The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-20 00:00:00

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MR. MACKONOCHIE ON CHURCH AND

STATE.

Mr. Mackonochie gives the world a further glimpse o
his notions of the terms on which the Church shouta
be related to :the State. The ecclesiastical courts, 110
contends, should be restored to the character given
to them in the original compact between the two
branches of the body politic. " This compact provides
that under the Crown matters spiritual shall be decided
by that part of the body politic called the spirualty.
This never excluded laymen from sitting as
judges in the ecclesiastical courts, provided they
were skilled in canon law, sat by authority of
the spiritualty, and were free from the control of
' that part of the body politic called the tern-
poralty.'" Mr. Mackonochie looks forward with delight
to the complete separation of Church and State. Even if
the entire revenues of the Church were kept by the
State, the freedom of the Church would be cheaply
purchased. " Nevertheless," he says, " looking at
the matter from the side of abstract justice, I think
Church property may be divided thus, according to the
intentions with which it was given. First, the churches
built and the endowments given or bequeathed by private
persons up to the reign of William and Mary were almost
invariably left for spiritual purposes, and therefore ought
to belong to the Church. Secondly, the same classes of
property for the next 140 years were mostly given to the
Church as to a spiritual police force, and therefore might
rightly be claimed by the State. Thirdly, modern gifts
and bequests have been mostly of the first kind, and
ought, therefore, to follow the first class. Fourthly,
tithes are a gift to God, made by the State at one
period, which the State at another may, if it think fit,
reclaim. But then I suppose that tithe•payers will have a
right to claim that, when those which still go to their
original purpose are remitted, the remainder which have
fallen into lay hands shall also be remitted. This is, you
will see, no more than a rough suggestive view of the
question of justice, for which I am alone responsible."

PASTORAL LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF
GLOUCESTER AND BRISTOL.

Bishop Ellicott is about to issue a pastoral letter under
the title " Address to the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese
of Gloucester and Bristol for the Year 1868, with Remarks
on Present Church Questions." His lordship, feeling that th 9
delivery of an annual charge taxes the physical powers bf
some of the older clergy, and that in these days a bishop
ought to have more frequent communication with the
whole body of his clergy than is secured by a triennial
visitation, intends to issue a pastoral letter annually,
except after the years wherein the annual visitation occurs.
After speaking " with much thankfulness" of the pro-
gress of Church work in his diocese, be briefly dwells
on " the fair and temperate report on the trial
of Bishop Colenso," believing that the good pro-
duced by it at the time and ever since has
hardly yet been sufficiently realised. Respect-
ing the Ritual question, he remarks that " little
more need be said than this, that now that the law
has been finally declared in the matters called iR
question, it is the solemn duty of every faithful
member of the Church of England cheerfully to obey it."
With regard to the Irish Church, he thinks that it is
useless to deny that the country generally has expressed
definitely at least this opinion, that the Church in Ireland
cannot continue in its present state. He believes that
the duty of Churchmen is to wait patiently for the
proposals to be laid before them, and then not fruitlessly.
to oppose everything, but to narrow their opposition to
every change that would presumably weaken the Re-
formed Church and add power to the Church of Rome.
Speaking of the future his lordship makes the following
remarks:—" It does not seem unpardonable to express the
opinion that the present session cannot pass without some
measure which shall simplify the proceedings in our eccle-
siastical courts, and restore to the rulers of the Church
that authority which of late has been practically lost to them.
Such a measure must, of course, to some extent, bring into
consideration the constitution of the final court of appeal
in ecclesiastical matters. The present state, if it were only
from the recent fact that in an important case only one
ecclesiastical member of the court took part in the proceed-
ings, can hardly be deemed satisfactory. It seems also clear
that some steps must be taken in reference to our cathedrals.
Lastly, our recent troubles in connection with the Church
in South Africa, and the apparently discordant decisions
that have been given in reference to the whole question of
the relation of the Colonial Church to the Church at
home, render it perfectly certain that, either by commission
or otherwise, measures must be taken for the final settle.
ment of this most grave and complicated question. We
seem justified in hoping that the session will not pass with-
out some effort having been made to place the Colonial
Church on a solid and a durable basis."