The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-09-19 00:00:00

Corrasponbente.

THE SALISBURY DIOCESAN SYNOD.
To the Editor of as Dorset Ossilp Express.
Snk—l much regret the oppeaition made by some
good men to the Diocesan Synod. The good which the
synod may accomplish loyal in the future, end it Is on
that amount well not to speak too msaidently about it;
but, inumnish as the emetics has been put In the
fairest way before the MOONS sad at one of the largest
meetings of Churchmen that ever took plass, a unani-
mous decision was come to In favour of having a
perm t synod, it seems Isarenemeabie and unfair not
to give it • triaL The only objeetioas of any weight
that I have heard are, that it will be injurious to this
cause which I. advocated by the Evangelloal body. Such
a reside I should deplore, for I ern one of those who
by conviction and the reseptioa of their own spiritual
life, are Immoveably atteehedlto Enagelioal Principles,
bolieving them to be those of Holy fieripture and of our
Reformed Church, I think the fears entertained on
that heed are groundless, and sboeid be ashamed to act
as if I thought the truth could Ices In stair field of open
discuadoo, where the freest expreesilon of opinion is
allowed. One great fast seems to be Ignored by the
opponents of the synod, viz., that en Sr. members of the
Church of Reglasi, and that tawnier. It is our duty
6 rmly, kindly, and loyally, to so-operate for the good of the
Church as a whole, sad not merely for the intereets of
our own party. I believe that Christ is the Head of
lb. Church of England es a whole; If I did not, I should
be wrong in belonging to it. If Christ Is the Head of
the Church, He will maintain His ewer:lease ; to doubt
it is to act faithlessly towards film. Only, ea • mans,
let us do our part, and we have nothing to fear. On
this point Evangelical Churchmen may well hearken to
the advise of that Evangelical shsaplon the Ray. J. C.
Ryle. He says :—" We should wets* against the
narrow.minded isolated line of setioe, which prevails in
many quartets. To abstain from all public meetings
in which we cannot have our own way, to retire from
any assembly of Churchmen Is widish we are likely to
meet with contradiction, to be insamently finding fault
with things mauled us, bat never trying to amend them
—all this may seem right to some salads. It admits of
grave enquiry, whether it be not selAshoess, laziness, or
°dawdle*, dimpled ander other names; To come
boldly forward on every opporliesity, to speak out
boldly and courteously for ()triers truth, fearing the
face of no men, to °echoed earnestly for the faith and
real doctrine of the Church of England, even it we stand
alone, this I believe firmly is the bounden duty of
every Protestant Churchman at the present day. It
may ant us mush sill-denial, 16 may entail upon us
many painful eollidons and vezatleas • but it is the line
of duty. If (I seen dielikes ths Olesseh of Ragland, kt
his retire frost it, end join Dow. other body Of
Christiana; but if 64 mashes in orr restotraion, let Aim
do all he ran to strengths' met improve it. To shut
ourselves up in a owner, to avoid the company of
every one who disagrees with Si, to allow the rff.irs
of the church to be managed by wound men, all this
may
agree seam
ree witht
I diocesan inferences
to be really useful to the Church of England, we must
eerheem. verylefP we idt"
wmaeled very
right:
loan.
n
labour inoemently to make teem Wed they ought to
be." Such, sir, are the opinions of ono of tbe most
useful and honest of the Evangelists of England, I '
commend them to the serious atesation of those who
ere disposed to hinder the Diocesan Synod. If I may
be allowed to express my opealen I would say Vast
there is • danger lest our Proteseentism degenerate
into • narrow Sectarianism. The Protestaasisra to
which I adhere Is one that heartily a:abrades all
who love the Lord Jesus Christ IS sincerity, whether
they be Episcopalians, Prosbyteriess, Baptists, Wes-
layana, Independent. ; or, to Gomel, our communion
whether they be high, low, or breed Churchmen, I
deplore the narrowness whist' thinks it impossible for
those who are higher or lower eberebmen than our.
salves to be true Christians. The Church of England
comprehends men of the school of Hooker, And wee,
Jeremy Taylor, and Beveridge, as uos Andre
and lialL We shall as study meet John Beige and
Walter Hamilton in heaven, as we shall Venn, B.m
and
the Cseet
buit For my p
h ;lamth:t l ierr
thankful not Ii belong CebetLAei
g to e ici4marrei esir
seat in which every one, on pals of 'zoom animates.
most pronounce exactly the game shibboleth, The
contrast is painful between the algid exclusiveness of
modern theolopr, and the broad emaprehensivenms of
HO/ Writ, The Apostle John lays it down that
" Whosoever believeth that Josue to the Son of God,
God dwelleth in him and he in God." St. Paul, after
discussing the Ritualiatie Doubled's@ In the pri-
mitive church, ends by reproving both parties, end says,
"as Christ hath received you so reds, ye one another
to the glory of God." Let thee* divine rules be kept
in view, and we shall have unity, pease_ , and love in
the church. This will by no WWI lead to latitudin-
arianism and iodifferenes to vital dheinetions of troth;
hkweeamhaend
enstildlhestandithemg.faskteineve eneu the lalt are.
fsltiba.
e m ek
which of late has not bees the ease. We shall did
contend against what we believe to be els errors of
high churchmen with respect be 61ms Rail Preemie%
but we shall rmatimber Dias eras el Os nest minas
onrilveya e
Christians that ever lived have held the seme—Lo r,
Yelanatimee Oilvla,parenetles tt=el rasa of
modern U. the Pushes fee sod ail

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