CHAPTER X.

MR. WALTON'S OPINION OF THE TRUE DEVELOPMENT

OF THE CHURCH.

I joy, dear mother, when I view
Thy perfect lineaments and hue,
Both sweet and bright:

Beauty in thee takes up her place,
And dates her letters from thy face,

When she doth write.

GEORGE HERBERT. The British Church.

MR. HAMMOND was both pleased and affected by the godly simplicity of the aged Christian, and shook him cordially by the hand, promising to call and see him frequently.

"Old Ambrose will remind us," said he, as they walked homewards, " of the words of the Psalmist : 'I have been young, and now am old, yet never saw I the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread.'

"This is the man," said Mr. Walton, "whom your modern philosophers would call a poor ignorant rustic. I never see old Ambrose, whether at his cottage or in his seat at church - I never mark his calm, contented eye, and the holy meekness of his demeanour, without thinking that he will Occupy a very high place amongst the saints of heaven. He is

" one to whom
Long patience hath such calm composure given,
That patience now doth seem a thing of which

He hath no need.'

There is in his character a humble, yet independent tone of thought—a 'poorness of spirit' without a

particle of meanness - a calm contented serenity a deep religious feeling, divested of all the excitement of a heated imagination- which is the privilege of one who has served God from his youth up, and is passing through a quiet life to a peaceful grave."

They paused for a while, and walked on without speaking, each of them deeply impressed with the simple dignity of the character of him with whom they had just conversed. At last Mr. Walton broke the silence, beginning, as usual, to philosophise, and unconsciously drawing his illustrations from the scene around them.

"A country blessed, like England, with an established Church-of course supposing it to be a branch of the true Church,-is like a field in high tillage, which puts up its rich crops of corn in proportion to the pains bestowed on it. The character of old Ambrose is the genuine growth of the English Church, at least as it exists in our rural districts, for in our large towns it is unable, with its present means, to cope with the population. But where the Church has fair play and free development, where its principles are truly carried out, and the population is not so dense as to prevent the ordained pastor from coming into contact with every individual within his fold, there is a continual tendency to the production of intellects more or less approaching to that of old Ambrose-loyal, faithful, peaceable, and intelligent. I have always considered a national establishment to give scope for the most perfect exhibition of the Church of Christ. The Churchsystem is entirely of divine origin, having been established during the lifetime of the apostles. It may be allied with the State or not, according to circumstances; being in itself perfect when unestablished, but deficient in means to cope with the entire population. The evils which have in some

cases resulted from its establishment and connexion with the State are perfectly accidental. The union between Church and State may exist without the least interference in each other's functions; and then I conceive the Church to be most perfect and efficient. Its due operation rests on its triple order of ministry. The bishops have received from the apostles divine authority to superintend and set things in order, and to ordain a continual succession of ministers; the priests receive from them authority to administer the sacraments and ordinances in local districts or parishes; the deacons are appointed to aid them with their ministry. Thus, Christ being the fountain-head, the apostles and ministers of the Church are like so many rills or channels, by which the stream of divine grace is spread over the land. Wheresoever there is a lack of ministers, especially of any entire order of the ministry, there the land is thirsty and dry. Amongst the Dissenters here in England, and amongst the Presbyterians of Scotland, where they reject the divinely appointed order of bishops, there is an absence of that humble submission to authority, which is so amiable a feature of the Christian character, as developed often in the English Church. There is leaning to their own judgment, and an impatience of control, a want of reverence and godly fear, at variance with the character of the lowly Churchman. If I may so speak, there is piety without holiness; that is to say, though the understanding is imbued with Christian truth, yet there is not that thorough sanctification of the heart which is attained under a sounder system. Corresponding with this spiritual defect, there is a political disaffection to civil government; a democratic, arrogant temper; an anxiety to maintain rights rather than to perform duties. In Prussia, where the government is absolute, the want

of the episcopal order is shewn, in the disesteem in which the establishment is held; and, as in Scotland, by the slight influence which it holds over the higher orders. Here, in England, we acknowledge the three orders of the ministry, and, to a great degree, derive the benefit which results from an adherence to God's ordinance. Still the Churchsystem might be much more fully carried out than it is. The insufficiency of the number of our bishops is one cause that their divine authority is not so universally recognised as it should be, and that many have left the communion of the Church from sheer ignorance of its value. The same complaint is applicable to the deficiency of parish priests. How can it be expected that a parish, containing ten thousand souls, or upwards, can receive the impulse of the divine system from the ministration of one pastor? We sadly want reform in this respect: and I have often thought, too, that much good might be done by the more general revival of the sacred order of deacons. In the ancient Church, where the Gospel had begun to be generally received, we find, in many cities, that there were as many as seven deacons under one priest, as assistants to him in the ministry. How valuable would such assistance be now in our great towns! What with visiting societies, and schools, and clubs, the parochial clergyman often has positively no time to give to the more spiritual departments of his ministry. He has no leisure for study, very little for preparing his sermons, and the weekly prayers are often entirely discontinued."

"If laymen," observed Mr. Hammond, "would give their aid in the management of the different so.. cieties as willingly as you and your family do, it would be a great relief to the clergy."

"Yet," answered Mr. Walton, "I would rather see ordained ministers; it seems to me more in ac

cordance with the apostles' usage. Read only the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. A difficulty had arisen about providing for the necessities of the poor widows: Then the twelve apostles called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.' And they proposed to appoint seven deacons; which was accordingly done. Just as a parochial minister might say, 'It is not reason that we should leave off the daily prayers, and the study necessary for preparing our sermons, and visiting the sick, and that our time should be taken up with provident societies, and savings-banks, and penny-clubs, and lending-libraries, and infantschools, and daily schools, and Sunday -schools. Highly important as these things are, they prevent us from attending to our more peculiar duties.' Surely it would not be unreasonable to require that a deacon should be appointed under the parochial clergyman for every thousand souls. But the truth is, that the Church has been sadly neglectful for the last two or three generations; she ought to have divided her parishes long ago, and increased the number of her ministry; and

"But, my good sir," said Mr. Hammond, with a slight degree of warmth, "whose fault was that? Why did not you laymen, who have been managing our affairs for us, take care to divide the parishes, and appoint a proper number of clergymen ?"

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Why did not you clergy," replied Mr. Walton, "tell us what we ought to have done, and preach at us every Sunday, morning and evening, till we did it? I never heard that you made any great efforts of this sort. However, my good friend, I can assure you, that when I spoke of the Church having neglected her duty, I meant to speak of laymen just as much as clergy; I did not in the least intend to