A CLERGYMAN'S EXPLANATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 528, 11 January 1862, Page 7

A CLERGYMAN'S EXPLANATION.

The Rev. John Macnanght, incumbent of StChrysostom's Church, Everton, Liverpool, resigned his incumbency in consequence of his being unable any longer to ' assent and unfeienedly consent to all and everything in flu Book of Common Prayer.' A mcctim; of his parishoneiM win lie-kl on October 17, for the purpose of presenting him with an address of sympathy, in which the; following expression? occur : — We are affectionately attached to the Church of England, birt we know that there have been periods in her history^ hen l i O o much stiffiies-. in refusing' any '\ari;!tion' in her liturgy has driven good and earnest men to seek, outside her pale, the means of worshipping with peace of mind and conscience which they ooulJ no longer find within. Forgive us if we express a doubt whether, in your letter, you have defined our duty as clearly as you have seen your own. In a conventional sense it may be, as you indicate, harder to speak than to hear unbelieved words, w bich unbclieved v ords legislative authority thrusts upon our public worship But bear with us if, our minds once opened, we cannot discover a substantial difference in this respect between teacher and taught. If it be wrong for the one habitually to stand at the elesk, how can it be right for the other habitually to kneel on the floor ? And how ran we longer bear to hear from our children's lips words, many of which, to you and us, have ceased to be true ? Among other good things you have sown in our hearts, let us remind you of your scorn for the doctrine of mental reservation!' "

Several of the members of the congregation having addressed the meeting, the presentation was made amidst enthusiastic demonstrations of applause.

Mr. Macnaught, on rising to reply, was received with renewed expressions of esteem. Having referred to his past experience in Liverpool, he went on to say :—ln: — In your address you say that you are affectionately attached to the" Church of England. In attachment to that Church I will yield to no man (cheers). But this thought came to me at last, that there is a position, there is an honour and a dignity attached to the station of a Church of England clergyman — that there is an influence attached to that position ; and the question was whether, knowing as I did, that if I put in black and wliite my opinions on several subjects—say, on whether right is wrong, whether sin is sin, and virtue virtue, or whether if I gave my opinion on the subject of the article which teaches that the heathen cannot be virtuous because he has not the grace of God in Christ— if I save my opinion on that article, and various articles— if 1 said what I thought of that expression in the confession in which we are taught to -ay, Sunday after Sunday, that there is no health in us ! Good God ! no health ! No health of body— that is not the meaning obviously. No health of mind ! Then where is the memory that God has given us ? Where is imagination ? Where are judgmeut and reason that God has given? No health of soul! no health of heart ! Then where is the parents' love af child ? where is the minister's love of his flock ? where is your love of your minister ? whore is the general abhorrence of that which is recognised as bad ? (Great cheering). 'No health in us ! ' Never say those words again in the confession ; use your church liturgy ; I mean to do so ; but never say before God and man that which is a palpable falsehood (Cheers). I say that I yield to no man in loving the Church, but if I felt that if I told out these things and many other things ; if I put in black and white the sense in which I believed the expression about the three persons in one Godhead, which ti a mere metaphysical employment of words after all ; if I put out my thoughts about the resurrection of the body and the flesh, I know that the tenure of my office as a minister of the Church would just be good as .long as the law would take to reach me, and no longer. Then the question arose for me whether it was honorable and right to conceal these my opinions. I have not concealed them from you. (Hear, hear.) f have spoken almost all these things from the pulpit as it has seemed right to me ; but when I had time to reflect upon it, I said shall I go on risking legal proceedings, which must end in defeat for me, or shall I say I don't believe any longer and assent and consent to all these things, and therefore I will resign. I don't believe that there is one clergyman in the Church of England but has changed his opinions, but has changed his faith within the last ten years. (Hiar. hear-) if he has taken up and read 'Neander's Church ;' if he has taken up and read Stranss's ' Life of .Jesus'— and every clergymen ought to have read these two books — if he has taken up and read De Wette's 'Introduction to the Old and New Testament ;' if he has taken up and read 'Baur"s Life of the Apostle Paul ;' — I am only naming four well known books, and if he hasVead them with ordinary care and with average intelligence, he ha| changed his opinions, and changed them very much, within the last five or ten, or fifteen years since he read those four books. (Hear, hear.) Well, now, what is that man's position.-' II "s position is this. Ten years ago he said, ' I assent .uul unfeignedly consent to all and everything in the Book of Common Prayer.' He said ft then in one sense, but to-day he says it in quite smother sense. My conscience will no longer allowmoso to trifle with words— (Hear, hear.)— because if words are so to be tampered with there h a danger lest honesty and honour in all matters of contracts and covenants in this country should be ' nill.' There are other clergymen who feel the same difficulties 1 have felt ; but jmrsuade themselves that it is right to stifle inquiry and forget doubt. I say thus much in vindication of myself, and to prevent it being said that us a broad churchman and as a liberal. I have stamped myself as worse- than other clergymen. (Hear, hear.) Now after speaking of your affectionate attachment to the Church of England, you proceed to speak of the possibility of dissent from that Church— of the possibility of a period of dissent being now at hand, I implore you, I advise you not to dissent ; I advise and implore you to stay in your Church where you are. You ask me how you are to do this ? You ask if it be wrong for the ono (the clergyman) habitually .to stand at the desk, how can it be right for the other (the layman) to kneel on the floor. I will point out to you two differences between the layman and the clargymen. The clergyman "is obliged to use all the Piayer Book. He can't leave out even the words " there is no health iv us." You and I can ; wo are laymen. He must take up the creed — and recite it from one end to another. He dare not get up and denounce it, or the passage ' there is no health in us.' As laymen we can abstain from them. I sat with you and worshipped with you last Sun^ day ; as, being in town, I will do so again next Sunday ; but when it came to repeating the creed, even the apostles' creed, I paused, and kept my lips significantly closed. If English laymen \yould only use that passive resistance to worn-out creeds, which contain many faults, it would not be long before a reformation of the Church Prayer Book must be brought about. Here is one difference between the clergyman and laymen — the clergyman must be in every part of the service j you are not bound to do so. Nay, more, the clergyman is bound to assent and consent unfeigncdly to all and everything contained iv the Book of common prayer and in the service. Are you obliged (No, no.) These, then, are the two, and I maintain sufficient- differences between tho clergyman and tho layman. (Hear, hear.) I could ilo longer conscientiously retain the position of a clergyman ; at present I see no difficulty in retaining the position of a layman. (Hear, hear.) That there are many faults, and important faults iv the Prayer Book, I feel as painfully as any of you. I feol a difficulty in letting my children recite those words that are no longer true ; I feel tho difficulty in which we are placed ; but it is a choice of evils, and in this world we must choose the lesser evil ; and, as far as my little experience goes, there is no nonconformist party in existence — and I see no liklihood of any nonconformist body springing up— that will afford us the advantages for worship and the opportunities and occasions for praying devoutly which are afforded by the Church of England. (Hear, hear.) Therefore I take the Church of England, with all the difficulties aud with all its faults, as the less alternate evil that I can get at. You have spoken of my scorn for the ' doctrine of mental reservation ;' I believe you have only done m© justice in expressing it, for I have never kep^; anything as a reserved point when once' clearly seen by me. (Hear, hear.) ' If 1 1 might say words that could

reach to England's clergymen, whom I shall listen to myself in the. future, they would be these words — that coupled with this practice of telling you what I thought has been another of never telling you what I did not understand myself. (Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) I have never talked mysteries to you ; I have talked what I first thought I folt myself ; and if the clergymen who will he-p reach u<> will only do that, they will not only find it a source of power for themselves, but they will also find it a source of profit and advantage for us all. (Hear, "hoar.) Now, then, I say to you, stay within the bounds of the Church of England, and in thesa bounds you tell me your duty is scarce yet clear before yo*i. I say wo arc all laymen now — let us talk of facts. I could name plenty of people in Liverpool who have come up to me and shaken hands.with ma and said, 'Ah, you have said it ; they can't answer it ; we knew that, and beHevcd it long ago.' But those people, with their knowledge of facts — those people, with their approbation of truth — go to some place where they hear what they don't believe, and they have not the moral courage, they have not the manly honesty, or they have not — what I believe is really the fact — the zeal for religions truth, to say, 'this is a fact, an I the other is cither a mistake or a falsehood.' Now you know a few facts. Talk of those facts. ])on't be ashamed of them. Many of you wanted me to stay and tell you facts. I should have no o1o 1 >}c -tion to telling facts out and suffering for it. Therefore I say to you, tell facts out. Tell facts out ftbont the four gospels ; tell facts about their origin and construction ; tell facts about discrepancies between the history of the Acts and the letter to the Galations ; tell facts about the atonement, and such other principles as are clearly eitablished in your mind. You want to know what your duty is. Stay in the Church and state these facts, and vindicate them patiently and carefully, not scornfully, not disdainfully, not with lightness — with good faith. If your wives are slow at taking them in, let your wives learn to trust you ; let your wives and children know that you would sooner have your right hand cut off than tell a lie, and then you may depend upon it those women who are beautifully devoted to religion, which shall not only have piety but reason, wisdom, and truth on its side. My friends, my religion has long been to love God and to love one's neighbour. In that religion, in all lime, through all words, even in the day of judgment itself, we can still be united. I pray that it may be so. Don't return so easily and raslily to the ways of a superstitious religion, but adherj to the simple religion, and look upon other ma 1 furs of opinion as comparatively secondary and i, significant. I will leave you with those words. A-. I said, I made no premeditated oration to you. but I have just spoken that which is upperi'no.v in my mind. You will take it as such ; and God send that our feelings, and acts as well, may be always the honest and English followers of Jesus. (Loud applause.) I now bid you all farewell, and I hope it may not he for ever.— Mr, M'Naughl then sat down amidst great cheering.