On Clerical Subscription. By the Rev. Charles Hebert, M.A., F.R.S.L.
(Macmillan and Co.)—The position taken by the author of this volume with reference to the question of clerical subscription may be stated in very few words. It is, he thinks, a good thing in itself ; but it ought to be real and binding, not, as it has gradually been becom- ing of late years, an almost meaningless form. Consequently, he welcomes Dr. Lushington's recent decisions, as establishing the position that the Articles of the Church must be subscribed "in their plain literal grammatical sense." He acknowledges, however, that the docu- ments which the clergy are called upon to subscribe contain some points of doctrine on which complete unanimity of opinion is neither to be ex- pected nor desired ; and in these points, if subscription is to become a reality, some alteration must be made. Accordingly, he proceeds to examine the documents in question—which are the Articles, the Liturgy, and the Canons and Statutes—with a view to determine the amount of alteration to which each may profitably be submitted. Of the three, the Articles receive by far the largest share of his attention. Mr. Hebert's manner of treating his subject is somewhat sketchy and incomplete ; but not many readers will be inclined to object to the few suggestions which he ultimately makes.
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