The sun., 1899-04-30

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| sons for three centuries and l do not think
that that intention, however honorable In its
motives. ho,yeyer dsIpteres,edIand believe
| II to be both honorable and dlslnterested-is is
cS;o,nsistent S;, with what l call loyalty to the
ihaye 70 often asked myself why it s in these
circumstances that the great body Of the High
/ Church party, who are updoRbtedly loyal 70
innate place within its fold-have always had
and still have that place 1t may be-hay" not
openly and frankly Joined "a With othsr ,nG moderate
from rom the ' school SS "f thought which have Ven.
but certainly not stronger. In my Judgment
than the facts Of the Ghse warrant, and LAM Ian;
endcavor to justify from the document Z"
which nllusion has been SO oftGh male
II e Go@ % in hf tH their sems
policy. the English church Union have stated
with great force two, doctrines from which |.
truths. but, had almost snid religious truism,s
Church belong not only to the Eng Rish Church.
but TO the universal Church. and the other IL
t"bshed b cknreh s nevertheSss has, and ought
70 have. spiritual Independence Of its own.
These are two religious truths which do not
:, have heard certain lndiydpnls described as
u.s. Bnt there is no school of Erastianisr'
among us. believe there is nobody-no large
body OF educated piniOn worth considering
which does not recognize as certainly recog-
ni2e that for any religious community to re-
gard Itself as a department, Of the State is TO
abandon all chance Of spiritual energy and
spiritual growth and to be the most deadcning
influence, any Church can possibly have APP
but am quite ready to 90 further. l am
speaking of course. merely for myself. merely
my own convictions, am one Of those who
have always desired to see greater spiritual
autonomy given to the English Church. 1t may
be that, being scotchman. living in Scotland;
Scotland is instituted and how i works. am
pFegdGed and naturally Ersl%%IcSSdd t4 fayor
those liberties which the, scotch Established
CHURCH enjoys IN such iull measure, and 40
,, n9t share re- the admration , which my honoranle @
the Prlyy Council. though that is question
which think it would not be wise or possible
But i there is to be a reform OF the Church
OF England in the direction of giving greater
autonomy to Conversation. greater power to the
laty. as / should like to see. greater authority
to the Church as whole. clergy and laity. who
to such Il reform being taken up by all sections
o. Church opinion throughout the country.
High d@w and and Rroad alka Sir they y,aT are
who follow him. make no secret OF the fact
that they regard the history of the Church
carrying with it no traditions. no Protestant
traditions whatever. and who frankly admit
That they Maud Ike to see tnS GG Of the
It. II not into absolute conformity. at any rate
into very close agreement. as | understand 1t.
with the ritual which existed in the Church Of
Rome In the immediate pre- Reformation days.
| think am not eXaggerating or misnterpret-
declaration when interpret 1t In the manner
l have described.
l do not profess myself to take a very conf
dent, very sangui ne view OF the future OF this
controversy. / acknowledge that the more |
watch its progress the more difficult it appears
through all the rocks and shoals which sur
round it; but u there be hopeIand there is
this o n on M IN
opinion. in the resolute determination OF all
men OF moderate, opinions who, are sincerely
Of the Church Of England to unite together
even though there be important differences
press their 9rm resolution that neither by one
party nor by the other will they allow this
@ great fabric and work OF generations n, r., Of able
sighted folly OF honest. but surely mis-
taken. ecclesiastical theorists. There is one
the public papers. who do not appear on plat
forms. who do not ma Ike their voices heard in
venture to plead After all. while we are dis
putting about these matters OF relatively small
Importance. there are vast questions lying ut
the very root of all religion which are being
called in doubt from day to day by those very
far removed from the plane OF controversy on
Those questions press heavily upon large
body Of the earnest laity Of this country, and
Done to- the cause % Of sen ha to Gs so
many ministers Of religion apparently ab-
sorbed and PREPARED to S sacrifice T everything to
which have referred. are almost as nothing
in the balance.
quately the strength of my feeling on this
subject There is not merely an injury.
% Gs ab o tie ohnrah Of
but there is All injury being done to the
whole cause Of religion; That injury, can
met by the frank determ ination, "a have said.
Of n men no OF all shades of moderate opinion to
title to DO so. would appeal more particularly
to m that great body Of High Church opinion
hGs w Te hess feel a%
but Which has hitherto stood fd tmoro@siy "gi;
the extreme Ritualists they should be i'm
rerilng the doctrines in which they firmly be.
largely sympat hizc. but which they will never
have the opportunity Of carrying into pra ctcal
efsSt Hnt u the} have Gony1fed the great body
form is not necessarily ly meant wholesale revo-
luton OF Church ritual In the direction of
freedom and greater autonomy for the Church.
the Church OF which they sneak is that branch
OF the universal Church which now for 800
years and more has been doing such magnifi-
cent service to the cause OF religion in this
country.
The debate continued for two hours longer
upon the same high plane. The resolution
that he will obey the law as declared by the
courts which have jurisdiction in matters
ecclesiastical" and was then adopted by a
practically unanimous vote. And now the
next move In the controversy, which 1t cannot
be expected will be ended by the splendid ex-
ample Of tolerance and charity which the House
OF Commons has given. must come from the
English Church Union.
On the third day after Il brilliantly successful
first night OF q comedy written by the cleverest
playwright in England and produced by a WELL
known actor. the Bishop OF Wakefield declared
at public meeting that it was "the most i'm
moral stage play which had ever disgraced tho
stage Of this country" At first the question
suggested itself. What was there between man.
agor author and Bishop that this magnificent
advertisement should be given tho play? But
Mr.. Hare. Mr.. Pinero and DR.. Eden are. like
Brutus. Cassius and the others. all honorable
men; and there is no doubt that the Bishop
spoke from the funess OF honest conviction.
He had not seen the play. THE Gay Lord
Quex." but he had read the notices. A re-