THE BISHOP OF HEREFORD AND NONCONFORMISTS.
rre EDINS " SPEcTAT01."1
Silk—The Bishop of Hereford has invited 'unconfirmed Christians to join in Communion in his Cathedral, and has net the expected Ecclesiastical and Episcopal opposition. In tat, I cannot help thinking, the Church has made a mistake. Take my own case. I am forty years resident in England, in a city where it is easy for me to worship in the Church of my Where. and to mix on equal terms with Anglicans and others.
It is different if I go South and find myself compelled to worship with those whom I respect, but with Whose services and preaching I have very little sympathy, because, being un- confirmed, I cannot join Communion with those whose fellow- ship I would prefer. Coming from a Church which at the Reformation separated more completely from the Roman than the Anglican did, and which claims to be a true Church of Christ, Apostolical though not Episcopal, we naturally refuse to accept a position which makes the Historical Episco- pate necessary for Orders, Churchmanship, or salvation. On our theory we accept the validity of English Orders, on the Episcopal theory we have grave doubts, all the more that the Roman authorities utterly repudiate them. In my dictionary " catholic " is defined as " universal ; liberal ; pertaining to all Christians," and we can claim true catholicity, as we accept all as brethren who believe in Christ, whatever their Church government may be. Their Baptism is good in our view, their sacraments are efficacious, and if for the Ministry we require re-ordination (on this I am not sure) that is a mere matter of Church order. If the English Church would accept honestly the Churchmanship of Nonconformists I do firmly believe that many who hold off from her would willingly join her Communion, but not as heretics and infidels. That is, I know, the stumbling-block for many Presbyterians, and it might be worth while for the Church to consider whether it is wise to alienate those who might be willing recruits, and who are, after all, nearer relations than the Greek or the Roman Church. All praise to the courageous Bishop for his attempted solution, which is bound to be abortive, unless with the change hinted
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