LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
A SYNOD FOR THE CHURCH OP ENGLAND.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR." j SIR,—Will you allow me, with best thanks for your leader, to place before your readers' eyes the short form of petition to her Majesty, which has received so many signatures, from men of all schools, urging the issue of a Royal Commission for a pur- pose which we all agree to be desirable, viz., the effecting such an enlargement and reform of Convocation as would enable it to discharge the duties of a National Synod ? It runs thus To her Most Gracious Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.
" May it please your Majesty,—IVe, the undersigned clergymen and laymen of the Church of England, being convinced this it is highly desirable that the Bishops, clergy, and laity of the English Church should meet together, is some manner recognised by law, to discuss the best means of promoting the well-being and increasing the efficiency of the Church of England, without detriment to the Royal Prerogative or danger to the union of Church and State, humbly approach your Majesty with the earnest prayer that you will be graciously pleased to issue a Royal Commission, which shall inquire and report upon the best method of creating a body of lay members of the English Church which may, in conjunction with the Convoca- tions of Canterbury and York (duly reformed and for that purpose combined), prepare and submit to Parliament, from time to time, such measures as they may deem best calculated to effect those objects, And your petitioners will ever pray, Sce."
It scarcely seems desirable to do the work of the Royal Com- mission, by laying down all the conditions under which a body of lay representatives could be gathered together. The essen- tials seem to be that the elections should be indirect, avoiding the evils of party contests ; and that there should be an official lay element, so as to secure the participation of the best men of all Schools. A very carefully-detailed plan has been put forward by my friend and colleague, the Rev. James Bandinel ; others have been suggested by Prebendary Wood, and other practical men. My own notion is that the difficulty would not be great in practice. We are all agreed that the process of election should be at least twofold, if not threefold ; and it seems to me, I must confess, that the more we use existing forms and institu- tions, and avoid creating fancy franchises, the better. Person- ally, I am not in the least afraid of ratepayers who should be professing Churchmen, and believe that they would almost in- variably elect a churchwarden and some resident gentleman, with little reference to party and party-questions. But I do not wish to treat this point in any detail.- Solvitur ambulanclo, will, I believe, be the verdict of a Royal Commission.
I have only to add that clergymen and laymen desirous of forwarding this good work should send their names and addresses, without delay, to the Rev. James Bandinel, 1 Baring Place, Exeter, who, having no present parochial work, has most kindly undertaken to circulate the requisite papers, &c.—I rtm,
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