The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-06-25 00:00:00

THE PROTESTANTIS 11 OF THE Cl:lrv.'"

07 ENGLAND.

It is dangeroas, even to • r.ovarla to begin meddling
with an old building ! the Mow that seems neither
ornamental, not useful, as seen from without, may be
114. 1.." atone AM a she wall, and when removed
may bring the house down. Some of the modern
restorers of our Church had better be warned in time
they have already loaded her with as much additional
ornament and superstructure as the will bear, but are
not content with this: they seem very busy in pinking
away parte of her foundation, which do not seem to find
favour in their eyes. Nothing is more common than to
hear and read distinct declarations that the Church of
England is ace Prolate*. It is the desired object of a
certain busy party, and has been for years, to repro-
teecothre her. That, however, is a task rather more
difficult and dangerous than these young anti-reformers
Imagine. As the Bishop of Ripon well putt, at the
Charterhouse re-union recently, "The Church has no
loess steadi except as a Protestant Church :" remove
that proiest, find, as a National Church, she ceases to
exist. To the time of Henry VIIL for some centuries
there was no Anglican or English Church whatever.
The Church of Rome WM the one Church in England,
the Pope was its Lard and Master. Its Bishops and
Priests exercised their authority and office in rubmis-
sion to him. The Church of England arose out of
that (Amok it is true, but in defiance of it Its exist-
ence sea distinct Church for three hundred years, is in
itself a protest against the corruptions of that Church—
corruptions in practice, and doctrine, and worship.
The English Liturgy contains only those parts of the
Romish which were in use in primitive dos. As a
Church. therefore, standing in direct opposition to all
the claims of that corrupt Church, she has been endowed
with great privileges and political advantages. As a
Protestant Church, she is united with the State, the
head of which must be a Protestant, and may not many
any but a Protestant Her Anklet and Canons, and
Homilies, never mention the Church of Rome, except
to protest against her as a corrupt and idolatrous
Church.

But now, it appears, that it suite the wild and silly
dreisminp of certain young Priests, led on by scheming
and ambitious Ecclesiastic', and backed up by a lot of
sentimental women, to ignore the Church's Pro-
testantism altogether. They can meet together, and
without laughing in one another's farms, gravely stale
that the differences between the two Church.' are suite
trivial! They can amuse the wary and cautious
emissaries of the Church of Rome, by long convenat one
'Ton the re-union scheme, and think they are doing a
great work, when they me simply making themselves
the laughing stock of the whole country. Do they
know what they mean, when they talk about "Nero
teressinemo the Church of England? Do they imagine
that if it is to be done, it will bs left in ,liery hands ? Do
they supper" that the people of England. Dissenters, as
well as ilurchmen, will have nothing to say to this
precious bargain? Are they prepared to give up what
has been entrusted to them by the country, when they
oesae to use the deposit for the pwyo.e for which they
received It? As long as the Church continues to pro-
test spinet the whole systent of Popery, so long all
loyal Churchmen will actively support her—so long all
Moderate and Evangelical Disamthre will tolerate her
In her present position—sod so keg the inAdel and
republican will be powerless spinet bar: but let her
only join with Rom•—let her protest be thrown aside,
ii Churches, and Pareouage-hooms, sod Tithsa, sod
Church-rates, and Admewsona, and all will quickly
follow, and these madmen will And it • very &Moult
thing to carry on their present ecclesiastical amuse- I
men* when they are no longer members of the
National Church.

The feeling excited in this chooses by the Bishop's
Charge—a feeling by no assets subsided, although in
abeyant* until the charge be published—the memorial
of the Churchwardens at bUport, end of atty-ons
more at Marlborough—the secession from the
Church at Caine—all these thinp show that if
Englishman are slow to suspect thole whom th 7
have trusted of treecheny, yet, when coos well
founded suspicion is aroused, they have the will and
the power to make themselves beard, end the traitors,
whoever they are, must not expect to escape with Im-
punity. It would, indeed, be strange, to our mind it
is absolutely incredible, that while every other nation
at Barone Is emerging from that state of darkness in
which Popery shrouded It—while the almost %adrenal
determination to be free is sb.wing itself in various
ways throughout the Continent- in folereticu of Pro-
testant Churches, free eirealetian of the Bible, end the
=
egrnistalem of riwtily elahae—it would indeed be
If Isplamod arms alone nods in the midst of
this pima JI with mdeldal isrfatuatisa,
glee up the iodpid mune of ell her pestame,
and shroud herself on the darkness of ea at
the bidding o a small 01.405_ of min, who annot on
among themselves 004 dqo4 great mind. net thee
little clique should hare goes op as keg se it has—that
it should hare woofer itself so much notoriety, and
attracted such a following, Is easily fteeountsd for.
let its oars to conceal its ultimate object, sad he
assuming for a time the cesnoter of respect for order
and Church discipline, has blinded the eyes of many
its lavish distribution of alms has helped ton=
many a church, and made many converts from
adhesion to one sect, to nominal adhesion to another.
Ago* it has dattend the pride sad malty of the
*her ohms, as they are called, by providing them
with Sunday arameweent, when belts ere mot, end
thrives & met am timdr doom mad by ehowbgheme
the wey is le &Mew viand
*igloo yellers, isseillebrimir ebrawatlytftst•lgt—,

Okilitstiow Milikplal ma to asarFshwitlisai
in Off SPUMY MOM It has copied for the
re 1110314 ylntOrirtlielaaTionetleall
man and Wellbelk of
the won i may glorify themselvexand qiiiet their
conaciancea at the same time. do far the nil effect of
these principles was of little imports...: it touched no
chord with which the heart of the people of Boginad
really sympathnied. But the metier lama assumed a
graver upset, and the first overt act that threaten
the destruction of the Protestantism of the Church will
bring matters to an bine.
It is to this that the minds of all Baglishmen must
now be directed ; we must have it avon and Wip
proclaimed that the *stern' and Widen! nits Of
Popery are a necerreary onaequenoe of her internal
principles : the ever-prevailing principle of evil, from
which all others arise end to stipoo which they ate
direct 4, thatienietaths:erfac already *dreaded
ii 4e Mafidpe • of e great consequences
Of that pnomple is painfully amulet in that pine
document. Never before since the Reformation has a
Bishop of our Church openly
..advoosted
However much they tosybayt differed in doctrine and
Prattles, dot one has ever publicly cautioned his clergy
against the " unriadOm of irritating men's minds by too
constant ettenipts to give their principles fresh man-
festations." It will not, therefore, be enough, to object
to some of the external evidences of thi. evil existing
Imendet tis, to be content with lopping off the utter-
most twigs of the system, the root itself must be got
bold of and torn up from the midst of our Church, by
the united action of men, who may sow to differ on
some points, but are perfectly united fa their hatred of
tyrany of any kind, but especially that form of it, the
want of all. that is called priestly or spiritual.