On Tuesday, at the London Diocesan Conference, the Bishop of
London gave an address of great power and insight. We despair of giving a true impression of its value in a short note, but may point out that the Bishop showed an extraordinarily keen appreciation of the ordinary layman's view of the present crisis. What, he declared, the ordinary layman was concerned and disturbed about was (1) the notion that the system of the Church of England was being altered and "changed back into the system which it was meant to reform " ; and (2) the appearance of clerical insubordination. This is absolutely true. Equally sound was the Bishop's declaration that very little had been done to clear the issues on the controversy, and his insistence upon the misunder- standings that had arisen, largely owing to matters being insisted upon as essential which were not essential at all. The Bishop ended with an appeal to his clergy to trust him, and a reminder that "there Is nothing so hateful in the sight of God as dissension among Christians."
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