The Present Position of the Church of England; Seven Addresses Delivered to the Clergy and Churchwardens of His Diocese, as His Charge, at His Primary (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1873. Excerpt: ... III. (Delivered at Canterbury to the Rural Deaneries of Canterbury, Ospringe, Westbere, and Sittingbourne, October 3rd.) My Reverend Brethren, and my Brethren the Churchwardens: I am anxious to bring before you to-day some matters which very intimately concern us as members of the Church of England by law established. It is not unusual in the present day to hear men state that there are great difficulties in our position in virtue of our being an Established Church. I believe these difficulties--not generally seen by the laity, and only by a small portion of the clergy--will be found, when we examine them carefully, to disappear. It is somewhat difficult to give a definition of an Established Church. In those-famous lectures delivered by Dr. Chalmers many years ago in London, which had the effect of stemming the tide of public opinion at that time, the lecturer dwelt upon this characteristic of an Established-Church--that it was an endowment for the teaching of the Christian religion to the nation. There are other things supposed by some to constitute more truly than its endowments the essence of an Established Church; as, for example, that the ministers of the Established Church have a mission to the whole nation. It is not true that any one of eur.parish clergymen is fulfilling his duty, if he looks only on those with whom he has more intimate sympathy, and not on the whole of the people committed to his care. He is bound to consider that the whole parochial area which is assigned to him is the field of his labour, and that all who dwell within that field are entitled to receive, as far as they are willing, his pastoral ministrations. No doubt there are in other countries established churches of which this is not the distinctive mark; for example, in Be...