THE CHURCH FRANCHISE.
[To THE Knows or THE " SPECTATOR."] Pm—As our object in trying to ascertain what should be the malification for membership of the Church of England should be the desire to ensure that that Church shall as fully as possible do the work which a Christian Church ought to do, the first step in an attempt to reach agreement as to the right franchise should be Cie attainment of agreement as to the work which the Church of England ought to do. It is remarkable that agreement as to this has not been reached. For Christ's statement as to the Law and the Prophets, which He came not to destroy but to fulfil, makes it certain that the first duty of a Christian Church, and of every smasher of a Christian Church, is to love God with the whole mind os well as with heart and soul and strength; that is, to use fully all possible means to ensure the. victory of Good over Evil, and to do for men all things whatsoever it is believed will 'enable end induce them to love God with heart and soul and strength and
mind and their neighbour as themselves. This indication of the duty of a Christian Church and of each of its members is con- firmed by the words in which Christ told His slieciples that all who help the needy help Him, and will be admitted into the Kingdom, and that all who fail to help the needy refuse to help Him, and will be excluded from the-Kingdom. The teaching of Christ leaves no doubt that everything in and connected with religion Ices value solely as a means for the attainment of the one great object, effective lore of God and man, and becomes a dan- gerous evil if it is regarded as itself en object, and is therefore allowed to lessen effort to attain the one great object.
As the Chureh of England, in common with every other branch of the Church, shows itself to be very imperfectly Christian by failing to call upon and help its members to do for men even things so well known to all its leaders to be necessary for physical and moral health as the placing of a well-managed playground within reach of every town dwelling, and the provision of con- tinued training for life and work for children when they leave the elementary school, it is evident that the existing qualification for membership of the Church is either wrong or insufficient. No Church con be really Christian and draw into its fold many intelligent men and women who desire to live Christian lives which does not make active participation in useful work ass essential part of the qualification for membership, and which doss not ask and help its members to make heroic efforts to ensure that Goad shall overcome Evil.—I am, Sir, &c., Swanscoe Pork, near Macclesfield. T. C. HORSFALL.
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