Synopses & Reviews
PREFACE. THE foIlowing Essays Ire mostly roprintod from thr F Contempwary Horicn.. It ltas been said that thc only two subjects - o r t t h h r e attention of a wise rnan are religion 2nd govcmnnlcat. Thrsr are, as llearly as possible, the aubjccts of this vohlnle. It is mainly occupiecl with discussions which concern Christianity and the Stntp Esttthlishnicnt of Cl ris tianity in England. I harp tried to n-r-oiil the tone of the ciogmntist, and to cnltivntc rather the spirit of nn inquirer 1 would saT sceptic, if that good old word had 11ot bcen ttufairly doo ucd to nn unfortu nate mcnning. Sonletirnrs in p xshing arguments to their last results, my - sh Itns been ratllcr to mnkr tentatire suggestions than to express Iny firlnl views. 12 new apprchcnsion of the meaning of C h s - tinnity is impcrati e but I prrtenrl to little more than showing its necessity. The question of the hatiomtl C hurch I hare hied to in the same 11-ay as the questions which imrnedintclg. concern Christianity. The metllorl is to start from filets, to follow reason, ailcl to advocate what reason dictatcs ns bcst to be done. In t, llo Churt. 11 of Eiiglnnrl wc linrt a ljv vrrfill inscllincry, jTllicll no one who rcgrarcls the intcrcsts of the natio l could wish to spc drstroyerl. The plea for disesta blisllmpnt is thp renovation aud not the destruction of the Church. The answer is, that cZiscstnblishment in the circumstances r o u b l e s l o mctlling like dest, ruc tion, On t l p ot Elcr land it is lilmittecl t11at there are evils in the Cllwch, and thcsc arc so hound up lTith the existing cst l lishmcn th t at the removal of them is hoprloss while thc prrscnt connection bctwecn Church ancl State co11ti1lut. s.Thc grievance of which the Konconforruist complains, that a State Chnrch is the cause of his social inferiority, I regard Z R imaginary. T3nt c-r. c i1 i f it vcre real, so long as a S t a t hulrch is n public good, his objcction rvould justly be set aside. . It is n subject n. llic11 concerns C1Burc1-irnen far lnorc than Sonconfo mists, ancl ought to be fairly discussed, irrespective of external agita tion. Tiic best defences of the state Church are those hi h c a h r c been put forth by the Primate and the Dean of J cstminstcr. And yet no t v o men ill Eng-Iand are more insensible to thc necessity of thc only reformation vhich could both secure the greater eEcicncy of thc Church and save it honl disestablish mcnt. So long as Church patronngc can be bought and sold, or so long as it is vcstctl in indiviciunls, t. o be used at their discretion to providc for their relatives a ld fr iends, so long there will be nn delnandi lg itnmedintc rcfor nation. The i2rchbishol of Canter l nrp sc clns so muck afmid of the pcople having ally i-oiihi in thc clcction of their elcrgynmn, that the iliuws rly l s. rih l lil d n as iypn hilstpllillg fyolli L riSitntioll to hcly somc vicar in Dover to gct tlic patrontlgc of a living out of the hands of the parishioners. The oirc grcat blenlish in Dean StanTey7s Leetnres on the Cllurcll of Scotland is his fitiInrc to apprcciatc thc Prec Chlirch movement. Tllc Cllu. ch of Scotland, wllich, till thnt time, had always cinbraced thc nuss of the peoplc, vos bcing thrcntcnud r. i t t l h ic snmc v i l w hich has Ioilg been passively cnd re i d n tl c Church of Ei gland. The patrons were tlll stiii m g e n upon pari cs vithont a njT regnrll to thc sp eia m l aatsof these pnrishes or to tlic wishes of the l copl, lc...