The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-11-24 00:00:00

the Evangelkale have made a rod for their own back&
but there is hope in another direction. The Public
Worship Rill, which the Prime Minister has told
us was designed to put down Ritualism, has been
suspended until next July ; in the meantime Con-
vocation is to meet to consider the revieon of the
rubrics, and the Archbishop in the queries which be has
issued to his cleri.7 indicates that it the rubrics are not
comprehensive now, they must be nuule ;no that the
Evangelicals, and the Ritualists, and Philosiphical party,
(which menix the infidel party), may repose side by siiP,
as the harbirrger of the unllenial Cr., when the "wolf also
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kkl, and the calf and the young lion and the
failing together." And if there were any remaining doubt
I as to what the Archbishop means, there can be no doubt
,as to what Mr. Disraeli and Parliament mean. They do
not mean to dislodge any one party. Each school of
opinion is to he safely entrenched in the National
Church ; only Ritualism which is the rags of Popery, and
! which inflames the passions of St. Stephens as the redirail
' the passion of bulls, is not to be permitted: but with that
exception the Ritualists are to have free scope to teach
their dogma. It is true we are threatened with a bill to
settle the doctrine of the Church of England next session,
but no one imagines for a moment that the most astute
politician and tactician in England will be foolish e
wreck his main ificien t Tory majorithaud nem' his M.nii4cre
to Jericho, by attempting the re-construction of the took of
Common Prayer. If he does the Church of Eugland is
doomed. But he intends nothing of the kind; this
would be "to dish the Whigs " with a vengeance; but
Mr. Disraeli is not prepared tor this, Radical as I believe
him to be, and a Statesman who will probably mid his
career as having earned the epitaph which Profeseor
Fawcett has written for him, ' The Tory Minister who
Enfranchised Democracy, sod Dia-established the Church."
What then, I ask, is the hope for a Proteitant Evangelical
National Church I How is it to be had I NA
Mr. Concamen how it ie to be dose! Politicians
are not prepared to give it. The Tory Government must
surely will not accede to it, and if these saviours of socixty
and of the Church won't give itaud if "the noble army of
Protestant publicans" would probably hesitate to vote for
it; if the Arelibithops and Bishops won't give it ; awl if
the revision of the Rubrics is limn with almost Meer-
mountable difficultly*, ai the eeventeen reasons adduced
by George trevor, 11.1)., in the Mandanj of the
amply Milicate ; by what means, I ask, is the Church of
England to be delivered from Sacenlutalism, to hay
nothing of Ritualism I I appeal earnestly to the Proton'
taint party of the Church ; 1 appeal to the gentlemen o'in
the platform last Thursday evening, and I ask what are
you prepared to do? If legislation is hopeless, as un-
doubtedly it is, what is the next 'Amiable cure I lame/et.
unhesitatingly and contideutly. Diewitablishment and
complete lhaendowment. The only remedy is to separate
the Church and State, and allow each to care for its own
distinctive duties. It is said this is a painful and denger-
ous process, it does not concern um to answer this
objection just now. It is sufficient for me to indicate the
remedy. It is • terrible remedy to Amputate a man's
limb, but if it is the only remedy to save Life, it is best to
submit to it. Nothing but ecclesiastical amputation can
effect a Protestant aim for the Church, and if the Protes-
tant party won't submit to it willingly, they will have to
to submit it., sooner or later, unwillingly. But what is
the individual duty of these snout U udoubtedly to go
out from a Church which harbours the deniers V the
faith, and while they remain in the same Church with
them, they am partakers of their sins and evils. I confess
I see no way out of this dilenana for the Protestant party.
No ingenuity, no cauaity, can free them of complicity
with the errors of the Sacerdotalista ; and their duty
therefore, to rise up and go forth and free themselves of
all responsibility and complicity in these evils. To talk
about garments and altars, while the doctrine of the
"Real Presence " remains untouched, is like stripping an
invading army of its colours, while each man is permitted
to carry his rifle and his ammunition. You must not only
take clown the flag; you must strip the Ritualists of their
ecclesiastical guns and State church ammunition,
spike their cannons and blow up their magazine, other-
wise you leave them to perpetrate their deadly evils. The
Protestants, seeing that these men will not, and are not
likely to be asked to lay dowu their antes must forth-
with abandon the authonty which sanctions such proce-
dure—must, in other words, quit the establishinent
Disestablialment and disendoement is their only remedy ;
and to this all events are hastening, and very speedily I
hope to see the consummation. I will take another
opportunity of explaining what I mean by disendownient,
as well as by dmaustablishmet Let it suffice meantime
for me Missy that by diseetablishment I do not mean, nor
does the Liberation Society mean, the destruction of the
Church of England, but the improvement and benefit of
that church; and, although churchmen can only afford to
sneer at our expression ut interest in the church, never-
theless they will have to endure the process, and :vat, the
benefit all the same. Nor, by diaendowinent, do we mean
confiscation of property, nor do we mean to send every
clergyman adrift, to pick up his living as best he way.
This would be dewnwright robbery and persecution.
There will be the utmost regard paid to all vested
interests, and to all legal claims; but Nonconformists will
never suffer such • process of diseudowment as took place
in the Irish Church, which has made that church the
'medal of Christendom, and has even inspired the Times
—newspaper with a righteous indignation. That its cleru
or rather Clirie.ea, should have got ordination for the simple
purpose of • onnsuuting. compounding, and cutting" to
seek fresh peewees in the old Church of England, has
really tilled the English people with • scornful indtgwo
tion, and has lowered the church that has been guilty of
such gross immorality in the eyes of all Christendom.
Thorough disendowment, therefore, subject to all just
rights, and vested interest., and appropriation of the
money to thoroughly national purposes, in which all can
participate, irrespective of creel or class, is henceforth
the watchword of the friends of diewitablishment and
disendowinent Because I believe that this is the only
possible remedy for the present distress, and because I
believe that anything short of this would be mere tinker.
ins, I have taken this opportunity of expounding nsy
views to this audience, awl to the people of Dorchester,
who may be dispoest to give nie • bearing on the ques-
tion, or to read what of this lecture way be reported.
Wishing only the triumph of truth, and not sect or party,
he it Nonconformity or Churchisin, I wait hopefully the
issue of this great struggle, satisfied that a gracious
Providence will do what is best for His truth, and the
good of this great nation—
live ghalous England •
Clod save our native land,
Long may she stand, firm and free."