fession. important sees receive £15,000, £10,000, £8,000, and £7,000; The two archbishops and the bishops of the most and the other bishops, except Sodor and Man, incomes varying from £4,200 to £5,500 (Ely): the Lord Chancellor receives £10,000; the Lord Justices of Appeal and the Master of the Rolls, £6,000; the Vice-Chancellors, £5,000; the Chief Justices, £8,000 or £7,000; and the Puisne Justices, £5,000 each. The difference is not so very great, while the social position of the bishops is even higher, but they have also very many more calls upon their purses, both within their dioceses and in the Church at large, so that it has been said-and we have never heard it contradicted-that even bishops would be very badly off if they had only their official incomes to depend upon. of their travelling expenses, and the great demands upon their hospitality, almost every religious and charitable institution them for support and encouragement. None but a Ritualistic within their vast dioceses, and many others beyond, look up to shopboy would Not to speak under the existing circumstances of society. complain of episcopal incomes as too large But it may also be said that in the richly endowed deaneries the clergy to enjoy a dignified idleness, an otium cum dignitate, and canonries the State Church encourages a dignified body of for spiritual labourers. Disestablish, therefore, and disendow. while there are great spiritual wastes in the land crying out anything else their misused wealth. Now this reasoning is to assume three premises : Relieve such persons of their useless dignity, and apply to essence of the system, and not an accident which might be (1) That any possible evils in our capitular system are of the removed by reform. details of parochial work; that the office of what is called an (2) That all clerical work is confined to the most secular parish, is the only ministry of the gospel worthy of recognition. active parish priest, who is always bustling about openly in his spiritual deserts as the east of London, Bethnal Green, and the (3) That worst any power or energy which is withdrawn from such parts of our large towns is sheer waste. rewards or prizes in the Church, you will get few 1 men of ability Now, not to speak of the fact that, unless you have certain 'Of course duce very few if it were those few are the very salt of the earth, but human nature can prosuch in each generation; and what would become of Church work confined to those few? to devote themselves to her service, two very significant facts of recent occurrence speak strongly against those assumptions. (1) That a member of Parliament, whose praise is in all the churches, has recently advocated in Parliament a measure for the voluntary founding of new canonries. (2) That an archdeacon in the Irish Church, himself disestablished and disendowed, has suggested the endowment of canonries in the Irish Church for the encouragement of theological learning. With such examples before their eyes English Churchmen may well hesitate to suppress such schools of theology and Church literature as might be afforded by our existing cathedral establishments if they were reformed on points where they are at present proved to be found wanting. We now come to the parochial clergy. Of the majority of them no one who has not taken leave of his senses can say that they are overburdened with wealth, or that it would be for the good of religion that they should be disendowed. Oh but the cry may be raised against the good fat rectories, whose income reaches up to the four figures, or approaches very nearly thereunto, and we are again referred back, usque ad nauseam, to apostolic poverty. Yet even the apostles claimed to be supported by the Church; and how would the laity like to have the clergy quartered upon them, as soldiers were before the Petition of Right upon the people? We should soon have a cry of another kind. But with reference to these fat rectories, they are very few in comparison with those that are decidedly lean; and it cannot be too often repeated that, making every allowance for the minority that apply for orders, or are allowed by their relations to do so, influenced solely by the highest motives, every profession, the clerical included, must have some posts of honour and emolument, if it is to hold its own in face of the increased competition of the day. Clerical nature is after all only human nature, still more so is pre-clerical nature, or clerical nature before ordination, when a choice of a profession is to be made. Most of all must this be remembered of the parents and relatives of would-be clerics. They naturally wish to promote the best temporal interests of their sons and relatives. It may be wrong in them, but they will do so, and it is simply in accordance with human nature that the young aspirants for holy orders should find their ardour damped by the counsel of relatives. But upon examination it will be found that the possessors of these rich livings are not to be envied, that they are subject to outgoings which no lawyer, doctor, man of business, or Govern ment clerk would acknowledge or submit to. Very often after satisfying all demands that are made of them, they find not so income, but the outgoings two curates for additional work in the parish, that the fortunate and overgorged rector of this living of £720 a year had for his own maintenance and that of his family the excessive income of £98 a year. So another case has been made public, wherein the whole income is estimated at £1,260, where the public outgoings are £409 9s.,a goodly diminution; and be it remembered that those are only the public, necessary outgoings, besides which there may be numberless calls for schools, parish charities, curates, &c. Whence it is clear that the Church of England is not overburdened with wealth. But it seems such a grievous anomaly that there should be such a difference of income in brethren of the same family. Disestablish and disendow, and then the anomaly will disappear. Would that be so? Would disendowment put a stop to the appearance of a rich and poor clergy in the same communion? churches abroad tell a different tale. Both the Dissenting bodies at home and the disestablished X. Another grievance is put forth by some Nonconformists against the present Union. It is said that to Nonconformists the Church appears in the light of a monopoly, sometimes barefaced and repulsive, sometimes veiled and unobtrusive, but always The real question here is, not whether Dissenters make such for it, or even if it did whether it would be just and reasonable, a complaint, but whether the Union affords them good ground for the sake of a merely sentimental grievance, to overthrow so were such, including the payment of great an Church. instrument for good in the country as the Established those that classes in the light of a monopoly, sometimes barefaced and repulsive, sometimes veiled and unobtrusive, but always unjust. It blish the magistracy and disendow the police force, and leave every does not follow that on account of that opinion we should disesta are without it. Property appears to the dangerous individual to maintain his proprietary rights for himself, how De N S: List of social rank, intellectual power, refineTHAT I THANNEs, ir myling that seems to take a man out of (tical mak avlitary, professional rank, legal, Deci z nebal the & man out of the crowd and ticket Is that & Te to those without? A university is empowered a grant degrees: are its members to cease to mah the mysar letters, MA D.D., to their names because they are beypad the reach of non-university men? It is true that at these fits are open to any to win them. Yes, bet only on pertain stolitions which are beyond the reach of most men The great religious monopoly-the Church-offers ber privileges and blessings to all who have received Christian baptism, if they choose to accept them. She repels no Christian. If people choose to reject her offers, that is their own doing, the Church is not to blame This grievance, then, is merely sentimental, and gives no sufficient reason for men to support or promote such a revolution as the disunion between Church and State. CIRCUMSTANCES; OR, THE TURNING-POINT IN LIFE. BY THE LATE MRS. CAREY. CHAPTER VII. THE little ones had left for tea, and Lambert was reading to his mother, much to her amazement; he had proposed it, for he Mabel and Agnes, and Lambert feared his pent-up wrath would too dreaded being asked a question; in fact, she had asked for not long be concealed if he spoke of them, so with a very demure air he assured his mother she had talked too long, and now he "At last, dear." she exclaimed, as her husband entered the room; "I really shall not be able to keep still in my prison if not to be seen, you and Mrs. Rainsforth have left me alone-at least not alone," with a loving glance at her boy; "but for this good nurse, who pretends it is time to sleep, I should have been left to my own devices for the last hour." "What will Mabel is "when I tell you I must leave you to-night and go up to London on very important business?" I shall only fancy a great deal, unless you tell me the whole "Then something is the matter. I have long suspected it, and truth. Has it anything to do with what Lambert told me the other day, of Mabel and Agnes always whispering alone toto attempt concealment, and Colonel Grant felt almost thankful, They looked at one another in despair, but it was of no use in spite of his fears for his wife's health, that he could speak Gradually all was told; the story was chiefly elicited by her openly, for he never had a thought or feeling hidden from her. you say, dear Mrs. Grant," said Mrs. Rainsforth, gether? anxious bitter questionings; and oh! none but a mother can tell what feelings of grief and disappointment this conduct of Mabel's caused her. |