(TO THE EDITOR OF TES "SPECTATOR:') SIR,—If the "representative position"
makes the minister officiating the mere mouth-piece of a majority, why not bethink us of the "cast-metal king " which moved Herr Teufelsdrockh to mirth so mightily ? Have a patent parson, of the barrel-organ type, to play High, Low, or Broad with, pro re nava.
Surely there are representatives and representatives. Being asked once to join in a letter putting strong pressure upon our local Parliamentary representatives, I said that they were supposed to be superior in wisdom to those represented by them, and should be left to the free use of their superiority. The Representative character of the Clergy might be the thesis of a long theme, taking in such texts as, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ." Anyhow, a minister of "the Church of England as by law established "—" her text the Bible, her commentary the Prayer-book "—may be pardoned for thoughts as to clerical position taken from those three,—the Bible, the Prayer-book, the Law of the land.
A father eager, like him in the parable, to "go out and entreat" his son, might yet refuse to read the Apostolic precept backwards into "Parents obey your children." A head sympa- thetic sensitively with every want and wish of every limb, might vet demur to the subordination symmetrical exhibited by the And a minister of Christ might accept most willingly the admoni- tion of Christ his Master, " Ye also ought to wash one another's feet," without forgetting that from the same lips, with the same breath, there came forth also, "Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am." "As my father bath sent me, even so send I you."-.-I am, Sir, &c.,
P.S. —You hold fast to it, Sir, that the people have no power over the parson. 0 honoured Editor of the honoured Spectator, if you would but make a single supposition ! Suppose that you, in your pulpit, the chair editorial,-had, say every Saturday afternoon, to appear, and face-to-face it with the congregation of your correspon- dents. The chair might still be a freehold, but not quite always an " undisturbed " one.
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