, supported by a confidence derived from considerable personal wealth, he was his own man."<ref>Neal (1998), p.45.</ref>
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 |quote =&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The impelling force behind [M‘Neile’s] actions and utterances was<br />
two basic propositions, the truth of which he believed in totally. First<br />
that the Roman Catholic Church was the enemy of Christianity and<br />
the Pope the Antichrist. [M‘Neile] had difficulty in bringing himself<br />
even to use the word "religion" when referring to Roman Catholicism.<br />
Thus, in his view, it was the duty of a Christian to oppose the Roman<br />
Church at all times and in all places. Individual Roman Catholics were<br />
not to be persecuted, because, in his view, they were victims of a cruel<br />
deception who needed the love and compassion of Christians to help<br />
them find true religion. Second was his belief that the Roman Catholic<br />
Church was engaged in a political conspiracy. It did not, in his view,<br />
recognise the supremacy of temporal rulers and would, whenever<br />
possible, grasp political power and use it to crush heresy. Any<br />
political concessions to Roman Catholicism had to be opposed because,<br />
in his view, the Roman Church was evil and, to the extent that it<br />
obtained political power and influence, true religion would suffer.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=OyW9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA45 Neal (1988), pp.45–46.]</ref>
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His stipend at St Paul's was £1,000 per annum, more than twelve times that of an average curate. He also received £1,500 per annum in pew rents: "He had a large following, and his capacity to imbue popular prejudice against Roman Catholicism with the dignity of a spiritual crusade gave him enormous and explosive influence on Merseyside."<ref>Wolff (2004).</ref>