Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

5 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

to the I Bishop of St, David's.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

to the Bishop of St, David's. R My LORD BISHOP.—WelshNonconformists generally follow your speeches and watch your attitude towards the Bill for the Disestablish- ment and Disendowment of the Established Church in Wales with more interest than that of any other of its opponents. They do this because of your former intimate connection with Nonconformity. Tiny also remember with appreciation your willing compliance with the wishes of your Methodist mother to attend a C.M. Church in Abergwili until her death. They admire your abilities as a scholar and ecclesiastic, which have placed you in the highest position your adopted Church could give you. It is also very creditable to you that you have—until recently, at any rate —continued your association with some of the old Noncon- formist friends of your earlier days. All these considerations have a tendency to make Welsh Nonconformists follow your sayings and doings with very great interest. You fight valiantly for what you like to call your "Church." No one can blame you for doing this. From of old the Welsh is an old and haughty nation proud in arms." The Nonconformists rather like you the more because of your valiant tilting in this" Holy War," as you doubtlessly regard it. We would not by any means apply to you that well-known s?ying of Lord Macaulav- There is r o anger like the anger of a renegade." You, my Lord Bishop, are too honourable to harbour such an unchristian feeling towards the mother and nurse of your religious character in your early days. But for all this, you continue to puzzle us. W3 are quite unable to understand your state of mind when you persist in calling this Bill this mean little Bill." It has become quite an obsession, and appears and reappears like Banqiw's Ghost to spoil the intellectual feasts you occasionally provide for us in your vehement appeals to your fellow countrymen and the alien Saxons to oppose the mean little Bill," We notice in your series of speeches delivered this week in Carmarthenshire that you pose as a Welsh patriot and propound a new theory of Nationalism. Has it never occurred to you how inconsistent is your appeal for Welsh National Unity, and at the same time invite the Saxon predominant partner and the Saxon Church, whose ecclesiastical policy for centuries was the Anglicization of the Walsh nation ? Why the Saxon archbishops colluded with the Saxon kings to deprive the Welsh Church of its independence as a National Church. And yet in the name of Nationality you appeal to Welsh Nonconformists to caase attacking an alien Church imposed by force by our Saxon conquerors. Last week we find, in an address delivered by you at Llandilo, that you referred to the common ground of agreement between the Church and Nonconformity in regard to both the fundamental articles of the Christian faith and the supreme purposes of all Christian Societies." This is quite true, my Lord. But you seem to us to miss the point. Our quarrel is not with the Church of England in Wales as a spiritual Society consisting of members who believe the fundamental verities of the Christian religion and whose main object is to extend the kingdom of God on earth. What we object to is this viz., that it has sold its birthright of spiritual independence of state control for the mess of pottage," which, being interpreted, means tithes, endowments, and other privileges conferred upon it by the State. All Nonconformists unite in their opposition to the State control of religion as 3uch, You, my Lord, desire to divide Noncon- formists into two classes--the reasonable Nonconformists who agree with you to call th.3 Bill a mean little Bill," because it takes away from you the endowments which existed before the rise of Dissent, and when the Church and the Welsh nation were practically co-extensive. Those who object to your view, and favour this amount of Disendowment, you, by implication, call unreasonable Non- conformists. Do you, my Lord, think that this insulting insinuation tends to promote the national unity you profess to desiderate so much ? You often refer in your speeches to the importance of anational recognition of religion. And you imply, if you do not assert, as other Episcopal authorities do, that Wales will become irreligious when the Church is dis- established. We as Nonconformists claim to be as anxious as you are to see Wales thoroughly Christianized. But we are also convinced that the State Establishment of religion has always retarded rather than promoted this end which we have in common. You maintain that the loss of the Tithes --A,ill cripple the Church's influence in Wales. We, on the other hand, maintain that it will prove the greatest blessing in disguise to the Church when the members contribute to the support of their clergymen' and thereby claim their right to have more share iri managing the Church. My Loid, we give you credit that you sincerely love your adopted Church. But we are really pained by the evidence you give of your want of faith in th 3 Spiritual Head of the Church and in the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in all who believe in God as He has revealed Himself to us in His Son and our Saviour. Have more faith, my lord, in Christian principles.—With sincerest good wishes, vours. v n X. -"81

0 FOELWYN ! FANOD.I

Hoelen ddaw'n Hoelon Wyth

Rhwng Wil Bryan a Thomos Bartley.

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