Page:Life of Her Majesty Queen Victoria (IA lifeofhermajesty01fawc).pdf/98

 appreciated the simplicity and dignity of the services of the Church of Scotland, they never professed or practised any approach to Scottish Sabbatarianism. Dr. Wilberforce (afterwards Bishop of Oxford, and later of Winchester) had attracted the notice of the Prince by a powerful anti-slavery speech, and he was appointed one of the Royal Chaplains. Writing form Windsor, after preaching before the Court on Sunday, February 9th, 1845, he notes in his diary, "Chess evening, which I regret, not that my own conscience is offended at it one jot, but that capable of misconstruction." The views of the Bishop and the Prince became, as time went on, very widely divergent on matters relating to religion and Church government; but earlier in their intercourse they found many subjects in which they were in hearty accord. The Prince's views on the functions of the Bishops in the House of Lords were set forth at length in a remarkable letter to Dr. Wilberforce, the Dean of Westminster, dated 1845. His opinion was that the Bishops should not take part in purely political questions, but should come forward when questions of humanity were at stake, such as negro emancipation, education, sanitation, recreation, prevention of cruelty to animals, and factory legislation. "As to religious affairs," the Prince added, "he" (the Bishop) "cannot but take an active part in them; but let that always be the part of a Christian, not a mere Churchman; let him never forget the insufficiency of human knowledge and wisdom, and the impossibility of any man, or even any Church, to say, 'I am right, I alone am right.' Let him therefore be meek and liberal, and tolerant to other confessions. … He ought to be a guardian of public morality. … He should likewise boldly admonish the public, even against its predominant feeling, if this be contrary to the purest standard