Page:The Irish Church and its Formularies.djvu/13

 her desire to befriend the communion linked to her by unison of doctrine and practice? If the first course is the one which duty counsels and prudence approves, the Committee should rather have been appointed in the broader terms of Mr. Brookes's original motion than in the more cautious language of the Duke of Abercorn's substitute. But, if the second course approves itself to the counsels of wisdom, then—as I shall proceed further to argue—the ambiguous latitude of the resolution as it stands may prove to be the origin of future misunderstanding, culminating in that worst kind of division which arises from antagonistic interpretations of the same document.

I would dilate upon the multiplied considerations which are as golden links, connecting the loyal Irish with the English people, and therefore the Irish with the English Church; but I fear to enter on the catalogue, lest I should seem to be resting my plea upon a material rather than a moral basis. I do not wish to incur the retort, "We know that the English Church is more numerous, more wealthy, and more powerful, but we do not know that she is more learned, more earnest, more self-sacrificing, and more pure in faith and morals, and we therefore altogether decline to take our place by her side as the poor relation." With such feelings I most cordially agree; and I should wish every word which I might have written blotted out which could be distorted into such a signification. As one equal to another, the English invites the Irish Church at this crisis to rely, not upon her sister's patronage, but upon her sympathy, and not to multiply her own difficulties by assuming burdens which England may not feel herself competent to take part in bearing. As long as there is hereditary identity of formulary between the two Churches, however differently those formularies may be worked, according to the diversities of local circumstance, the Church in Ireland can appeal to that of England, the Church of England to that