their actions, and may furnish them with Christian principles applicable alike to all, and in the light of which each man in his own place may use all the talents and means and opportunities which Providence affords him to the glory of God, and consequently to the real good of mankind.

Our author justly maintains that "mere secular instruction is incompetent to reach and to influence the higher part of our nature; or, more properly, to render its whole complicated structure available to the object for which it was designedthe promotion, in effect, of the real interests of the individual, and so, by the incorporation of these individuals, of a nation; for such a system possesses no proper power to influence the moral affections so as to deter from evil or supply motives for the performance of good" (8).

And this is true not only concerning the instruction which is given in its most elementary form to the young, but is true throughout life, and of the education for heaven which is going on in the Church continually, that all may be brought to one mind in Christ, which is called in Scripture "the perfect man." Of this higher, this manly, and lifelong education, the clergy, who are the ambassadors of Christ, are the schoolmasters; and, as in discharging this higher duty towards parents they will be at the same time taking the most effectual means of guaranteeing a religious education for the children, so also such an education of the young is the ground-work and preparation for the instructions of the clergy to the heads of families, and religious families which we may expect such children to become. "Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

But the State is only a larger family-the nation is only a larger parish. As the child forms the future man and the nation is but an aggregate of individuals, so every thing done to the child and to the individual is to be regarded as done to the nation: for both the child and the nation are by their education destined to become religious and prosperous if rightly cared for-the contrary in both cases if neglected.

It will ever be futile and vain to endeavour to separate things which have been joined together by God. Man is constituted a moral being by the Creator, and can only be dealt with by having respect to his moral being, which finds its expression chiefly in religious acts. Religion, as it be true or false, will influence the conduct of men, and must be taken into account by every wise and thoughtful legislator. We do not allow that there is a natural void in man's being which may remain empty, and which that which is called religion

may fill we do not allow the instances of persons calling themselves irreligious, or appearing so to others, as any sufficient proof of this defect: for, on similar grounds, it might be alleged that man is void of reason, because some men are idiots or act as if they were without reason. Such cases are only to be regarded as anomalies and exceptions. Moreover, we find that those who profess the greatest indifference to religion are not really indifferent, but insist on their own creed of liberality with all the fervour of religious zealots; shewing that the principle is within them still, and that, after all their parade of irreligion, they are not without it, but only possessing a religion that is false.

"On this principle, accordingly, a nation must proceed; and, besides forming the resolution to establish the Christian faith, must bend itself seriously to the weighty task of selecting and establishing a branch of the universal Church, which, with all its vital and essential principles, whether of doctrine or system, has been founded by Christ. ...Both the moral and intellectual portions of man's compound nature, which, from the absence of proper knowledge and adequate motives could not in heathen times be brought to bear by individuals or the ruling power on individual happiness or for the purpose of government, are now duly influenced by the knowledge which revelation imparts and the high principles of action which it inspires, and by the adoption on the part of the civil power of the Church's divine system of instruction for effecting the object of all good government-the promotion of the public good" (48-51.)

The Church has enough to do in this, its great and appropriate work of laying the foundations of all sound legislation and all good government, by inculcating and enforcing Christian principles on the laity, on whom the management of secular affairs properly devolves, the clergy themselves being examples of obedience to the laws and of the scrupulous fulfilment of all such duties belonging to them in common with the other subjects of the State. And, as the existence of a nation implies community of feeling on all great points, and as no nation can prosper without unity-unity in the highest sense and in the most important things-so all the several classes must co-operate heart and mind to attain it. The true way of arriving at such an union is, not by the discussion of abstract principles, or by adopting the projects of theorists; but by every man minding his own business and working diligently in his own proper sphere, and allowing all other men to mind theirs: each believing that God will give him wisdom and grace to fulfil the duties of his own calling; but each doubting whether he has any of the talent requisite

for that place, whatever it may be, to which he has not been called and to which another has. And it is in doing the duties of his place, up to the measure of the knowledge which each already possesses, that he will acquire more knowledge and become qualified for a higher place. In the highest as in the lowest things practice makes perfect, as Christ, who came to make known the will of God, has declared-" My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine."

Legislation requires a practical knowledge of secular affairs, which can only be acquired by men who mix intimately with all classes of mankind, and have a direct interest in the right ordering of the things of this world, and have themselves to administer and obey the laws which are framed, and such are the men best qualified to originate and improve the code; and, therefore, the duties of legislation, so far as it concerns. temporal things, are best understood by the laity. But inasmuch as man's nature is compound, and even in legislation he has to look far beyond temporal things, and to regulate his conduct according to principles of eternal truth and with reference to an hereafter, he must be taught these principles by the clergy—a class of men devoting themselves solely to the things which are eternal and keeping that hereafter before the eyes of men, who are in danger of becoming engrossed entirely in the urgently insisting claims put forward by the growing intelligence of the bulk of mankind.

It

It is difficult enough for the laity to keep pace with the advance of the age, and keep their spirits at the same time sufficiently alive to religion as the paramount concern. is difficult enough for the clergy to avoid becoming entangled with the political agitations, which become more and more engrossing, and more and more nearly affect the Church. The laity, therefore, are more and more bound to look to the Church for the strength and counsel which they require, to do all things on right principle and in the fear of God, that He may prosper the State; and to watch over the temporal interests of the Church as though they were their own, knowing that in the welfare and security of the Church their own stability as a nation is involved. And the clergy also are bound to feel themselves one with the people to whom they minister in spiritual things, not standing aloof as a separate class-not mistrusting the laity as though the temporal interests of the Church would not be safe in the hands of the laity; but labouring incessantly and full of faith in their high and heavenly calling, addressing themselves to the moral being of

man, and implanting there those principles of truth which, beginning in the fear of God, are the beginning of wisdom, and in their issues manifest nothing short of good-will towards men. Thus clergy and laity may co-operate without encroaching on each others province.

Much has been said of late on the desirableness of reviving the ancient powers of the convocation, and bringing the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England under review, with the hope of producing greater unanimity amongst us, and increasing thereby the influence and efficiency of the clergy. We confess that the contrary effect appears to us likely to follow such a step, and that we should be inclined to deprecate rather than recommend it. We believe that there is substantial unity among all the honest members of the Church of England on all those points on which our Church requires unity-namely, on points essential to salvation, and which are laid down as such in the ancient Creeds and in the Articles and Canons of our Church. And we maintain that none of these essentials are departed from, nor is any addition made to them by the liturgy or rubrics of the Church of England, provided these are interpreted according to the meaning of those who compiled the services, and as they intended them to be understood by all who used the Prayer Book. It is in matters not essential to salvation that the disputes which trouble the Church have arisen, or on points which have not been so positively determined as to preclude the possibility of two opinions. Some of the disputes have turned upon the use of the surplice, and altars, and bowings, and crossings, and intonations, or similar external things, which are only the paraphernalia and accidents of worship; and others have been on the meaning of sacraments, regeneration, &c., on which points we are quite sure that those who dispute are both partly right and partly wrong; for it depends upon the colour of a man's theology.

In neither case would any good purpose be answered by discussion; for charity and mutual forbearance is the way of peace. The rule laid down by St. Paul concerning things offered to idols is exactly in point; for the idolatrous tendencies of these external ceremonies, alleged by one party, denied by the other, is the ground of the modern dispute; and, as St. Paul says of the meat offered to idols, that it is but a creature of God and that the idol is nothing; wherefore, whatever is sold in the shambles may be eaten without scruple, giving God thanks: so though we may not approve of these ceremonies introduced recently into many churches, we may,

in charity, presume that they are not used idolatrously, and tolerate the use of them by others whom we can still regard as brethren. But as, on the other hand, St. Paul enjoins them to abstain from the meat offered to idols, however harmless in itself, if by eating a weak brother would be offended or stumbled—so it is our duty to abstain from ceremonies which may be in themselves harmless if they are associated in the minds of others with idolatrous practices, and render us liable in their opinion to the charge of idolatry. “Take heed lest, by any means, this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth" (1 Cor. viii).

And, in the second case-of disputed interpretations of the services or rubrics in the Prayer Book-we should be still less expecting any good result from controversial discussions. The questions themselves are deeper and more difficult: they require to be stated calmly, in language every word of which has been very carefully weighed and considered: they are questions, therefore, better fitted for the quiet meditation of the student who works out his convictions in writing, and commits himself to nothing which he does not believe that he shall be able fully to maintain, rather than for the viva voce and off-hand occasions which a convocation would afford; under the excitement of which a man might irretrievably hazard assertions which, in his sober moments, he might find it difficult to stand to. Moreover, all these questions have already been discussed in the writings of the reformers and of our forefathers; and, if the weighty words and masterly arguments of those great men have failed to produce unanimity, we do not think it reasonable to expect that it would be brought about extemporaneously by confessedly feebler in

struments.

Nor are we yet persuaded that any great good would result from such kind of unanimity as would be attained if the proposal were successful; for it would rather be a compromise by sacrificing some portion of truth on each side, instead of the acquisition of a larger measure of truth by either. In this, our imperfect condition, God overrules this mixed state of things by working as frequently by means of antagonism and seeming opposites as by constant harmony. Each man, as an individual, has a special duty to perform, which becomes peculiarly his own in consequence of something peculiar in him-something which differences him from all other men, St. Paul applies this to the Church, and uses an illustration.