CHURCH AND DISSENT.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THS "SPECTATOR."]
Stn,—Your article in last Saturday's paper on "The Congrega- tional Union on Dissent" will, I. am sure, be read with much sympathy by numbers of thoughtful men amongst the Congrega- tionalist laity. The difficulties, however, in the way of fully accept-. ing such an argument as yours for "a very wide National Church" 'have related, I believe, chiefly to two matters :—First, to the Thirty-nine Articles ; and secondly, to the Bishops having seats in the House.of Lords, as well as such enormous salaries. The first .of these you have yourself felt the necessity of adverting to in
these terms,—" A Church with formulae much simpler and fewer than those of the Thirty-nine Articles."
But you do not appear to realise the other difficulty I have mentioned. There is undoubtedly a growing desire for union amongst all sections of the Protestant Church in this country, but I think you must allow that no such fusion as you contend for, and which many Dissenters would wish, can be reasonably antici- pated, unless the English Establishment and Nonconformity mutu- ally approach each other. Both sides would have to give up some- thing. This view of the. question is well worthy of discussion in your columns.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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