XIV DISESTABLISHMENT AND DISENDOWMENT 243 



attracted much attention at the time, but do not seem to 

 have produced any permanent impression. That proposal 

 contemplated, if I remember rightly, perfect freedom of 

 doctrine in the Church of England, and some power of 

 modifying the formularies, while retaining the duty of con- 

 ducting religious service and of preaching as at present. 



It was probably felt that the difficulties of carrying 

 out any such scheme were insuperable, and the advantages 

 doubtful, since it involved some form of election or veto 

 by the majority of the parishioners, or some mode of getting 

 rid of a clergyman whose doctrines were greatly disliked. 

 The Church would thus remain as sectarian as ever, but it 

 would be a varying instead of a uniform sectarianism ; and 

 the necessary uncertainty of tenure would at once diminish 

 the clergyman's influence for good, and render it more 

 difficult to induce the best men to undertake the duties. 



It seems to me to be an important and valuable feature 

 of my plan, that it renders the rector's tenure of office 

 for life almost certain, since the only causes (other than 

 voluntary retirement) for his displacement would be 

 immorality, or the fact of his making himself generally 

 disliked by his parishioners. But the careful education 

 and selection of the candidates, and the perfect freedom 

 in the choice of the profession, would render either of 

 these events of very rare occurrence. 



No man, who held any special doctrinal tenets so 

 strongly as to make him intolerant of others, would choose 

 a profession in which he would be compelled to recognize 

 and work harmoniously with the clergy of all denomina- 

 tions ; nor would one who felt himself by nature unfitted 

 to associate familiarly with all classes, and make himself 

 their friend and counsellor, undertake an office in which it 

 would be his chief duty to do this. We may fairly 

 anticipate, then, that our rectors of the future would be 

 of as high a character as our judges are now, and that 

 there would be as little necessity for the retirement of the 

 one from his honourable duties as there is for that of the 

 other. This would induce better men to seek the office, 

 and would render them far more capable of effecting 

 beneficial results than if they were mere temporary 



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