Mr. Macrorie has published his defence of himself for accepting
the office of competitive Bishop of Natal. It is a zealous and conscientious sort of letter, in a narrow way. The worthy man evidently thinks that supporting sacerdotal judges against lay judges means making noble war against what he describes as "a cold and lifeless Erastianism." He is very eager to wipe out from the Church of South Africa " the dark stain" " of complicity in deadly error," and so on, Mr. Macrorie is evidently a good man, and follows such lights as he has. But as the Rev. F. D. Maurice puts it powerfully in another column, he will not easily convince the world that the Church is the Church of Christ, and not the manufacture of the State, even by proving the right of ecclesiastics to administer justice in it, and denying the jurisdic- tion of lay Courts. The world will continue to believe that the most just tribunals are the most of Christ's, and England will hardly reconsider her judgment as to the value of sacerdotal Courts of equity.
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