On Friday last, the 13th January, the Senior Bishop in America, Dr. Brownell, went to his eternal reward. He was in his eighty-sixth year, and has been in the Episcopate forty-five years! Requiescat in pace!" The great merits of Dr. Cleveland Coxe, the new assistant Bishop of Western New York are well known; and much may be expected from his zeal, learning, and ability. The deceased Bishop Brownell of Connecticut was the second in succession to Bishop Seabury, who was consecrated by the Scottish Prelates at Aberdeen in 1784. NOTICES OF BOOKS. "The Moralist and Politician, or Many Things in Few Words. By Sir George Ramsay, Bart. London: 1865. This work contains a collection of aphorisms, on moral, religious, and political subjects, The author is a scholar, a person of accurate and original thought, and an orthodox Churchman. The character of his book is very different from that of most of the popular treatises of the present day, and rather resembles the studious labours of earlier generations. His peculiar merits can only be ascertained by an attentive perusal, but a few specimens of his teaching may be given "A taste for amusement, and pleasure in general, makes men agreeable, almost benevolent, where benevolence costs little; while an ascetic life renders them harsh and disagreeable, and even tends to misanthropy; but if this tendency be overcome, creating a habit of self-denial, it prepares for the exercise of virtue. Why is youth generally more liked than age, in other words, why is it more agreeable? Because it has more enjoyments. But youth is not self-denying, and therefore youth seldom attains to the exalted virtue of mature life." "What Church do you go to? Catholic, (not of necessity Roman Catholic) "St. John's."-And you? Sectarian, “ Mr. Thomson's." "Oh rare moderation of the English reformers, who alone could remember that the old Church was not only Roman, but Catholic! . . . Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley, were at once humble and bold; humble, for they did not think themselves wiser than all that went before; bold, for in removing much, they dared to maintain that there might be some good even in Babylon. The Church of England, with its numerous branches in the colonies, and the sister Episcopal Churches of Scotland and of the United States, is the true mean between Romanism and Sectarianism, and the hope of reformed Christendom." "The Colonial Chronicle, Mis 66 sionary Journal, and Foreign Ecclesiastical Reporter." Nos. for January and February, 1865. The Colonial Church Chronicle continues to be written with the same care, correctness, and impartiality, which have always distinguished it. These numbers contain an interesting account of the Bishop of Gibraltar's visitation in 1864. In an article in the February number entitled, Travelling in India," the writer, a clergyman, in his notes of a journey from Bombay to Nagpore, says, "I learn that my guide, a cashier to the contractors, is a member of the Scotch Episcopal Church, though he does not care much about it. However, I am to send him a copy of Russell's History of the Church of Scotland' from depository." It speaks well for English clergymen in India, that they strive in a distant land to teach Scotsmen to take an intelligent interest in their own Church. our SCOTTISH FOREIGN MISSIONS. THE peculiar position the Church in Scotland is placed in with regard to missions is deserving of the serious attention of Churchmen. There is, so far as we know, no other Church in Christendom in a similar one. The necessity of a missionary spirit to impart life to the Church, is a proposition none will be disposed to controvert. The Glasgow Diocesan Association is a good commencement of a good work. If it be said that it is too English in its character, the answer is very simple-there is no Scottish mission in foreign parts at all. We would infinitely prefer a mission from the Church in Scotland; and we gladly hail this Glasgow movement as conducing to the establishment of a Scottish mission. This would involve of course an arrangement with the English and American branches of our communion, so that the Churches might not clash. But it appears to us, such an arrangement could be without much difficulty effected. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign parts of the English Church, could easily apportion out to us particular tracts of country; and from the friendly feeling it has shown to us upon many occasions, there would be little apprehension of serious complications. In the meantime, it is clearly the duty of the Church to co-operate with the Church in England to the utmost of her resources in her missionary undertakings. We should be told indeed, when you provide suitable incomes VOL. II.-NO. XV. 9 for your clergy, it is time enough to speak of foreign missions. This is what is called a "business" view of the question. But "business" views are generally very narrow ones; and especially so, in the case of the Church. We have had too much "business" in our Church; and hence her schemes have generally been failures. There is something else besides "business" habits needed. Enlarged views of evangelical religion will solve many a difficulty which puzzle the brain of many of the most distinguished "business" men of the kingdom. The things of the world the men of the world may manage well, but in the matters of the Church, they make a sad bungle. Clergy were appointed to incumbencies with other purposes than in employing their minds with devising means for making the "Concern" pay. The working of the finance committees is a very important element in the financial system of the Church; but they should have something else in view besides providing for the wants of that body known by Act of Parliament as the "Scottish Episcopal Church." Taking it even in the "business" view of the question, it is because we have had no missions, and thereby rendered ourselves a dead branch of the Church-because, we thereby attack the very first principles of the Gospel-it is therefore, that our clergy have been starving upon their £60 and £90 a-year. Blessing has been withheld from us from above for violating the first principles of evangelical truth. It is not until these dry bones are shaken, and life imparted to the body, that our Church has any claim to resume the mission which St. Columba began. Our American sister has prospered, because, she has followed the true American instinct in going far beyond any other church of similar proportions. Her missionary spirit has penetrated regions hitherto un-traversed by any other church. She has with a boldness which has no parallel which we know of in history, set about the reversal of the decrees which separated East and West; and she promises to accomplish what our English sister in her staid and dignified repose would never dream of discussing, unless in the columns of an "advanced" magazine. This is not "business" according to the notions of our Church, but, singular to say, it is because we do not pursue this course, we violate the first principles of "business." Taking the world's estimate of "business" success, whilst we have preserved a galvanised existence, the Church in America has made the greatest progress of any church in Christendom. Her Board of Missions is covering the habitable globe with her missionary enterprises. This is what we call "business," and not the incumbent getting his £90 a-year, and racking his brains as to how he can make the thing pay. We hear of no clashing between American and English clergy; why on earth should the Scotch do so? The Bishop of Durham may live under the hallucination of a Northern inundation, which is certainly bearing out Professor Blackie's theory as to the relative superiority of Scotsmen over Englishmen, but the notion of our Church in Scotland upsetting the mission of England, is really Anglicanism run mad. No such thoughts at any rate are entertained by Ernest Hawkins, whose large comprehensive and evangelical mind sympathises with all truly catholic undertakings. Scottish enterprise and Scottish energy are proverbial throughout the world; why should the Church in Scotland be the exception. Associated with all the great struggles for national independence and civil freedom, the Church will but assume her right position, when she leads the mind of the nation in religious enterprise. The aristocracy of Scotland have since the Reformation never led the Scottish mind; they have been too much drones in the hive. Why should not the sons of Scottish lairds officiate at the national altars? Why should they bury themselves in England, and be instituted into a church with which we as a nation—whilst we respect and honour, and are anxious to promote every means of inter-communion-have nothing to do? Why should they not swell the ranks of our clergy, and spread the fame of our church throughout Christendom? Why should we be a dead tree encumbering the ground? It is much better beginning rightly upon a solid foundation, and what surer foundation can we have, "Go and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost." Such appears to us to be the mission of our Church. Her immense resources-the fewness of the claims upon her-her pure and Scriptural creed-all arm her with a power such as no other church in Christendom possesses. If she be but true to herself— if she be but a worthy mother of her American daughter-if she but follow in the footsteps of St. Columba, there is no fear of her recovering her ground, and being once more the Church of the people of Scotland. Faith can remove mountains. Want of faith will create insurmountable obstacles. All honour then to Glasgow for putting herself at the head of the Foreign missionary movement. So long as Glasgow has to do with it, it is not likely to be long an English affair. In the meantime, we cannot be too grateful to Mr. Oldham and his coadjutors in this truly holy enterprise. By all means let them render all aid to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign parts, until a Scottish scheme can be framed which will rally all true members of the Church around it. We cannot better conclude than in the words of our predecessor, the Scottish Ecclesiastical Journal, No. 48, in which we think we can detect the nervous and forcible writing of the Rev. H. W. Aubrey. "We profess to be an independent branch of the Church of Christ, owning no more allegiance to her sister across the Tweed than that of love and union, we are jealous, and not without reason, of this independence our individuality is a right which we may prize beyond measure-which all have some regard for. We distinctly protest against being supposed to stand on the same footing with the Colonial churches. Well then, why cannot we discharge our religious functions without acting as a mere subsidiary to the English Church? If we have a separate responsibility as well as separate privileges, why not prove it by acting upon this principle? It is our duty to evangelise the heathen, would it not be better to stand forward as a distinct society, instead of virtually sinking our claim in the driblets we contribute to English coffers? Why not exercise our right to say with every other ancient member of Christendom Behold I and the children which the Lord has given me. دوو It would be ungrateful and ungenerous did we not thank most heartily the Primus and the Bishop of St. Andrews for the cordial support they have ever rendered to any proposed schemes of missionary undertaking of the Church in Scotland; representing as they did a small minority of the church, if indeed there was anything like a minority, they deserve great credit for their moral courage in advocating schemes that fell through, simply because the church was dead. Far more credit is due to them than to us, emboldened by a growing majority, who are no longer obliged to speak in tones of "whispered humbleness," but who now with no self-sacrifice advocate an undertaking which any one who opposes, places himself out of the pale of the Christian world. |