London Nonconformist (Newspaper) - July 15, 1868, London, Middlesex THE THE DISSIDENCE OF DISSENT AND THE PROTESTANTISM OF THE Vol. No. 1183] LONDON JULY 15, 1868. Ecclesiastical The on Ritualism 6S9 689 The Broad Church Theory of a State 690 The Irish A View College The in India 692 Religions and Denominational News 691 Parliamentary Intelligence 696 Colleges and Schools Regent's Park 699 Carmarthen The School at A Sir Robert Napier 699 Postscript Leading Articles Summary 700 A Further Extension of the Suffrage 700 Trial of Controverted 701 Payment of 701 - Foreign Colonial 701 Election Intelligence 702 Mr. Gladstone's Position 705 and Personal 705 Recent Minor Poetry 706 Brief 706 Miscellaneous 706 707 and 70* Markets 708 Bank of England 708 Advertisements 708 THE PEERS ON On Thursday evening Lord Shaftesbury's for securing Uniformity of publio worship in the Church of was discussed on the noble earl's motion for a second Its object was to give legislative effect to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Ritualistic in regard to lights and The commissioners in their first report unanimously declared their opinion that it is expedient to in the public service of the United Church of England and all variations in respect of vesture from that which has long been the established usage of the said United and in their second they extend their declaration of opinion to the use of lighted candles and Lord Shaftesbury proposed in his after dealing with clerical as in the of last to enact that no minister shall in any at any during the saying of public prayers or allow any other person to lighted candles when they are not needed for the purpose of giving or use or allow any other person to use The machinery provided for preventing the practices to be rendered illegal by these would be cheap and promised to be a petition was to be addressed to the who might either hear the case in or by the or any two beneficed clergymen of his under his Then the inquiry was to be local and and above it was to be conducted in The penal clause runs any minister in any during the saying of public offend against this or or assist or allow the commission of such the bishop of the diocese wherein such offence has been committed upon the conviction of such for every such offence inhibit him from saying the public prayers for the space of three It be needless to inform our readers that the proposed measure was not read a second time by their The represented on the occasion by the Lord hesitated but would not by direct at this stage of the commit itself to the conclusion that at no and under no ought legislation to follow the report of the It could not but note the that Earl Shaftesbury did not himself intend to carry the measure beyond its second reading this and there was therefore no urgency in the It bore in that the lawfulness of using candles and incense is under litigation at the present and that judgment might be given in the highest court of appeal in November or when Parliament would have the advantage of knowing from what point it to Under these threw upon the noble earl the entire responsibility of proceeding further with the that if he insisted on a second it would not oppose This decision did not commend itself to Lord Derby's and he therefore moved the previous On taking the decision of the House on the motion the question be now the Lord Chancellor declared that the had and no challenge having followed the Lord Shaftesbury's of fell to the The debate on the occasion afforded a much better insight into the mind of the peers in relation to the matter than the issue to which it It may be gathered from the speeches of noble spiritual and that they witness with considerable the development of Ritualism in the Church of they have but little sympathy with the and doctrines which Ritualism is designed by some of the leaders of the school to that the agitation which is being caused by the skilful audacity of the clerical innovators in many of our parishes is exceedingly distasteful to those peers they constitute a large are more alive to the interests of the Establishment than sensitively scrupulous as to the spiritual truths which it is supposed to There no some noble lords who cherish deep convictions on theological subjects but by far the greater proportion of are and certainly are as to all questions of the What they dislike is any such troubling of the waters as may or be generally supposed to detrimental to the union of Church the progress of by exciting popular fears and provoking popular disturbs their The times are not such as to admit of the sub of whether in rites or which or seem to a Romeward But the Lords will not resort to legislation to check it if it be possible to avoid it. They know not whither it may leud the public only know that the process must be attended with and they would be to escape the responsibility of taking the first Of Lord Shaftesbury's it is obvious enough to remark that from the point of view of a Parliamentary it may be defended with The clergy who affect Ritualism may and we believe many of them truly devoted and self-denying pastors of their They may not all mean to cast contempt upon the They may urge very plausible arguments for what they and be perfectly sincere in urging What assumes an aspect of puerility to our minds may present itself to theirs as a very grave We do not take upon us to judge their own Master they stand or The exemplary of some of their foremost men demands cheerful But it can hardly be maintained that they are keeping faith with the Establishment to which they They have deviated so suddenly and so violently from the usages of three that they have no right to be surprised if the legality of their proceedings be There is such an air of contempt for authority in their innovations that they are not entitled to complain if that authority be made more The people of England certainly did not and do not intend that the Church of England should be what these men desire to make it. The clergy of that Church enjoy certain advantages and emoluments on certain it is absurd for them to the former without reference to the Within prescribed limits they have surrendered the right of private and in return for their surrender have been elevated to their present status of Parliament placed them in their and Parliament may justly hold them to its or dismiss There is no persecution in even illiberality The compact between the State and the clergy is not a onesided and it is foolish for the latter to expect that they can both eat their cake and have on the other and looking at the subject from a higher point of we put no trust in the efficacy of civil legislation to suppress spiritual Lord Shaftesbury's proposed measure might put an end to Ritualistic but would it weaken in the least the dogmas which they are intended to symbolise P A resort to law against mischievous innovations may be a necessity for an Establishment which rests upon but it is not a necessity for the Church which has faith in Truth does not need cannot be really promoted by but may receive injury from it. The noble earl does not appear to see for we cannot that he values the Church at a lower rate than the The fault may be our but the fact is we cannot understand He is always insisting upon it that the union of the Church with the State is main bulwark against and is always complaining that the Church so united with the State is in danger of going over bodily to ECCLESIASTICAL The House of on was again occupied with ecclesiastical and it dealt with them in a manner which really enhanced the past good of the mixed reputation of that august The first discussion was the Irish Burials which was introduced in a persuasive speech by Lord and opposed by ono of the hated prosent Archbishop of It is the middle of and it is generally understood that Parliament will bo dissolved in the last week of this yet in the face of that fact the Archbishop moved that tho bo referred to a Select of course it would bo buried until tho opening of tho new Tho usual pious for wero put Tho subject wus largo and it involved questions of considerable and so and although the prelate declared that he wus not opposed to the principle of tho he us Earl Granville
