Untitled - Electric Scotland

468 I.Il T, OK ARCHBISHOP TAIT [CH. xvi.
were cheered and blessed by the presence of many true Sisters of
Mercy of the Church of England,
in those desolate regions the suffering
worse than it was. . . . No
without whom it is certain that
would have been far
doubt those Christian women who
work in communities are still viewed by the great majority of the
clergy with considerable suspicion. Would to God they would
abstain from all practices which make these suspicions reasonable.
. . . The time has, I think, come when the clergy generally and
the heads of the Church must enter fully into the question how
the help of Christian women living in community, and holding
themselves ready to act amongst the sick and poor, is to be best
arranged. We have amongst us a large body earnestly desirous
of giving themselves to such*work. I for one, seeing the vastness
of the flock committed to me knowing by experience how they
can alleviate the sufferings of the poor have not the heart, if I
had the will, to discourage the zeal, which it is ours not to extin
guish but to direct. God knows we need their help, if they will
give it in the way which our Church approves.
" The rules which I have myself laid down as most necessary
in my dealings with such communities have been the follow
ing :
"To point out that the first of all duties are those which we
owe to our family. Family ties are imposed direct by God. If
family duties are overlooked, God s blessing can never be ex
pected on any efforts which we make for His Church. Every
community, therefore, of Sisters or Deaconesses ought to consist
of persons who have fully satisfied all family obligations.
"Again,
all who enter such communities must be at full
liberty to leave them so soon as the leadings of God s providence
point to another sphere of Christian duty. Hence all vows of
continuing in the community, actually taken or mentally implied,
are wrong.
"Again, the rules of the community must be simple and care
fully guarded, so as to check all imperiousness in the higher, and
all unworthy and unchristian servile submission in the lower,
members.
"Again, great care must be taken to guard against morbid
religious feelings and opinions, which all experience shows such
communities have a tendency to foster. There must be no en
couragement to a self-righteous estimate of the life embraced, as
if it were more perfect than that of the family. Each life has its