CHURCH REFORM.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

Sin,—The people of England established their Church and en- dowed its clergy for the sake of united public worship, and of bringing religious ordinances within the reach of every, even the

poorest, person in England. For these objects the country was divided into parishes, and a clergyman placed in each. The cha- racter of the religion to be taught, the ritual of public worship, and the form of administration of the Sacraments were last settled by the Act of Uniformity in the reign of Charles II. Since then, no adaptation of the offices of the Church to existing circumstances has taken place ; the consequence has been the forsaking of the Church by many, and the discontent within her pale of many more. Two great oversights in the settlement of 1662 seem principally to have led to this state of things. One is that no popular constitution was given to the Church, whereby she might adapt herself, from time to time, to the altered condition of her members, by changes the probable necessity for which is set forth in the preface to her Book of Common Prayer. The other is that the endowments have been held, by fiction of law, to be the personal property of patrons and incumbents, rather than to belong to the Church herself, in her corporate capacity.

Believing that Nonconformity without and dissatisfaction with. in the Church are fast bringing her establishment and endow- ment to an end, notwithstanding the unspeakable advantages of both to the nation, I am induced to offer the following sugges- tions for a remedial measure, which may be called a "Project for the Reform of the Church of England."

1. Convocation to be reconstituted, the northern and southern provinces being united. The Upper House to consist of the archbishops, bishops, and bishops suffragan of both pro- vinces. The Lower House (of clergy only) to consist of members chosen as follows :—Electoral bodies to be formed in each rural deanery (or other convenient district) and to consist of the incum- bent and one layman from each parish within the deanery. The lay elector to be a communicant, elected by his fellow-parish- ioners, being also Church communicants (by ballot). The members of these electoral bodies are to elect (also by ballot) two clerical representatives from each archdeaconry to sit in the Lower House of Convocation, the other members of this House to the archdeacons, the deans of cathedral churches, and two representatives from each of the Universities of Oxford, Cam- bridge, Durham, and London, elected as may be determined by these Universities. In the Convocation thus formed, all questions regarding public worship, ritual, and other ecclesiastical subjects to be debated, and decided on, subject to confirmation in Parlia- ment.

2. Besides this Convocation for the settlement of strictly ecclesiastical questions, there should be Church Commissioners in each diocese, four for each archdeacoary, elected by the same electors as are charged with the election of clerical representa- tives in the Lower House of Convocation ; whose duty will be the administration of all Church property and reven- ues within the diocese, and who shall have power (subject to confirmation by Parliament) to change the boundaries and endowments of parishes, saving the rights of existing incumbents.

The difficulties arising from the present system of patronage may be met as follows :—Patrons of livings, whether public or private, in which any change of boundary or emolument is made, are to retain Church patronage of equivalent annual value, notwith- standing any change of distribution. When livings in private patronage are increased in value, equivalents are to be sought from the patrons, by calling on them to pay part of such increase, or to give up every second or third turn of presentation in consideration of such increased value. In cases of difficulty in coming to terms with patrons, juries or arbitrators to be called in, to make awards that shall be final.

3. The existing Ecclesiastical Courts to be abolished, and others established to take cognizance of ecclesiastical offences com- mitted by clergymen only, (as military offences by military men are now tried by coures-martial). All other cases requiring legal decision to be carried to the ordinary civil tribunals.

If the measures here recommended could be carried, all necessary reforms would soon be put in train ; I will, nevertheless, enumerate some of those which seem to me most pressing, and which would remove difficulties now felt both by Nonconformists and by many Churchmen.

1. The revision of the Book of Common Prayer, its rubrics, and the ritual of public worship in all parish and district churches, in the hope of taking away, as far as may be, all excuse for nonconformity in the future.

2. Special, Varied, and alternative services to be provided ; the law to have wide limits, and alterations to be made from time to time by the original enacting authorities ; but no breach of the .rules so framed to be permitted, in order that no room be left for disputes between incumbents and their parishioners. It was well

-said by the Bishop of Peterborough, at the last Church Congress,. that there was a great difference between enclosing a larger space- with a hedge and breaking down the hedge of a small enclosure.- Neither incumbent nor parishioners should have any right to change the law of the Church. Outside of the parish church however, an incumbent should be free to use any means that mar seem good to him, and not disapproved of by his bishop, to- influence his parishioners for their souls' health.

3. All fees payable for any ecclesiastical function, to clerfcal or- other persons in receipt of stipends, should be abolished (almost every abuse of the Romish Church may be traced to the payment of fees for spiritual offices).

4. The number of Bishops called to the House of Lords to. remain as at present, but additional bishops to be appointed, one. for each large town. All bishops to succeed by seniority to seats- in the House of Lords, a suffragan being appointed and paid from the Church treasury to assist in the diocese of each bishop so- succeeding to a place in the House of Lords. (The two Arch- bishops to have permanent seats in the House of Lords ex officio.>

5. Presbyters not to be made incumbents until they have served. five years as curates.

6. Deacons to be allowed to earn means of living, in certain. specified employments, in addition to their stipends as assistant- curates. - 7. All clergymen in taking orders to be bound to belong to a clerical benefit fund, to be managed by the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners, for the supporta of the widows and orphans of the.- clergy, and to furnish annuities to the superannuated.

8. Offertories to be collected on all occasions of public worship,.. the receipts and expenditure of which should be published.

9. The seats in all parish and district churches to be free and unappropriated, the parishioners collectively having prior claim. before strangers, the former being considered at home, the latter as guests.

10. In the office for Baptism of Infants the answers of god- parents, as proxies, should be discontinued, the promise of the- parents or god-parents to bring up the child presented for baptism. in the Christian faith being substituted.

11. The Burial Service should be shortened, and adapted for- general use, without any authorized alternative phraseology in the. service itself, but with permission for extempore prayer and ex- hortation either at the grave or from the pulpit, on fitting. occasions.

12. A Book of Hymns should be authorized.

13. Selections from the Book of Psalms to be chanted at public: worship, instead of the Psalms being read continuously in the- order in which they are now printed.—I am, Sir, &c., Oaucnorr.