the pastoral staff of the Church of Rome? Thus altar is set against altar, and wherever one is, there is the chapel of the Independent, or Presbyterian, or Baptist side by side. And think you, to take it on the lowest ground, that the reproduction of our divisions is pleasing to those persons who frequently refuse to give up their religion being perplexed by the various forms of Christianity offered for their acceptance. They naturally ask which is true, and having half-a-dozen presented, prefer remaining in their own false security to venturing upon ice which may possibly be broken. On this ground as well as others I commend the work of the Association which is to bring about Corporate Re-union between the three great bodies, which together form what is called Christendom. We take these in the first instance, because they are larger and more like each other than the rest and leave as a matter of fact any future work to be determined after this first great labour has been satisfactorily and completely accomplished. It would be idle and useless for the Church of England to propose communion with any of those bodies external to her pale, unless the two ancient and great Churches, the Greek with its one hundred millions of communicants, and the Latin Church with its three hundred millions of souls, were brought into Corporate Re-union. The three great Churches must be united before the work can have any practical issue. The only action the Association asks from its members, is to undertake day by day to pray that prayer on the papers that have been distributed, and I do not for one moment doubt that that prayer will be answered. Difficulties there may be. Was there any course in which there were not difficulties ?—any scheme set afoot in which numberless such had not to be overcome ? But our difficulties are in no degree insuperable, and every single difficulty overcome only brings the goal nearer and makes the success more certain, (cheers.) I ask you then to become members of the Association; many have joined during the sixteen months that have elapsed since last I had the honour of addressing you from this place, and I only hope the result of this gathering will be as successful as was that which followed from the meeting to which I have just referred. We are convinced of eventual success. Those who co-operate have so taken in the idea that it leavens, I trust, all we do or say and all we plan. It makes that way smooth which before appeared rough and levels many an unlevel path in our ordinary progress here. Our success has been greater than expected; but it will be greater than we look for and come sooner than some of us anticipate. Let each in his own sphere, therefore, labour in patience, charity, and hope. Let us work and let us pray. Let us believe and let us act. The brook has already become a river, and the river shall soon become a sea, God Almighty hasten it in His way and time (cheers.)-From Short-hand Notes.

CORRESPONDENCE.

LORD BACON ON RE-UNION.

SIR,-Will you allow a quotation from Lord Bacon in your pages? When there is so much yearning for Unity would not his words of quiet wisdom be well worth listening to?"A man that is of judgment and understanding shall sometimes hear ignorant men differ, and know well within himself that those which so differ, mean one thing, and yet themselves would never agree. And if it come to pass in that distance of judgment that is between man and mau, shall we not think that God above, that knows the heart, doth discern that frail men in some of their contradictions intend the same thing, and accepteth both ?"

Could not party spirit be quenched in the one great object which all have in view-Truth-and that truth be held in Charity, large and universal, and that cavilleth not at the "gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble" that is built on the foundation of Truth, but leaves the stubble to its inevitable fate of being burnt away, sure that the precious and lasting metal will abide ?--I beg to remain yours, &c.,

H. B.

"THE TWO COMMUNIONS IN SCOTLAND."

SIR,-As it is assumed, in that article of your March number which bears the above title, that I, in common with some others, consider the case of the Scottish Episcopal Church as hopeless, I beg for my own part to disclaim such a belief. The case of the Scottish Church is undoubtedly very bad indeed; but it is not hopeless. Prayer can work wonders, if it is offered up in earnestness, humility, and charity; and I have just written to the Church Times-which paper, I believe, is largely read among the better sort of Scottish Churchmen-suggesting a daily use of the Litany-collect: We humbly beseech Thee, O Father,' &c., with reference to the case of the Scottish Church more especially.-I am, Sir, your obedient servant, W. H. B. PROBY.

Minningsby Rectory, Boston.

June 14th, 1866.

We gladly allow our esteemed correspondent to put forth his

pious suggestion in our pages: though for the future we can give no more space to a consideration of the needs or disputes of the Protestant Episcopal Communion.]

MISSIONARY WORK.

SIR,-I believe it is generally allowed that though much has been done of late years for India, yet, excellent as our missionaries are, comparatively but little way is made in Christianizing the native population. I would venture to suggest, (if you will kindly allow me to do so through your columns,) whether we sufficiently follow the example of the earliest days of the Church in the words of S. Paul to the Corinthians, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it ;" and whether that system might not be profitably pursued in India? If the foundation of repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ was firmly maintained as the only (and sealed title in baptism) to a blessed Paradise hereafter, would there be any strong objection. to allowing observances as to food, dress, &c., which have become almost a second nature?

The early Church did not enforce upon Jewish converts the forsaking ceremonial laws and customs which she would by no means allow to be imposed upon Gentile converts, and do we not know that such things, of no great importance in themselves, create more resistance, if opposed, than points of real doctrine and practice? Could we not supersede gorgeous ceremonies in honour of Vishnu, &c., by more gorgeous ceremonial in the worship of the true God purified as that ceremonial would be from foul idolatrous practices in bright contradistinction visible to every eye-could we not erect churches in more eastern architecture and make them alluring to eastern eyes-could we not even sometimes purchase their own pagodas and temples, and consecrate them to the worship of Christ? And if at the same time some devoted ministers of Christ would live almost as simply as fakirs, mixing amongst the native population, sympathizing with them, not offending their prejudices whilst fearlessly preaching the gospel, would not valuable results ensue? In the life of Father Matthew is the following extract: "To show how missions prosper where they are energetically worked, it may be mentioned that when Father Matthew was in Little Rock, there still existed the log hut in which Bishop Byrne had taken up his episcopal residence seven years before ; and that although he was then too poor to employ a regular servant, he had within that time built a cathedral, (not very large,) a dwelling-house, and a seminary; and had also esta blished a college at Fort Smith, opened a mission at Pini Bluff, and accomplished a number of things which, considering the

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smallness of his means and the poverty of his congregation, were really marvellous." Are there not those of our Church who would willingly live in a mud hut and do likewise for Christ's sake? Our missionaries will never make Anglo-Saxons of Hindoos, but would it not be all sufficient if they could make Christian Hindoos? Do we sufficiently appreciate in these days the importance of having Christ recognised as "the Lord He is God" in an idolatrous land-that it is necessary first to "bind the strong man" and then "spoil his house"--the importance of casting the gospel seed broadcast over a heathen land and receiving all to baptism who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who with humbled hearts desire to become His disciples, and that it is afterwards that (gradually as the long-perverted mind can bear it,) those disciples must be taught to observe all that He commanded to be observed. Has there not been error on the part of our Church in withholding baptismal grace from convinced heathen, as there has been in the Roman Catholic Church broadcasting without afterwards fostering the seed sown? H. B.

THE CATHOLIC "EIRENICON" AND THE "DUBLIN REVIEW."

To the Editor of the UNION REVIEW.

and

SIR, The Dublin of July last, with that inimitable fairness which has characterised it of late years, in noticing the above little Tract, reprints the lengthy letter to the Weekly Register for March 31, of the Rev. W. H. Anderdon, shutting its eyes closing its columns to the answer made to that letter in the John Bull two weeks afterwards. May I be so bold as to request your enlightening any of your readers who may have seen the Dublin's republication of Mr. Anderdon's letter, without having seen my answer, by admitting it to the same benefit. It ran as follows:

To the Editor of the John Bull.

SIR, Dr. Anderdon has written from a well-known No. in York Place to the Tablet and Weekly Register, to counteract the effects of the notice taken by the John Bull and Saturday Review of the small tract reprinted under the above title, and in order to do so he has given some extracts from Husenbeth's Life of Milner, not merely to show that there were certain propositions in it to which that eminent Prelate objected, when it first appeared incorporated into the work entitled Faith of Catholics," by Kirk and Berington, but "in order that readers of the Tablet and Register might judge how far the descriptions given in the Saturday and John Bull of that book were accurate; how far it speaks the language of hereditary Catholics, or was

appealed to by all Anglo-Romanists, or has since been a textbook with Roman Catholics in this and other countries."

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Dr. Milner is quoted, indeed, as mentioning others who shared his opinions, but he alone speaks throughout, and everybody knows how bitterly his own words and deeds were criticised through life. But has the editor of the Catholic Eirenicon" disguised for a moment that even Dr. Poynter, to whom the first edition of "The Faith of Catholics" was dedicated, took exception to some of the propositions set forth in it? On the contrary, his preface contains a summary of all the objections taken to it, and all the alterations made in it, down to the third and last edition of it, by Mr. Waterworth, only taking note of the pregnant fact that, in spite of all adverse criticising, three different editions of it appeared between 1815 and 1845; and, in the last of these, dedicated to the late Bishop Walsh, the propositions, with a single addition, stand as before, 'taken," as the last editor says, from a well-known tract of considerable merit." It is of this edition that the Dublin Review (no small authority, surely, for Dr. Anderdon!) as late as January, 1866, in its review of Dr. Pusey's book, speaks as "Mr. Waterworth's invaluable work on the Faith of Catholics (p. 205); as "Mr. Waterworth's singularly serviceable work, the Faith of Catholics'" (p. 215); quoting largely from it extracts, as from a standard work. Whether the writer in the Dublin was acquainted with all the propositions laid down in it is more than I can say, but so even he writes of it in January last.-Your obliged servant,

April 7.

66

VERAX.