18 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



bers during the year, and that the whole num- 

 ber now on the roll was 21,470. Notwith- 

 standing the comparative cessation of prosecu- 

 tions for ritualism, the sustentation fund was 

 still needed to supply the losses of income 

 which had been incurred by some of the de- 

 prived clergy, and there was a possibility that 

 more might yet be added to this class. While 

 few things were more to be deprecated in the 

 interests of the Church than identification with 

 any one political party, it was the duty of 

 churchmen, whatever their political opinions, 

 to show that whoever attacked the Church 

 could not reckon on their support. The fact 

 that the revival of church principles had been 

 most effectually manifested in the large towns 

 went to show that the strength of the Church 

 would be in exact proportion to the adherence 

 of her members to her principles, and that the 

 only real and adequate church defense was 

 the teaching of church doctrine. Seventeen 

 bishops had consented to become vice-presi- 

 dents of the Union. The president of the 

 organization asserted in his address that the 

 three principal objects for which the Union 

 had contended during the last twenty years 

 viz., to win back for the Church of England 

 her ancient freedom from the interference of 

 secular courts external to herself in the decis- 

 ion of spiritual matters ; the vindication of the 

 right of the Church to use her ancient ritual ; 

 and the complete organization of the clergy 

 and laity in synods and conferences had been 

 obtained, or were in the course of being ob- 

 tained. As the lower house of the Convoca- 

 tion of Canterbury had declared by resolution, 

 the Church of England was national, not in 

 the sense that the nation, as such, might deal 

 with its doctrine and discipline, but that it 

 had a duty to the whole nation. A resolution 

 was adopted, declaring, without committing 

 itself to a particular measure, that the Union 

 is ready "to support any well-considered 

 scheme for the prohibition of the sale of 

 next presentations, and the gradual extinc- 

 tion of the traffic in livings." Other resolu- 

 tions urged the importance of the restora- 

 tion of the ancient diocesan synods of the 

 Church, in addition to the conferences of 

 clergy and laity ; and, while expressing a dis- 

 position to " welcome any legitimate scheme 

 by which the co-operation of the laity in 

 church work can be effectually encouraged," 

 renounced all proposals for the creation of 

 church boards with statutory authority, and 

 insisted, in the case of voluntary parochial 

 councils, on the necessity of such councils 

 being limited to communicants. 



dmreh Defense Institution. The annual meet- 

 ing of the Church Defense Institution was 

 held in London, Aug. 2. Lord Egerton, of Tat- 

 ten, presided. The report of the Executive Com- 

 mittee related that the period dealt with, em- 

 bracing as it did two general elections, had been 

 one of much anxiety and importance, involv- 

 ing the most serious issues to the cause of 



church and state. The spirit and success with 

 which the Liberationist attack in the autumn 

 of 1885 had been met had speedily demon- 

 strated to its promoters that such an attack 

 was at least premature. Still, while the 

 Church might be securfe from direct attack, 

 there were many ways in which she might be 

 harassed and her usefulness impaired ; and the 

 need of watchfulness and hard work would 

 therefore be as great as ever. The receipts of 

 the Institution had been 12,911, as against 

 4,570 in the previous year. Details were 

 given respecting the work performed by the 

 Institution during the year, which appeared to 

 be directed chiefly to counteracting the efforts 

 of the Liberation Society. 



Convocations. The Convocation of Canter- 

 bury met Jan. 13, in St. Paul's Cathedral, 

 when the Latin sermon was preached before 

 it, and Archdeacon Sumner was elected pro- 

 locutor of the lower house, to succeed Lord 

 Alwyne Compton, who had been nominated to 

 be Bishop of Ely. The first meeting of the 

 Convocation for the dispatch of business was 

 held at Westminster, Feb. 16. The meeting 

 was made of peculiar interest by its being the 

 occasion of the formal installment and open- 

 ing by the archbishop of the newly estab- 

 lished House of Laymen. The new house con- 

 sists of 102 laymen, " faithful members of the 

 Church of England," who are elected by the 

 different diocesan councils. It does not exist 

 as an independent body of convocation, for it 

 has not even the power of the other two 

 houses, but merely as a body brought together 

 to consult with the Convocation as previously 

 constituted ; and it is wholly optional with the 

 other two houses whether it be consulted. A 

 considerable number of the members of the 

 House of Laymen were already members of 

 Parliament, or otherwise prominent in the 

 public life of England. The archbishop, in ad- 

 dressing the newly constituted house, men- 

 tioned several subjects concerning which the 

 Convocation would like to hear the views of 

 the members. Among them were those of 

 church patronage; the sale of glebe -lands; 

 "the disproportion of clerical work or re- 

 sponsibility to clerical incomes V; parochial 

 councils, in which were involved the ques- 

 tions of the greater participation of the laity 

 in church affairs, and "some power of remon- 

 strance against the appointment of a pastor 

 whom the parishioners can show to be unfit"; 

 and the institution of a central organization 

 which should worthily answer to the reformed 

 parochial organization, concerning which the 

 speaker remarked that he did not see "how 

 a national body of bishops, clergy, and laity, 

 can express themselves fully, so long as the 

 two convocations meet apart, unreforrned, in- 

 complete, and without adequate lay counsel." 



Much attention was given to the considera- 

 tion of the subject of " Church Reform," un- 

 der which title are included a number of 

 propositions for correcting features, the work- 



