"CHURCH UNION."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 275, 13 August 1908, Page 4

"CHURCH UNION."

Sir—ln your issue of August 11, on abovo subject, in your footnote tp tho cablegram hi roference to, ,union .between the-. Anglican CoTmpunjpn and any Presbyterian or other non-Episcopal Church by such precedents as tjioso of 1610, I think this has no referenco to tho Church of England. It seonis by tho dates referred to, by tho authority you state,' that -it has particular referonoo to Scotlanil, for, in 1610, Episoppacy was restored, by tho Assembly of Glasgow, Since 1560 there had been a sort of mixed Episcopacy and Presbytorianism in Scotland undor Knox. At tho of Glasgow in 1610 Spottiswnode/.: titular Bishop ot Glasgow, was chosen Modorator, and within four months three titular Bishops (Spottiswoode,v'jjamb,'of Brechin) and Hamilton, of Galloway), wore duly consecrated in tho Chapel of London House by tho Bishops of London, Ely, Rochester, Worcester. Thus'tho lino of true Episcopal succession, brokon iii 1560, was restored to Scotland -for a time. (Seo Scottish Churoh History, ;by A. Mitchell,- Edinburgji,) The Presbyterian form of worship was nover established in England, though Charles 11, when lie was proclaimed King at Edinburgh by tho Scots, mado a declaration to the Covenanters professing Ills'sorrow at his par-" ont's.back-slidings and his own, and promised to prosecute tho Covenanted work in his kingdoms'; though ho did/not keop his promiso. \ Then, as regards the remarks relating to 1662. - This year has speoial reforenCo to Scotland,, as for tho scoond timo Episcopacy had been . established tho .year previous (1661). Among a number of measures passed by tho Scottish Parliament in 1662 was ono destined to be'tho beginnings pf troublo for Scotland, namelyj tho Patronage Act. It decreed that all ministers elected between 1649 and 1660 should ' seek presentation from the lawful patron,' and collation from tho Bishop by a certain date. This the Covenanting ministers refused to do, as they were loath to acknowledge? tho authority of the Bishops. 'It is not fair to say that tho Presbyterian system had been-i'aisod on the ruins of the Episcopal, as slio was not literally-ruined, and .sho has rccovercd herself wonderfully. It must bo remembered that thoro were two parties in Scotland after tho Reformation, and tho Episcopal party was ; thoj modpratp party, which strived to preserve the ideal in the sister Church of England.—l am, etc., "> \ TIIOS. M. MILLIGAN. I Taitvillc, August 12, 1008.