At the close of our week, a lay correspondent challenges
the use of cer- tain terms in last week's paper on " The Church to be Converted." He ob- jects to our use of the phrase "the Church" as distinguishing the clergy from the laity; and we admit that the objection against a colloquial but lax expression is very proper, since it might be misunderstood by some readers. Our correspondent is wrong, however, in arguing as if we had denied that examples of practical Christianity are often found among the clergy. We have recorded such examples with great satisfaction; and we said so. What we meant was, that although such examples are to he found among the clergy, it is too much in individual cases: larger measures, like that of Mr. Sidney Herbert, are apt to originate with the laity; and on the other hand, 'whereas examples of practical Christianity should be most frequently and most constantly furnished by the pastors of the people, in point of fact the clergy too often appear in the courts of law as champions of a church-liti- gant. Their duties may lead them thither; but the comparison is unto- ward, and they should see that their body maintains an aspect of charitable dignity to those without the pale, not of "the church," but of the ecclesias- tical incorporation.
Another earlier correspondent, whose letter we intended to insert if our space had permitted, wrote nearly to the same effect as "J. H. S."; and we hope this explanation will.satisfy him also.
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