Untitled - Electric Scotland

1860-64] PANIC AMONG THE CLERGY 317
entreating him,
without delay :-
"
for the love of God," to append his name
"We, the undersigned presbyters and deacons in holy orders
of the Church of England and Ireland, hold it to be our bounden
duty to the Church of England and Ireland and to the souls of
men to declare our firm belief that the Church of England and
Ireland, in common with the whole Catholic Church, maintains
without reserve or qualification the inspiration and Divine
authority of the whole canonical Scriptures, as not only contain
ing, but being, the Word of God, and further teaches, in the
words of our blessed Lord, that the punishment of the cursed
equally with the life of the righteous is everlasting.
"Signatures to be sent to the Secretary, Committee-room,
3 St. Aldate s, Oxford.
"Names of Committee: C. C. Clarke, D.D., Archdeacon
of Oxford ; R. L. Cotton, D.D., Provost of Worcester College ;
G. A. Denison, M.A., Archdeacon of Taunton ; W. E. Fremantle,
M.A., Rector of Claydon :
F. K. Leighton, D.D., Warden of All
Souls College; J. C. Miller, D.D., St. Martin s, Birmingham;
E. B. Pusey, D.D., Regius Professor of Hebrew."
The signatures of 11,000 clergymen were obtained to
this document in the course of a few weeks. The Arch
bishops, who had formally dissented from the judgment,
published each of them a Pastoral Letter explaining his
position in the matter, and the wrath both of clergy and
laity was expended chiefly upon Bishop Tait.
Had the judgment," it was said, "proceeded from the lay
lords alone it would have been more easy to prove that they had
been misled by their inexperience in theology. . . . But they are
able to shield themselves behind the authority of an Ecclesiastical
judge, a Ruler in the Church, one of those whose lips should
keep knowledge.
And again :
" The course taken by the Bishop of London is disastrous to
his own reputation.
It has awakened mingled shame and indig
nation, not only among the dignitaries and clergy of the Church,
but, we may add, the laity, always excepting the minority of the