Untitled - Electric Scotland

1863-67] DECLINES A VISITORSHIP 465
"
If by kindly advice and guidance and such help as you can
afford, you can be of use to them at this crisis, and afterwards in
the midst of their self-denying labours, I shall be well pleased.
You know how many points in your own system of doctrine and
worship I disapprove ; but I have full confidence in your consci
entious desire, according to your own views, to uphold the Church
of England as against the slavery of the Church of Rome ; and
I think it is right you should give what assistance you can to
these ladies, and especially endeavour to save them from following
the example of Mr. Tuke, and taking a step which I fear could
never be retraced, and would be found most injurious to their
souls health. Believe me to be, my dear Mr. Mackonochie,
yours sincerely,
A. C. LONDON."
To the Superior of another Sisterhood, the members
of which felt themselves unable to meet his wishes, he
wrote :-
"
My
decision is to decline the office of Visitor. . . . Let me
however say that I decline from no lack of sympathy with your
self-denying labours. Indeed, I do feel that, giving yourselves to
such a work in such a district, you deserve all sympathy and
encouragement from those who are interested in the welfare of
the poor and the advancement of Christ s kingdom. I do
earnestly trust that the Lord may bless your labours to the
rescuing of many from sin and misery. At any time my counsel
is at your service as completely as if I were Visitor. But I am
not prepared to take upon myself an office which would assign to
me a greater nominal responsibility than I could properly incur,
without much real power of guiding your movements. ... At
any time I shall be very glad to hear from you."
Again and again, both as Bishop and Archbishop, he
was applied to by Sisters who had taken a permanent
vow, from which they asked him to dispense them. He
considered each such application upon its merits, and
(at all events when Archbishop)
took a different course
to the circumstances of the case. On the first
according
such request which came before him, very soon after his
VOL. i. 2 G
IIRPAPY ST MARY S COLLEGE