Untitled - Electric Scotland

1856] THE CHURCH SHOULD BE NATIONAL 197
who wished to represent her as doomed on account
of her obvious abuse of trust and her cumbrous mis
management
Bishop Blomfield, early in his clerical life, speaking of
the then disorganised and torpid condition of the Church,
had said,
"
It is not too late for us to put fresh incense
into our censers, and to stand between the dead and the
1 and no man ever more living";
fully acted up
to the
spirit of his own words. After a thorough overhauling of
her finances, he had successfully endeavoured, with the
constant encouragement and support of the gentler Arch
bishop Howley, to settle the Church firmly down on good
orthodox lines, free, so far as possible, from the taint
either of Tractarian bigotry or of Arnoldian laxity of
belief. Tait came to London to find an increasing likeli
hood that the Church of England, with all her high claims,
her unquestionable orthodoxy, and her admirable business
habits, might become merely the richest, best-managed,
and most powerful of the English sects. The capacity of
her leaders, and especially, perhaps, the restless earnest
ness of Bishop Wilberforce, had placed her in a new
position before the eyes of men. But strong
as was the
growth of her new-found life, it was one of even increasing
isolation from the kindred influences around. She was
not attempting to sweep into her stream or to utilise for
the nation s good the various Christian forces which were
actively at work independently of her system or her
support. Bishop Tait s training and temperament com
bined to lead him to take a view of the Church s life, less
ecclesiastical, more national and comprehensive. From
the moment of his appointment he seems to have set
before himself this national position, as the one which
needed all the emphasis he could give to it. Bishop
irS) vol. ii. p. 280.