CHURCH OF THE FUTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 574, 31 July 1909, Page 9

CHURCH OF THE FUTURE.

BISHOP'S STRIKING FORECAST, i.'Oiio of Ao mcst noteworthy pronouncements of recent .days appears in ' the' "Churchman" for May and' June, written by 'the' Bishop of' Carlisle (says tlio "Record"). For plainness, definitcness,, and courage, wo '.have read; nothing likoMt for ,a Horig time, and in "vieiv of;'the position of its author 'it wiU'umloiibtedly have the.attention it deservos. With, statesmanlike ; penetration •Bishop Diggle endeavours; to discover in.what , direction w'o arc to' look'jfbrj'the,. Church ill •'the future. .■. .' .'" , s

' Tiio dead Christian -may beVa churchman, but ■in ■ reality hp is a. separatist and schismatic ; for. roal : schism, like';good:faithsisilan •inward reality, not' ■says the. Bishop.. Men ; lia've';ljccn ready to-regard. religion .a¥-!pri''^xt!Vr,nil',iiiat-ter, and there! is no error against which our. Lord and His Apostles; 'set their, fapps more", 'resolutely .than-,this. ' Religion>is*! not prf-•.'manlyi'dutwardi|:btit'-^'.iiiWard.'''i: .Efjiscopajft' is. of' the essence' of "tlib catho--licity or the Church,'' the great' proof "being, tliat God Himself does not limit His gracious operations with .the; bounds of; Episcopacy! ■While the • 'bishop-'believes' profoundly- ill Episcopacy,', "its ancient -.descent-," its;/continuity, its priceless historic worth," lie' regards it las • profanity of the highest'kind to ban from the; Catholic Church others whom God blesses'. ' . '

From' this point; the 'bishop passes, on to ! say that ,th'o word "catholic" has long lost its original, and indeed its only real, significance. Its primary' and essential idea (is universality, and for , this reason- all such expressions as : "Roman . Catholic" : and "Anglo-Catholic"; are contradictions' in .terms. Wo might as rightly talk of fragmentary wholes. or particular nniversals',' as-of Catholics adjectiyely limited in'any .way. Th<s bishop concludes that the Church ; of, -tho future will, bo-found, to • consist -very largely of i the Church ;of England aiid the Enclishspeaking> Nonconformist .Churches. These Churches already enjoy an intimate and most essential relationship': V "tlipv are' immeasur-. ably nearer to each other than either to tho Church of Rome or the Eastern Churches." The mediaeval suporstitiohs and customs;in: the English Church are foreign to'its genius, whilo the political spirit is contrary to the religion and purpose of Nonconformity. When thereforethese two consummations have been reached—tho'Church of England completely . de-Romanised and the" 1 Nonconformist Churches re-spiritualised—the only- two real hindrances to union, will bo Episcopacy, and Establishment. . '

The Church of England must make.sure of what it means by Episcopacy, l whether the Nc'w Testament idea or the later monarchical conception; and Nonconformists. must- say. plainly whether or not they-mean by Disestablishment the. cessation of the national, rorcognition of God. In the closer association of tho Reformed.Church of-England and' Re -: formed Non-episcopal Churches; the bishop .believes that t!ie 2erm of the Church of tlio future wiir ultimately bij found. .