THE SCOTTISH GUARDIAN. AUGUST 1865. THE NEW PHASE IN THE MOVEMENT. THE Movement in our Church has been hitherto one of finance. Impeded by polemical discussions it has gone on. It has triumphed over the apathy, the neglect, the "faint praise," the unbelief, which have so long prevailed. The minds of Churchmen are thoroughly roused upon the question; and hence the very general wish that there should be a satisfactory settlement of that question. We fixed upon the financial question as the only one upon which all Churchmen could agree to co-operate; but, let it not for a moment be supposed that we fixed upon it with any other purpose than as a means to an end. The starvation incomes of our Clergy were a disgrace to Christendom; and, it was desirable that they should be exposed and denounced in the public journals; but it was not mere exposure that was aimed at, it was very desirable that Churchmen should understand the grounds upon which they professed to belong to the Church at all. It was matter of great importance to themselves and to the Church, that they should belong to it upon clear and intelligible grounds. It was no mere accident of their attending certain fashionable chapels upon the mere ground of their respectability. They attended the services of the Church because they believed its principles, and acknowledged an allegiance to it. It was quite evident upon the face of it, that when men with three thousand a-year, gave a few pounds in the of seat-rents, rendered no aid to the schemes of the Church, way VOL. II.-NO. XIX. 21 subscribed not a farthing to the support of the Bishop of the Diocese, they were acting a part unworthy of both Christians and gentlemen. They either did not believe in the Church or in Christianity at all, or else they were acting a part which would be scouted amongst all gentlemen. The Church is, necessarily, from the nature of her mission, desirous of comprehending as many within her fold as she can, consistently with truth and fair dealing. When men become members of her, they incur certain obligations; and the duty of sustaining the body of the Church is one of the primary duties. If this principle be not recognised, they should not join her. They must be, necessarily, in a false position themselves, and must be an obstruction to the work of the Church. It would be far better, that they belonged to some system of belief, which they really considered to be true, than to dally with a question, upon the solution of which depended their eternal salvation. We believe that the cause of the not-giving in our Church, did not arise from any unworthy motive, or from unbelief, but because "to give," had never been honestly taught by our Church. It was, therefore, necessary that we should embark upon an agita tion which would bring this truth home, and make it intelligible to all; and, now that the minds of Churchmen are getting alive to the importance of this great principle, the movement must enter upon a new phase, and must take up a position adapted to its altered. circumstances. It is clear, that those opposing the movement at the present stage, must either join another religious community, or be included in the movement. The movement must therefore be directed towards ventilating those questions which affect materially the progress of the Church. We have already adverted to the question of Foreign Missions, and we fully believe, with Mr. Mitchell, that until this question be heartily entered upon, spiritual deadness must, to a great extent, prevail in our Church. But, it appears to us that an organic change is required in the system, ere our Church can fairly embark upon such a project. It appears to us, that until there be a full representation of the Laity, as in America and the Colonies-that so long as the Laity are shut out from the councils of the Church— so long as they are no part of the Church Government and system -so long must our Church be incomplete in her working and stunted in her growth. The time has now come when the Laity must make their voices heard in Church affairs-when they must claim what the selfish policy of Rome has alone excluded them from. The time has now come when the movement inaugurated by Mr. Gladstone, should be re-established, and the financial and the lay element questions should be considered as of equal importance. Associations should, to our mind, be formed in each Diocese, for the purpose of agitating this matter. Petitions should be sent up to the Diocesan Synods and the College of Bishops. The press should be enlisted on the side of the movement, It is premature to enter upon details. We will not specify what questions the lay element should be allowed to treat; whether doctrinal matters should be left exclusively to the clergy. All these are comparatively unimportant, so long as the right of admission to the councils of the Church is conceded; and so long as our legislative and our judicial tribunals are not merely class affairs. The Laity feel that they are not recognised as a part of the system of the Church, and consequently they hitherto have taken little interest in its affairs. When a good "party shout" has been raised, there has been great apparent enthusiasm to put down the other side. But this has been a spasmodic move; and, so long as the "party" triumphed, the interests of the Church were little considered. We have not got rid of "party" and all its worldly consequences. Men must be known to have done something for the Church before they are heard at all. We should be sorry that there should a dead uniformity-that men should be compelled to subscribe to an iron creed which the Catholic Church has never recognised. Even under Roman supremacy in the middle ages, great liberty of opinion was allowed, and the schoolmen practically laid the foundation of the Reformation movement. In the present age it is clear that there must be a representation of opinion, and the only way in which it can be represented is, not by a class representation, but by every section of the Church having a voice in its concerns. We have no desire that the matter should be rashly entered upon. It is very desirable, that in the effecting a great change in the Government and representation, every safeguard should be provided but it will he equally disastrous if the movement should be checked or frustrated; for if the Laity be not allowed a constitutional way expressing their opinions, it is probable they will be expressed in a manner not very beneficial to the interests of the Church. Discontent makes men "radicals" in 330 THE SCOTTISH GUARDIAN. subscribed not a farthing to the support of THE NEW PHASE IN THE MOTEREST fish policy of Rome has acne, varaad, W come when the movement any del, “ąą re-established, and the Stazma, ens. "28. be considered as of espai peraII... efutons abould be went op be formed in each Dhongan foto Diocese, they were acting a part unworthy If this p not join her. They must would be far better, t GUST on of on this tponed. referable nel than Zealand, in cending the America is g introduced herself to the of opinion. It is be the times, that she has gone ses the theory that each member of the Christ and engrafted into Him, and so is bound body, the more fully she realises the Christian ideal, completely she carries out the purpose for which the was instituted. Church HUGH SCOTT, of Gala. EDINBURGH LIBERALITY COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE PROVINCES. “FACTS are stubborn things;" and as we do not think the liberality and unselfishness of Edinburgh have been sufficiently appreciated by the Church, or the real facts sufficiently known, we give the following statement of monies paid out from Edinburgh sources previously to the starting of the new scheme, which cannot be too widely circulated. From 1840 to 1847, the subscriptions and offerings are kept in one account. From 1847 to 1863, when the new Financial Scheme came into operation, the different items have been kept separately, so that those years form the most correct data on which to base the calculation. The subscriptions from 1847 to 1863, from the whole Church, were £19,822 11s. 5d., of which Edinburgh Diocese contributed £8068 2s. 5d. The offerings in the same period from the whole Church were £19,744 4s. 10d., of which Edinburgh contributed £6905 19s. 1d. If we put the subscriptions and offerings together for the period from 1841 to 1863, we find that the sum total is £51,311 9s. 7d., of which Edinburgh Diocese contributed £19,710 16s. 4d. The relative proportion of those years will be found nearly the same, being at least two-fifths that Edinburgh has contributed of the whole funds subscribed. With regard to the subscriptions, we are aware that it is often stated that Edinburgh being the head office, many contributions are paid in there belonging to other Dioceses. In case of offerings, this cannot occur, as they are of course only returned from the Churches within the Diocese. This is one reason why we give the separate return from 1847 to 1863, showing £6,905 19s. 1d., against £19,744 4s. 10d., which scarcely reaches the two-fifths, but against which no argument can be adduced as to its including others. We give this simple statement, which can be tested by any one by the books of the Society. We hope to give in a future number the contributions of Dioceses by themselves. Such a statement is a valuable historical document, as we have every reason to believe that at a very early day the proportions will materially lessen, and the Society will be really, and not in name, the Society of the whole Church, and not practically of one Diocese. The liberality of Edinburgh cannot be too highly commended. A further analysis of the sums would show that the contributions have been mainly the earnings of the hard worked man of business, of the widows, and of the upper middle class. Major Scott truly said, in a recent letter, that after a continuous agitation of fifteen years, he had not been associated with the great or the noble, but that he had been almost entirely supported by the working bees of the nation, the middle order. It is they who have fought the battle of the Church; and after a hard day's toil, they have gone forth to renewed labour in behalf of the Church. "Verily they shall have their reward." THE CHURCH IN SCOTLAND AND THE ENGLISH PRESS. WE are sometimes startled with the criticisms of the English Press upon the Scottish Church. Constant abuse of the Episcopal Bench, the attributing of the worst motives to all those engaged in the Church's work, the withholdment of all information as to the expansion and increase of the Church-such is the course of policy pursued by those who assume to themselves the instruction of the people of England. If such a course of policy is likely to maintain amicable relations between the two Churches, we leave to the parties concerned themselves to determine. They cannot accuse us, at any rate, of retaliation. It may be we have been too much under pro |