NEW ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.

157

cumstances of every diocese, with reference to the wants of its inhabitants, and the means which it contains within itself, of supplying those wants, without anything like a breaking up of the ancient framework of our polity.

"Some alterations ought, in my opinion, to be made, in the present arrangement of certain parts of the property belonging to the Church, in order to render it more available than it now is, to the general diffusion of those benefits which an Established Church is intended to convey to the people at large; and if, as I am persuaded is the case, they can be made with perfect safety to the Etablishment itself, I hope we shall not be deterred from adopting them by the unreasonable clamours of our adversaries, nor by the hasty and officious zeal of some of our friends. Let us rather be desirous of making those well-considered and salutary amendments which may take away from the one an occasion of cavil and reproach, and satisfy the reasonable wishes of the other, in a manner consistent with the stability and honour of the Church. We shall do wisely, I think, in availing ourselves of a respite from imminent danger, to go round our bulwarks, and mark the defects thereof, with a view to their restoration; and to place our outworks at least in a state of defence, even though the citadel itself may need no substantial repair."

The year following that in which this Charge was delivered, was marked not only by the appearance of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry, which had been at work for three years, but by the constitution of a new Commission with extended powers. This new Commission was, in the first instance, appointed with the full concurrence of the Bishops, under the administration of Sir Robert Peel, who, on his accession to office, put himself in communication with the Archbishop upon the state and prospects of the Church. By the terms of its appointment, the Commissioners were "to consider the state of the several

158

CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT.

dioceses in England and Wales, with reference to the amount of their revenues, and the more equal distribution of episcopal duties, and the prevention of the necessity of attaching by commendam to bishoprics benefices with cure of souls; also, the state of the several cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales, with a view to the suggestion of such measures as may render them conducive to the efficiency of the Established Church; and to devise the best mode of providing for the cure of souls, with special reference to the residence of the clergy on their respective benefices."

Neither to the terms of the Commission, nor to its composition, was any objection made at the time. But within a few months of its appointment a change of Government took place, which materially affected the character of the Commission, and the probable tendency of its action. The result cannot be better stated than in the Bishop's own words in his Charge of 1838, when, in the course of an elaborate vindication of its proceedings, or rather of his own share in those proceedings, he gave the following account of the matter: " Upon Sir Robert Peel's retirement from office the proceedings of the Commission were for a time suspended: but as soon as Lord Melbourne had settled the new Administration, he made known to the Archbishop the wish of the Government that the Commission should be renewed, with the change of those Commissioners only, who had been members of the late Administration. Before the other Commissioners acceded to this proposal, they required a pledge from the Prime Minister, that they should be suffered to proceed on the same principles, and with the same views, which had been originally contemplated; and that no measure affecting the property of the Church should be introduced into Parliament, with the consent or sanction of the Government, pending the inquiries of the Commission, except such as should consist with their recommendations.

PLEDGE GIVEN AND VIOLATED.

159

"That pledge was given. Without it, the other members of the Commission would certainly have declined continuing to act but having received it, they did not consider themselves at liberty to retire from the performance of the task which they had undertaken, the object of their appointment being unchanged, and the principles upon which they had up to that time proceeded, being distinctly recognized by the Government, as those by which their future deliberations were to be shaped.

"The new Commission was accordingly issued; and the inquiries, which had been for a short time suspended, were resumed. Unanimity,' as it was stated by the Archbishop, prevailed in the proceedings of the Commission. Whenever there was a difference of opinion on any material point, it was settled, not by a reluctant or unwilling compromise or concession on either side, but after a full consideration of the facts, and discussion of the reasons upon which the matter turned.' This statement, which is strictly true with regard to all the recommendations of the Commission, is a sufficient answer to the insinuations which have been thrown out, that the Commissioners did little more than adopt, without inquiry or deliberation, the propositions made by one or two of their body.

"The unanimity which is described as having been the result of full and free discussion, continued up to the time when the Ministers took measures for bringing the question of Church property, belonging to Bishops, Deans and Chapters, before a Committee of the House of Commons, with the avowed intention of applying a part of it, in case an improved value should be given to it, as a substitute for Church rates. This being regarded as a distinct and unequivocal violation of the pledge given by the Government to the Commissioners who had consented to resume their office in the new Commission, they announced to the Prime Minister that they could no longer continue to take * In his place in Parliament.

160

THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL.

part in measures, the very ground of which was taken away by the proceedings of the Government in the House of Commons. Their fourth report, which had been agreed to, was never signed; and they are, therefore, strictly speaking, not answerable for the Bill grounded upon that report, which has since been brought into Parliament, but with some important additions,* at variance with the report iitself, and with the principles which its framers had kept steadily in view."

*The Commissioners' recommendation extended no further than to the appointment of a Commission which might from time to time under the sanction of the King in Council, carry out the details of the arrangements contemplated in their report. A material change was made in the character of the body so contemplated, by the constitution of the Commission into a body corporate, capable of holding lands, tenements, and hereditaments. This change was made by the Government at the suggestion of the law-officers of the Crown, and the Ecclesiastical Commission of Inquiry was in no way responsible for it.

CHAPTER X.

Results of the Ecclesiastical Commission-Regulation of Episcopal Incomes-Re-arrangement of Dioceses-The Metropolitan Diocese-Selfishness of the Cathedral Bodies-Objections to their Reduction-Small Results of the Commission in providing for the Parochial Clergy-Corporate Character of the CommissionDangers to the Church from its Constitution-Bishop Blomfield's Expectations from the State-Disappointment of his HopesAttack upon the Irish Church-The Irish Church Temporalities Act-Bill for the Extermination of Protestants in IrelandEloquent Remonstrance of Bishop Blomfield-The Plea of Necessity-The Pacification of Ireland-Dangers to the Protestant Faith-Solemn Obligation of the Act of Union - Popish Designs- Impolicy of Concession-Success of the Opposition -Temporal Possessions of the Church-Her Spiritual Interests— Self Devotion and Disinterestedness of Her Clergy-The Great End of the Church-Season of Peril-Exhortation to Prayer and to Unity of Spirit.

O far the history of the Ecclesiastical Commission as given by Bishop Blomfield. As regards the practical results produced by that Commission, a detailed examination of them would be alike beyond the scope and the limits of the present pages. The more important of the changes which it effected in the position of the episcopate, and the arrangement of the dioceses, have not stood the test of experience. The plan adopted for the regulation of episcopal incomes has given rise to grave