The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-05-19 00:00:00

Crcloiastical Inklligrnte.

ARCHDEACONS' CHARGES.

In these days of reform and retrenchment, and when
the State seems inclined to exercise its power over the
Church. and take into its own hands the reformation of
the sacred Establishment, it is time for us aLI to make
up our minds as to what we can most easily spare, and
not to contend about surerfluities, lest, in fighting for
them, we lose what is more important. Not long since
the Steatiorri, if we mistake not, in • leading article,
spoke of Cathedral Establishments as being open to
criticism, and seemed to implv that their incomes might
be better and more advantageously employed, if the
Christian Religion be the great object of a Christian
Church. Without pretending to adopt the ideas of the
great Tory• Radical Conserrativeltheral organ, which
has acquired the most marvellous dexterity in advocat-
ing extreme levelling measures, upon strictly Tory
principles, we really think that archdeacons' Visita-
tions, and their necessary accompaniment in the shape
of Charge., might be dispensed with, without any great
loss or danger to the Church. We cannot for our life
understand why clergymen are expected once every
year to leave their perished, and come to listen to •
document which has not the slightest authority, and,
unless in one or two particular instances, carries with
It no weight whatever. Our experience of ouch in-
diction, is that they are, as a rule, composed upon the
principle, and with the object, of saying as little as
possible, and taking as much time as possible to say it
in; being generally speaking a very mild dilution of
the Diocessn's oracular enunciation'. We meat confess
that the Charge lately delivered in this town is no
exception to the general rule; and we silently medi-
tated for some time after reading it upon the state of
that man's mind, who could, in cool blood. expect •
number of men, moderately educated, to conic many
miles to listen to it. At last it struck us as most pro-
bable that it had been submitted to the supervision of
our contemporary, the Citrosicle, and carefully shorn
of every exersistence of original thought, every manly
and open vindication of principle, es cry bold declaration
of Christian doctrine, and thereby rendered fit to be
embalmed in those columns where—

"Mint, o'er all pawned her antieot right,
Daughter of Chaos and eternal night."
At the very commencement of his charge the Venerable
Archdeacon declined to enter into questions which are
agitating the whole Church, awl especially this diocese.
Church-rates, elucation, short serrices, synods, re-
union of Christendom, what are these compared to the
great question—ls our Church a teacher of Popery or
Bible truth Is sloe to remain what our forefathers
left her 300 years a„.-o, or is she to go back to the filth
and darkness &one tvlahrk they rescued h.rl Were the
men he was addressing priests with power to forgive
sine and offer the Holy and Blood of Christ as a pro-
pitiatory sacrifice, or were they Ministers of the
Gospel, as our Prayer Book describes their office? We
look in vain for any word on these points, and yet
upon these truths the Church must stand or
falL It is according to her honesty in maintaining the
simple doctrines of the Bible and Prayer Book, that she
will, in times to come, be entrustitil with the education
of the people ; and if an Archdeacon cannot speak, or
must not speak, or dare not speak, on such important
points, it is, to our thinking, a mockery to expect the
clergy to waste their time in listening to other matters
which are only interesting to them according to the
answer that shall be given to the questions carefully
omitted. _

-----
As far as regards church.rates, they are virtually
gone; this will be little loss to clergymen who de their
duty and preach the truth of the Gospel fully, faith-
fully, and boldly; and if tithes follow church-rates
such men need not be afraid. But the self-constituted
priest hal need look out for himself. There is •
declaration "that they that preach the Gospel shall live
by the Gcspel," there is no such promise to men who
preach the Church. and the altar, an 4 the mass; and
although we should he wrong in casting off the State
support we have, yet we feel sure that the Church of
Christ need, no such support ; and if Christienity is
worth preaching, and worth believing, it will bring it.
own support with it, eind when we see the abases that
have crept into the Church, the successors of the
Apostles dwelling in palaces, thousands upon thousands
expended every year upon singing men and singing
boys, we think it is high time that men were ana-
-1 pilled to think what is the meaning and reality of
their religion, and whether such things are necessary
or desirable, or consistent with the origin, spirit, and
object of Christianity.
As to education, the Archdeacon was pleased to speak
disparagingly of the British and Foreign Schools. The
slluron WY unfortunate. One of the best schools in
the South of England happens to be in connection with
that school society, and in this very arclidesconry.
Our Nonconformist friends must be highly amused at
the allusion, and could if they please produce more
than one instance in which it would be well if the
Church School was a httle more like theirs.

'1 he Archdeacon boldly declares that it ii the duty
of the clergy to have prayer in the Church daily, i.e.
twice a day. We declare that they are not bound to do
so-, it never has been customary to have it since the
Reformation, and they are not going back to Ante-
Reformation times to learn their duty; while the
practice, if revived, would he • Feat hindrance to more
important duties; and greatly interfere with domestic
religion, besidee encouraging the fooliah and demora-
'Wag superstition. that the bare Church is • holier
piece than • Christian man's house. It is all very well
for those whose highest ideas of a clergyman', office is
to gabble through a form of prayer in the morning, and
spend the rest of the day at croquet and other strictly
clerical pastimes.
But lastly, we coine to the reunion of Christendom,
about which the Archdeacon ventures to say that he
should like to see it, if it could be done without any
compromise. Bo should we, if it is required. But what
does he meta by Christendom? Here he is silent. We
should have laced to hear his opinion. Does he by
Chrbitendom mean Bishopdom ? Or does he mean
"congregation, of Chistian and faithful men where
the pure word of the Gospel is preached," !sc. He may
depend upon this, that there is a wide difference
between the former and the latter ; and the union of the
one would assuredly lead to the union of the other; and
Bishops, Archimandritee, Rural Deana Popes, Arch.
deacons, k.c., would Ind thenaelvai united, but with-
out the word of God, or the congregation of faithful
men—and then their" folly would soon be manifest
unto all men." It seems to us that men who are
raised to some ecclesiastical dignity never think that
such an appointment is an additional means of advanc-
ing the truth, and an additional reaaon .by they should
be bold and faithful in proclaiming the opinion., on
every subject, which they believe to be true Instead of
this such dignities make them more cautious in avoiding
offence, core anxious to keep thing. pleamant, more
obedient to orders, and therefore more melees to the
Church. Therefore we come back to the proposition
we started with, that the first thing the Church may
safely dispense with is, Archdeacon', Charges. The
Archdeacons may remain, if they like; may inspect
bricks and mortar, and reign over Churchwardens ;
but no more visitations, they only make the Church and
clergy ridiculous.