CHAPTER XXVI.

OF

DISUNION OF CHRISTIANS PROMOTES INFIDELITY.-LAST UTTERANCE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE.-INFLUENCE DISSENT IN PREVENTING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.-PARTY DIVISIONS IN THE ENGLISH CHURCH A FRUITFUL SOURCE OF WEAKNESS.-SCHISMS IN THE CHURCH ALL CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCREASE OF INFIDELITY.-PROPOSED

REMEDY.

IN an address delivered by the late Bishop of Winchester, four days before his death, occur the following weighty words: "One thing more. Avoid all bitterness of language in dealing with those from whom you differ. Remember that the one thing which helps forward infidelity more than anything else is the division which exists among believers, and the bitterness which is often engendered by it. Men are scandalized, especially by the bitterness shown in religious newspapers, and the speeches at religious meetings. They say, 'See how ready they all are to tear each other to pieces; it is only the accident of the Establishment which keeps them together. Among all

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these conflicting views, what are we to believe and follow ?'

"Therefore, my advice is, Deal gently with your opponents; try to understand them; raise the standard of worship; get rid of badges-let there be no parties but the two ultimate extremes."

Now, there are three different ways in which the disunion of Christians is playing into the hands of the infidels. First, the disunion of Churches-the absence of intercommunion between the Greek, the Roman, and the English; that is doing world-wide mischief. Secondly, the bitter animosities between the members of our own Church. Thirdly, the schisms and various denominations amongst professed Christians.

Let me begin by illustrating the last of these three evils, by recent, and indeed still existing events. What is the cause of the portentous phenomenon which has recently sprung up in this country-I mean the attempt made to banish religion from the education of the people? Was ever such a monstrous attempt made before in a Christian country? for we are still a Christian people. Nay, Christianity has even made progress amongst us. There is greater zeal for religion than in past generations-greater exertion. And yet, strange to say, the question of separating religion from the education of the people has

250

DISSENT AN OBSTACLE

actually been proposed, and though not absolutely adopted, even now many obstacles have been thrown in the way of teaching religion in our schools. No account is made of it by the Government Inspector, on whom, in a great measure, the salary of the teacher depends; so that if the teacher is not conscientious, religious instruction is in danger of being neglected. Then, religion is confined to small portions of the schooltime; parents, who are so disposed, may withdraw their children from it. And it is actually proposed, that poor persons who cannot pay for the education of their children should be compelled to send them to schools where their own religion is prohibited; and so, in the name of liberty, the greatest possible infringement of liberty is perpetrated. What is the origin of this strange and unheard of attempt, which, to a certain extent, has been successful?

It is simply the sad division amongst nominal Christians-the unnatural and bitter enmity of Dissenters against the Church. But for this shocking state of things the infidels would have no chance of gaining their object. Christians, united together, would out-vote them ten to one. But the jealousy of the separatists against the Church is so bitter, that, rather than the Church should have her fair share in the public grant for education, they choose to banish religion from our

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schools, and allow the rising generation to grow up as infidels.

And this is but a sample of the evil which the sad spirit of jealousy would accomplish. Not only would religious teaching be banished from our schools, but even our churches would be deprived of the endowments given for their maintenance by the piety of our ancestors, if the allied forces of Dissent and Infidelity could have their way. Let us hope that, for a time at least, the unnatural alliance is defeated. Yet the lengths which the opponents of the Church have gone are amply sufficient to show the enormous evil of dissension amongst Christians.

Turn we now to the case of the party division in our own Church, which is a fruitful source of weakness to ourselves, and of advantage to the enemy. This is the evil to which the Bishop of Winchester chiefly alludes, or rather, of which he speaks. Nay, the very heathens say, when we invite them to join the Church of CHRIST, "We should like your religion better if there were not so many sorts of it. Agree among yourselves what your religion is, and we will give it our best consideration." Now, it is too much to expect that there should not be divisions amongst us; indeed, it was expressly foretold that there should be. Religion is so vast and mysterious a subject, that none, perhaps, can take in the whole of it;

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DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF TRUTH.

and so some will dwell more on one view or portion, and some on another. But why this excessive bitterness? Why give the enemy the great advantage which he has in being able to assail us with the taunt, that while we preach charity and goodwill we have bitter enmity amongst ourselves?

Religion, it must be admitted, is, in its entirety, far beyond the compass of a single mind. While the plain precepts of the Gospel, and the simple doctrines of our faith are such as he who runs may read so that a wayfaring man shall not err therein, yet the thorough investigation of religious truth will try the intellect of the deepest theologian. The most exalted human intellect can no more comprehend the whole relation of GOD to man and to the universe, than the astronomer can take in the relations of those distant worlds which the telescope reveals to his sight. It follows that our view must needs be partial. Each individual can grasp only a part of divine truth. It is like the well-known fable of the two knights, one of whom saw the gold side of the shield and the other the silver. Both saw what was true, but not the whole truth. As Lord Salisbury well said in the recent debate in the House of Lords-" These schools arose not from any difference in the truth itself, but because the truth must necessarily assume different tints as