THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE COLONIES.
IN spite of all the specious arguments of the Liberation Society, there seems to be an inseparable connexion between the idea of a National Church and the idea of permanent endowments. Ever since Charles the Great conferred on Adrian the First that splendid donation which " transformed the Church's ancient patri- mony of farms and houses into the temporal dominion of cities and provinces," there have been men who have argued, and argued in vain, against the notion of an establishment. We willingly admit that a great deal has been accomplished, since the foundation of Christianity, by voluntary efforts, and the two great branches of the Catholic Church—those of Rome and of England—have been second to none in missionary zeal. But the belief that a National Church should not depend on the capricious liberality of the richer portion of the community has survived so many attacks, proved stronger than so many prejudices, and taken so deep a root amongst us, that its permanence may be safely predicted. Nor is it one of those beliefs which are cherished, not so much for their intrinsic value, as for the length of time they have endured. Old age is not always respectable, and there are many old beliefs which are every year rudely trodden under foot, and cast away with bitter contempt. This one, however, has survived, and we have before us an illustration of the vitality which still distin- guishes it from other beliefs which have descended to us from ages of bigotry, intolerance, and barbarism. Any one would have thought, that if the notion of a permanent endowment were only an accident, as logicians would phrase it, of the English Church, no attempt would have been made to apply it to the colonies. The Colonial Church would be allowed to flourish as best it could. She would be supported, in the first instance, and always aided by voluntary subscriptions from England, but it would be expected that, for the future, it must trust, in still greater measure, to the liberality of the colonists who have directly benefited by the pence of a National Church amongst them. This has hitherto been the ease to an enormous extent. The Church of England in the colonies has been supported by contributions from individuals in the mother country. But a vigorous effort is now being made, so far as the diocese of Adelaide, in South Australia, is concerned, to place matters on a different footing, and to establish permanent endowments for the clergy and church purposes. There can be no question, whatever, as to the duty of the mother country to aid in such an effort as this, and we think it worth while to enter into some details as to die means by which this Church Endow- ment Society hopes to accomplish its object. It is proposed to purchase as much land as may be required, within the colony, by means of borrowed capital, at 5 per cent interest, to be redeemed by a sinking fund. The selection of land for purchase will be made by a sub- committee of the board of directors, and the local knowledge of the committee will enable them to erect advantageous purchases. For the redemption of the capital to be borrowed, an adequate sinking fund will be cre- ated, for the purpose, as soon as practicable, of making endow- ments for the Church of England in that diocese, in perpetuity. That very laudable object may be advanced in three different ways:—by donations in land or money, by annual subscription, or by subscription to the guaranteed interest fund. As soon as this last fund shall amount to 10001. per annum for seven years, the directors are authorized to apply to Parliament for incorpora- tion of the Society ; but, until this sum—no very large one—is raised, it is impossible to take any step towards raising the ne- cessary capital. The great thing should be to endow the Church with property of which the value is not likely to diminish; and it scarcely need be said that land furnishes a more substantial gua- rantee than any other kind of property. The first outlay may be considerable, but judicious investments at present will prevent the necessity for future exertions. It is shown that an arrange- ment of this kind will enable the National Church, in the colo- nies, to be much more effective than if it were to depend, to the very considerable extent that it does now, on the exertions of individuals in the mother country. It is not without reason that, in every country in the world, the priesthood has been a favoured class, in the sense that priests have been exempt from the obligation to follow any of the ordinary money-getting pursuits. The system has, indeed, been laid open to many grave objections, for there have been times, in England, when the name of priest called up the ideas of laziness, superstition, and vice. But, it is certainly desirable, so far as the principle is concerned, that the clergy, who are prevented from carrying on trade or commerce of any kind, should always be free from those worldly cares which must inter- fere with the exercise of their spiritual functions. But while we strongly urge the necessity for permanent en- dowments in the colonies, we must not forget to insist .on the necessity of the greatest activity on the part of the colonial clergy. There, at any rate, the field is new, and the scope for exertion ample enough. The bishop who goes out to a colony carries with him the experience of eighteen centuries. He is fresh from a country which is still suffering from the effects of former schisms, which are, indeed, not yet entirely healed. The history, of the Church of England, of the vicissitudes through which it has passed, of the dangers over which it has triumphed, of the suc- cess which it has obtained, constitutes an admirable guide to the colonial clergy. It seems to us even possible that a bishop might so act as to make Dissent unnecessary. With the strictest ad- herence to the doctrines of the English Church, he might make his teaching acceptable to that large portion of the Dissenting community whose schism arises mainly out of a difference of opinion as to non-essentials, and thereby, realize more completely than has hitherto been done in England, the idea of a National Church.
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