Canon XII. "Whosoever shall hereafter affirm, that it is lawful for any sort of Minister and lay-person, or either of them, to join together and make rules, orders, or constitutions in causes ecclesiastical, without the King's authority, and shall submit themselves to be ruled and governed by them, let them be excommunicated ipso facto, and not restored until they repent and publicly revoke those their wicked and Anabaptistical errors." Whatever we may think of the grounds on which these Canons are founded, or of some of the statements contained in them, it cannot be argued that, after recording her opinions in such language as this, the Church does, in theory at least, give any countenance to the latitudinarian errors which are now prevalent, or the unscriptural figment of the various - denominationsystem. Still, in practice, it must be confessed that the English Church gives too much encouragement to schism; first, by suffering its own laws to fall into abeyance; and, still more, by the acts of her individual Ministers. A great body of our Clergy are accustomed to hold such language with regard to Dissenters, as to give them great countenance, and to perplex the minds of Churchmen with regard to the real sinfulness of schism. What can be more perplexing to a plain Churchman, than to read the foregoing Canons of his Church, and then to see his own parochial pastor, it may be, publicly associating, for religious purposes, with men whom his Church declares ipso facto excommunicated. The too frequent result has been to generate a feeling that Dissent is of no importance whatever, and that each man is perfectly at liberty to attend the schismatical meeting-house without blame or danger. Another way in which the Church, as a body -laity as well as clergy—has given encouragement to schism, is, by the sinful neglect to provide places of worship, and ministers of religion, for the fast-increasing population. The present generation is doing much to repair the injuries which the Church has received in these respects. She is everywhere building churches, and she is beginning to preach a sounder doctrine. Nevertheless, it must be expected that great drawbacks will continue; Dissenters having been accustomed to regard their separation as a right rather than as a sin, feel aggrieved by our at tempts to win them back, instead of answering our advances to reconciliation. Much of this might be expected; the schisms of the English nation will not be healed in a day; no, nor in a generation. Let it be our business to use such means as shall be most likely to restore a right feeling amongst them. In changing the tone with which we have been accustomed to speak to Dissenters, as beloved brethren and fellow-workmen, and using such language as shall give them to know that they are in great danger, and in a state of schism, we must speak gently, as to men who have erred in ignorance; we must take much blame to our own Church for its former negligence; and, as there can be no doubt that there are many honest and conscientious men amongst them, we may hope gradually to win them back to fellowship and intercommunion with the Church of their Fathers, from which, it may be, without wilful fault of their own, though to their great disadvantage, they are now estranged. CHAPTER XIII. PRACTICAL DEFECTS OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH. BESIDES the state of schism in which the whole nation is plunged, another great practical defect arises from the serious divisions, amounting almost to separation, within the Church itself. The differences amongst its professing members are as great as can possibly exist between persons subscribing the same formularies. They are, indeed, strictly speaking, greater; for some have not scrupled to set aside the formularies, and yet continue to officiate in the Church. If the differences amongst Churchmen were unimportant, or quiescent, it might be our duty to pass them over, for fear of raising discussions which would be unprofitable. But involving, as they do, almost contradictory principles, as well as most divergent practices, it is more consistent with Christian duty to discuss them fairly, provided it be with becoming candour and moderation. Many excellent men have, it is believed, been led into a false system, by the faulty traditions in which they have been educated, and by the example of good men, whom they cannot suspect to have been even in partial error. The disciples of such men as Cecil and Wilberforce cannot bring themselves to believe that there is any essential defect in their system. To them, especially, it seems the most faithful and Christian course, calmly and dispassionately to submit the great discrepancies of their principles, as well as practice, from those of the Church, of which they falsely believe themselves to be consistent members; and, at the same time, to suggest that those good and excellent men, whose names they venerate, might have been themselves among the first to follow the tide of advancing truth, and join in that restoration of their Church, to which their own pious labours may, in no slight degree, have contributed. Unfortunately, the spirit of party |