The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-01-25 00:00:00

THE CHURCH ASSOCIATION.

To the Editor of 141 t, Tints,.

Sir,—Blahop Claughton's descroini in of the objects,
principles, and action of the Chore Association is so
different from the 'lees en.ertameo by the °Abseil, that
they think it right to ask y is to its.ert this letter, in
order ti disabuse the mind of the Eptscopol Bench, and to
prevent the politic from being misled by erroueous Vet •
went. regarding their anti:ll Bah op Claughton &dust,
tha.,the errors from which the Coureti Alsociatiot. desires
to free the Cuurch "hsve • real existence " t o wtojeh tie
ways "he has not been b kid," but ilist in his opiuiun they
" requited vett discrinonation and potion:a to treat
with success ' and ti at "hit., intervention ol toe Church
Association destroyed all Mope of !odor:Iwoe and caution
being exercised.' To Chi. the Council would reply that
so long ego.. the year 1851 the two Archbishope and 22
Bishops issued an add.osi in which they sail:—" We
lung induleed The hope that under the influence of
charity, forbeaza ire, sod a calm mama.' of the small
importance of ouch entrust foetus, compared with the
blessing of united action in great dp.ritual work which is
before our Camels, he., beam and jealousies might by
mutual conceesions be allayed. Bot since the evil still
exists, and in one most important reature has assumed •
new and more dangelous cheracter, we feel that is is out
duty to try whether an eat nest and • united address on
our part may tend, under the blessing of God, to promote
the restoration of wive and harmony on the Church." The
Episcopal remedy of • "United emirate' had but little
elect in grapp-ing with the evil, and Purely the number of
years that permed between 1651 au 1965 (when the Coureto
Ass <dation we. (orhoed), during widen ills fait, acted le
accordance with Bishop Claughtou's advice, 'To lease the
teak of driving easy error tr those on osh.oro the
responsibility woe laid," will shoe that there woe no lack
of patience or forbearance on the r part. The bishop.
have frequently asserted in their iowerleesneas to deal
effectively with the evil; and, to give one inotaece, the
Bishop of L muon, in his cheese. of 11375 and 1879, wrote
thus :—“The B shop's authority in their court., no less
than in their chant ter as ordinaries, has proved practically
ineffictent to check or regulate the illegal or obnoxious
alterations in !Huai, of which complaints have been made
to them. The Cost, too, of ouch proceeding. is great,
ruinous to bishops it they undertake them, and prohibi-
tory or the mist part to churchwarden, or inoivictual
complainants, and the formation if • society many years
haek, which advised and masted clergymen to ,e.i t their
bosh opa or defend tnent.elves savour. changes relating to
ritual n.turally, caused the esieblietinisat of another to
enable perimooners Li peek the ieliet which the law
prod-nee to aff:obl." oorrobosstion of this view
of the all but iusupereble diffieulties which obstructed
the path of our eceleelasticel rulers in the matter
of legal redness against tee party oi immoral:on, we L4Ve
the equally recent and candid rdmiseion .4 the Biehop of
Peforborough. Has Lordship sass Beton, now"—that
is, previous in 'h. introduction of the "Public Worship
iteguletion Alt."—a clergytnan cooold do as he thought
props, and very Wee n• 4 I. ower ti c mpel hi. .4444ienee.
Toe remit was this the Church a,s ta,t passing as,y
trout Cie paraly,•l4.l bawl. if the iegitimate rulers. The
Cl,oreh Asaociattou have, alter •co.osidetalole expenditure
of time and money, ooloteined a d tuition r 4 the 14w on
m et controverted p into (ffill in no..oher), including those,
which in tAe aggreeate tend to to la the whole ceremony of
the Eoutish Mee., which is now legally declared to have no
standing in the I.l.noch of Englaso••, and foe doing this
Bishop Cleogiotoo. is "I ut erly tepudiate the action
of the Church As oto.. in row mot to proewention a.
law; theoehoy echsursit us loe siting in ot valueble sod to
too, Leonora 11 0,4 at eo4t ot up•ants of i 730,111011.
Bishep Coeught ou isoaer s thet tie ..14jeftt of the I.:Much
AoseCiati,os we, 1.. •• Molt ply pr•ee (*kit One,' Ind that io
far if Ili .lie fit. Iti • V TV c a • nt e .neplaint from
mg4rieveti the C. hare esivis el Brat It
resort to the °O.-feting lergyman. then an apps-el to the
Blotto^ and ouly sit r failure oh old outing redress from
the Bishop.. have they •Ivieed a ro aet to local
oe•I ee..ri ca-e ham 1,01 lirougni
before th. C ur. li,. r• it. 1144.41 ill- a ourti iii the
Bishop wino li el p boor I. reboil it it he ihought
Is regard to 1114 b p Cl ou.h.oh's assertion 41,G '4414 hject
of the Church Algol lotion "Is to stimulate the Biehope to
take legal action against their clergy if wo much se sue.
p.cted of ritualistic proctic s,'. the Council etiallenge his
tirdship to ologuee a •in.le instal:tea in which a.iy action
wh•lever l.a. token by thus except who,,- the Hiegel
acts comp' deed o. bad Is en repo et .1:y and defiantly
c ornmitted. Th. C eon ii of the Church Associetioon
entirely sores with Bishop tolaughton teat the dotty o nd
reoponsibility of "messing wuat the Archbishop of Conte,
lousy 1111 termed " A conspiracy in our body against the
doctrine., the disc-in:bah and the practice of cur Reformed
Church' rests with the Biehopa, and they will be do.liglited
to be relieved trom the dim:grecsi to task on won as a
general determination on the psrt of th.ir lordships to
require and insure obedience to the law u a. been mini-
tg,e4g, They rejoice to Ind that there is emod tricot, to
hope that their lordship. ore aware or the Imp :ranee and
ureeuey of the ern' a end Bishop Cleogioneo ha. us good
. opportunity of showing that be, at 1.-a4t, is in est nest. for
there are more txtietue rituali t-c chemises it, his arch-
de.coory than in any other in the kilned. m. and the
Council has et to learn that any effectual st p. have both
taken by hie to chei k the spread oil rittiall•ln, which a
leading o gin of the It onion Catholic Chereh has lately
Stated t' he " fro ctsy the usuot powerful propaganda .4
the Church (d Roue-) which Eng &A has yet oeen. In
the face of the efforts the Council hes,. iolreoely made aud
are making, for secuoing en alter tine in the la.-, it is
needless toe' offirut that an-y(10GO) dell ne the necessity
for resorting to impeleoniuent.