BROTHER IGNATIUS AND COLLEGIATE CHURCHES.

Press, Volume VII, Issue 685, 9 January 1865, Page 4

BROTHER IGNATIUS AND COLLEGIATE CHURCHES.

[From the Times, Oct. 14.] % The Church Congress now sitting at n Jristol was suddenly visited on Tuesday c vening by an apparition from the early part ss f the middle ages. There stood on the a; latform a Benedictine monk, in the panoply ti f the order from top to toe, tne former H haven, the latter no doubt stockingless. It w ould not be said that he was quite out of ai lace, or that it was in answer to no sum- a ions. On the contrary, a distinguished jni

layman had shortly before urged upon the meeting the collegiate and monastic model of clerical life as that best fitted to cope with our large and neglected populations So when '• Brother Ignatius" descended from the clouds or rose from the earth, as it might be, he only obeyed the spell. But, then aa it has occasionally happened, the necroman cers were appalled by something more real than they had bargained for. What they 1 expected was a nice, tidy, young gentleman quite adinissable in the best drawing-room' with only a slight peculiarity of garb, and only a suspicion of baldness, and with much spiritual talk of high and low, west as well as east, ancient and modern too. Instead of this very bearable -vision, they saw a monster in a vestment which, though ample, wag simple, and might be all. His one single note was a return to the rigour of the order founded by a JSorthumbrian gentleman rather early in the Heptarchy. The merest tyro in history must acknowledge the immense benefits conferred by that order which for a thousand years was perhaps the chief depository of learning in Christendom. We have, therefore, not a word to say against real Benedictine monks whenever and wherever they exist or have existed naturally, so to speak, and in character with the times. !Nor is it necessary to spend many words on Brother Ignatius, who seeme likely to dispose of himself much faster and more effectually than by any process of argumentation. The Eight Key. President : and Lord Lyttelton very wisely asked for J full tether for him, —only ten minutes; and the great toleration of our times will allow him a good deal more. But Mr. Lyne is doing no little service in compelling people to discuss the question of mediaeval revivals more seriously than would otherwise be the case; and though the essence of his own restoration appears to consist in an uncouth - garb, it may serve to throw a light on some other medievalisms. Mr. Lyne, —we will assume him to be all that he appears,—only wishes to do by form and manner that which he finds very difficult without these appliances. It is difficult tobe good and religious ; it is difficult to sue- ' tain the clerical character and action, not only in a large town, but anywhere, and certainly not the least in a village. It is, ■ difficult to be Christian, inside or out, in-any place or calling. All that is good is difficult * The mere difficulty of the attempt, therefore, is itself no reason for resorting to antique or outlandish devices in costume or anything else. There is quite as much difficulty in--discharging all the ordinary relations of life, - whether at home, or in society, or at an office, % or on Change, or in the Senate. In all 4 these relations a man must make a steady S and consistent effort t;o do his duty, and must;! apply all his powers, or he will certainly faiL J On many of these occasions it never occurs a reasonable man to array himself in aaJS antique costume, though someof the dressers of our forefathers would be very comfortable;! and convenient. In a very hot summer theh|| woad of the ancient Picts would be a but for all that we do not wear it. TJl&I single community which has made the ajifl tempt to reinforce its internal sense of 'fsß& duty by these outward mementoes has'iaS but abandoned this feeble aid to All uniforms and outside things can be bral|| rowed to any extent, and most certainly vfi&M be, as soon as they obtain credit and JUpM worth borrowing. Even the most ordinaTyJi clerical costume, the black or rusty suit anap white tie, have been adopted so largely notfjl only by Dissenting preachers, but by ehop|lg men, waiters, and other persons look respectable that the genuine clergy ftßpli driven in self-defence to something stiffer/!q||| not so stiff—that is* either to what is wic&ja edly called the M. B. suit, or to a tartan or grey. But apart from the obvioWli danger that, under the same canonicals, noli one can distinguish the real Simon Pttrill from the impostor, the whole history of outside things shows how little power tißsjm have to make the inside what it ought tQmi be. . Possibly the , ass in the Honef skin might impose on his neighbors, but la.sm would certainly remain what nature 'hl§|| made him, and would receive no unwontiwlS influx of valour from his new hide. A bfi|||j man with red hair would be no dyeing his locks black. The cowl does fflmm make the monk. On the contrary, are apt to be thrown off their guard yj§m seeming what they ought . to be. may impose on themselves, whether theyiii|jS| pose on others or not. Brother Ignatius ioJolli think himself a very holy monk because :BBg goes about dressed like a sainted man. WSm will be naturally tempted to trust to l&am rough covering for the protection of his sos||ijj but he will certainly not find it a ductor, for a man is not a huskbound coc||||| nut. If isolation is-'his only chance, :|K escape, he must shut' his eyes and run away altogether from the haunts of Even then he may perhaps illustrate the oIS warning, that you ought not to look to||| closely into a hermit's cell. *^mj& It may be questioned—indeed with mci|lß| people it is evidently no question at a very grave certainty—whether the prop|||§| sition of " Collegiate Churches," thus vmm expectedly travestied, is only a piece, sentimental formalism. The sentiment r ;M§| natural, and has its sources in the narrative as well as in the conventual institofjSl tions of the Church, Why should there nofcwj| the Sons of the Prophets in our large towns i|g| well as in the kingdom of Israel, which heHK moreneed of them ? If you go on eu||P| dividing parishes for ever, you must end Mii consigning many a district, with its thdJM sands, to some spiritual manikin who everything to do and can do nothing at ijflgS Give your large populations the chance a|£§| numbers, organization, co-operation, continuity, we understand Mr. Hope WJM say, by a College of priests and say ten men or so, —who may subdividing their labours, . and give one mutual advice and asssistance. The will see that the work is really d on |§i§j and will take care no gaps are left. Life ii|||| a College will be cheaper, more more improving, and more cheerful thaji.i&n

, j •„«« even if the latter be more assisted *Kottt" or the dub, This we (terstandto be the proposition, but we do fjTeven see how it can be combined with 5k xerv keystone of our Establishment, system." That makes everydJn* depend on the individual now in Krine It then, the Key. Alpha Beta *£2ded himself with a CoUege and Krfstered his parish aa Mr. Hopepro"ZeTtfie Bey. Gamma Zeta, on succeeding tAe living, would be at liberty to send 2L whole College to the rightabout and JShid the m all communication with his rSShioners. Nor would he be unsupported, justification. Were he the !Lj*fc"dog in the manger" that ever hid nareonaee and growled in his pulpit, Se h whoir& of Bishops, and all the " we of the least mark or position, would m> into space, or wherever else it She expected to go This is the system, which is not so Cα as its exclusive features might W one to suppose, and which cer--snly has the great merit of giving a •M« Something to do and guarding him from But M. Hope Has to exhow it is compatible with his plan of toUegiate Churches. He derives the idea times, when it certainly was Sacticable, for it was actually in extensive Practice- but the question is whether it has St been'rendered partly impossible, partly aßHWrfluous, by the change of circumstances. LrSoee days the clergy were numerous, and could he spared for Colleges; they were myler a gigantic spiritual despotism, -nd therefore tolerably subordinate; Aer had no books, and were therefore obliged to associate for mutual information; they were celibates, and therefore without the temptation that breaks up College life in these days, and makes a College little more than an hotel. AH these differences are to be considered, not before we attempt Collegiate Churches, but before we break up the parochial system, Trith all its defects, and all its virtues, for Heir sake—that is, for the sake of a sweet dream that has not yet been realised to any meatkmable extent, and which exists only in Hie aspirations of Laudian prelates and medieval church-builders.