, 1881-05-15

eotlINicttl!0ns III Which the ecc]ps
.'stlca! law has been involved since thc Rct
o''1st'on hot only renders prosecutions ino1
e"'e' put places their promoters i'll ali IN
9n.. 1n' ianie position before the English peop1e
e"tc- ollSlfator OF the measure whic]
"a .1Ity !nu1tecliy caused the recent troubles. til
lols'op OF Canterbury, is far too shrew,
nnu ,1,s stsusniah''kc' Erastlan though, lie be, tt
f., r"a' - measure 10 Which he finds that one
fourth of the English clergy arc consc;o,,
1'onsly and bitterly opposed to tho no;r+ -
open rupture. lie was the first r. sna,,
words of relief to his own CLERGY ,,,I ~,
HIST 10 bring forward the proposition for III.
appointment Of Il Royal Commission in ~,
House OF Lords and urge its acceptancn -,
reasonable and characteristic grounds
nc welded promptly the dem anf
1or fair play, but in proposing
commission he outlined somethjno
E! n!nrt than an ecclesiastical safety-yalve
.;,,.,' eVnlllllsslon I'M was appointed some weeks
.john na-,ai III mi!l tne appearance Of the Rev.
Commission OH Church Courts.'' in tic ~; ii
number of >F'ruser's Mu1uzi3,c. it was nj
w! understood outside Of Church circles
nont n"M us' haS han, might BE- involved in it The
incnt Rltualists where it only needed thp
SPARK u popular excitement to create 4 tlt-
maud Tor disrstablishment wl,icll could not
nctns;,: ne rGS,sted: Ths Royal Commission was
acl1lai!y proposed BY the Bishops themselves.
a.! act almost Unprecedented in Amglica1,
h!siof}, as the only way OF escape froil tie
uinicnltles III which Legislation and litigation
tau M lahued the Church. Usually the Bishops
have reformed abuses BY putting new nntchrs
| upon the WORKOUT garments Of existing
law; but III this case the Anglican EpiscO-
pa1e, WHICH IS far more entangled than the
iaMaetlc:il M III the meslles Of precedents, and
| Illus never before been Known to initiate re-
! form, has not only initiated what is likely
the bishops and the clergy. " but
| created i'll the direction Of federation,
chance ' rs reHo,qtlonh' tat h,on as to,,n marked
| LIE act Of uniformity of 1GGo, and Organized
ecGieslastlcal dissent in modern England.
lhG i5lsllops Ire hopelesly committed us
~, M; UaAlGv lrnly says, ITO the existing legal
lion, II not before, they are taken possession
OF 1r'nly by the law and tile lawyers,'' This
eSpEelf1s tnelr seemingly one-sided action in
the tile ritnaiistic controversy They act as if
III the great Reformation statutes did not ex-
| lst because custom has allowed them to be-
overlooked. and rs if they were compelled to
stand on M the side of the State which created
peclally those Enthusiastically inclined, stand
for the rights Of the spirituality which both
BlSliops and clergy stood for when Henry
VI. attempted TO put his foot on the neck
mission nleans is that the Bishops as a body
have risen to the hight of their former priyi-
1ese, and are looking forward to the proper
autonomy of the Church in things spiritual
and also in ecclesiastical discipline
Cardinal Manning left the English Church
on the ground of tile attempts Of the State to
Interfere III the declaration ot Christian doc
irlne ln the celebrated Gor!,am case, but at
hot been free men at ALL They art. obliged
10 undertake the Episcopal office, if Mt ali. on