Charles Gore
By DR. ALBERT MANSBRIDGE
IT is difficult, if not impossible,, for the present generation. to realise the remarkable influence exerted by Charles Gore over the religious, and social thought of England at the end of the last century. He was an outstanding figure in Oxford during the 1880's. As a Scholar of Balliol he had been "deeply and PermanentlY influenced by the liberal atmosphere " of the College, and particularly by the philosophy of Thomas Hill Green.: He was certainly one of those Churchmen who, in Mark Pattison's phrase, stole Green's honey." He was deeply rooted in the Christian faith, and he was able to make full use in its presentation of the- social and philosophic tin:night of the great teachers whom Oxford then poSsessed. He was elected 'a Fellow or Trinity in 1875, 'served curacies in two Liverpdol parishes during the Yacatioiis, became Vice-Prin- cipal of Cuddesdon in 1880, and was appointed the first Librarian of the Pdsey House in 1884. His tenure, of the last office was marked by the initiation of three great moVements- ".the reconciliation of Catholicism and modern thought, the consecration by faith of social work, and the expansion of the idea of the religious life in England." Lux Mundi appeared in 1889. Gore's Essay on the Holy Spirit frankly accepted much of the advanced criticism of the Old Testament. The influence of his ardent and forceful personality upon the undergraduatei of that generation was great, but that period in his life is remembered chiefly for his Bampton Lectures on " The incar- nation of the Son of God," delivered in 1891. The University Church was packed for each lecture. Many hoped to hear new things or even heresy advanced by the editor of Lux ,Mundi: What they heard was " the outpouring by a loyal and devoted • Anglican of a burning personal faith in Jesus Christ, God and Man."
A book which he wrote about this.thne, The Mission of the Church, reveals the breadth of his outlook. The truth is that, definite as he was that those who were in orders should obey the rubrics of the Church and affirm its creeds, yet he believed Passionately in ".the Light that lighteth every man." He sought help,• wisdom and 'inspiration from men of all types of religious experience. He saw in the Church a great focussing expression of every reality and every gift found in the world. The result was that men of all types sought him, both for dis- cussion of religious problems and for personal guidance. He Was always accessible and very many were W911 by him for the Ministry of the Church. It is probable that Oxford in those days saw him at the Peak of his intellectual life.. Afterwards he was content to expound and re-affirm. In this he disappointed many who felt that he had opened a door, so far as the critical inter- pretation of the Bible was concerned, but had refused to pass through it with them. The distress caused by hiS writings, notably by Lux Mundi, to Liddon and others Whom he regarded with the utmost affection and reverence scarred him deeply and probably checked his advance along lines of thought which were travelled later by his Younger coritem- Poraries. His task was to strive to reveal to men that glorious Vision of the Church Catholic and triumphant which had . inspired him at Harrow and which increased in power during the Oxford days. In such a Mood he came to Westminster Abbey, bringing With him the brethren of the Community of the Resurrection; Which he had founded and of which he was Superior. There, at 4 Little Cloisters, he kept open house. It rapidly became Et social and religious centre. His sermons in the Abbey attracted vast crowds. Any • reference to the contemporary secular Press will show that Gore at Westminster was an outstanding figure in the London of his time.. Perhaps his most notable work was 'the initiation. of courses of lectures in Charles Gore. By G. L. Prestige, D.B. (Heinemann. 18s.) Advent and Lent. He himself 'dealt with the Sermon on tne Mount and the Pauline Epistles. The series of volumes which he based on these lectures stood in the forefront of contemporary religious literature. In 1901 lie became Bishop of Worcester, an appointment which Dr. Prestige calls " Lord Salisbury's Surprise." Amongthose who wished to see Charles Gore a Bishop, some thought that the opportunity had been missed when he was not appointed to succeed Dr. Westcott at Durham, but there were far more who were fearful of his ever becoming a Diocesan Bishop at all. They felt that he was a great teacher, expositor and preacher, who could not be spared from London. Front ' one point of view their fears have been largely justified, for' in spite of the powerful work which he produced both in speech and writing up to the very last he never quite rose to the high level of. the Westminster days. The truth was that he was by nature orderly and meticulous, anxious to fulfil every possible duty and to let nothing go by default. He laboured unceasingly, but the multifarious claims of a diocese were far too heavy not.only for him but for any other man to com- bine with scholarship and research. Imagine him with 670 parishes in the diocese of Oxford to oversee ! And yet the records of the diocese of Oxford for the whole period of his episcopate are said to be in perfect order. Just as he created a new tradition for the Canons of Westminster, so alai) he did for the bench, of Bishops. He faced problernS fearlessly and in great humility, both at Westminster Abbey. and Oxford. Many of them are faithfully recorded and analysed by Dr. Prestige. His solutions enriched the Church in all her aspects. In his last years he turned again to the work of re-affirmation, content to counsel and encourage the men of a younger generation. If he was pessimistic con-' cerning the actions of men in the modern world, he was trans- figured by an ever-present optimism which radiated from. his conviction of ultimate victory. If anyone would search for the secret of Gore's power, he will find it in the fact that, as a: highly-gifted boy, lie deter- mined to plan his life, so far as a huinan being can, on the lines of the life of Christ. All his thoughts and actions were disciplined in the light of that great intention. He was no ascetic, nor was he by nature a saint. " I am sometimes tempted to thank God that I am so naturally wicked," he . once remarked. If he was in any sense of the word worldly by nature, he sublimated it into an .ardent love of beautiful things. Art, music, architecture and travel delighted him. Dr. Prestige, in undertaking this task, was faced with an overwhelming mass of material. Gore was an insatiable worker: He disciplined himself rigorously. His day, apart from a much loved walk, was normally full of work. He only allowed himself one month's holiday during the year, even after his retirement from the see of Oxford:. The period intervening between his election to an Oxford Fellowship in 1875 and his death in 1932 was packed with incessant tasks, faithfully and even meticulously accomplished. • He was thorough' in all his ways. There were few great movements in Church and State during the period in which he was not concerned. Yet Dr. Prestige has revealed Gore clearly as teacher, preacher and author. He has followed his career as college, don, priest and Bishop with untiring pertinacity. He has discussed his thoughts and actions in many moments of acute controversy both in Church and State. He has woven his material into an unbroken sequence. There are no footnotes, the type used is uniform, and it is only now and again that he' tells us' the name of the authority he is qtaiting There 'are disadvantages in this method, but the attractiveness of the book to the general reader is enhanced. It is in the best sense of the term a journalistic tour de force.
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