Untitled - Electric Scotland

1834-41] STILL IN DOUBT 67
In his letter to the Principal he says :-
"I shall without doubt offer myself as a candidate for the
Chair, provided it shall appear on examination that I could con
scientiously hold the situation, reserving to myself liberty of
conscience, and the free and public exercise of my own mode of
worship as a clergyman of the Church of England. ... I hope
your friendship will attribute what I say on the subject of my
opinions to my anxious desire to act in perfect fairness at the
very outset in proposing myself to your kind consideration. I
should be proud, indeed, to return to my old University as a
Professor, but could never consent to do so by a compromise of
my duty to the Church of England. I am the minister of that
Church, and bound to uphold publicly her doctrine and discipline."
Two days later, while the question of subscription still
remained open, he writes thus to his brother :
The -Rev. A. C. Tait to Mr. John Tait.
"BALLIOL COLL., n//z Feb. 1838.
" MY DEAR JOHN, I have just time before post to call your
attention to what has struck me. There is a party in this Uni
versity who have become somewhat famous of late (vide the last
Edinburgh Review], persons who hold extremely High-Church
doctrines about Episcopal authority, and who regard the Kirk
of Scotland as the synagogue of Baal. With these it would be
peculiarly hard if I was at all identified on the present occasion,
as I have spent my breath and influence for a long time back in
protesting against their (what I conceive to be) most dangerous
and superstitious opinions. . . ."
With respect to the necessity of formal subscription,
the answers which he received from Principal Macfarlane
and Dr. M Gill, though personally they
were most en
couraging and laudatory, were quite uncompromising,
both in their hostility to the Episcopalian system, and in
their adherence, as of necessity, to the Calvinism which
Tait had declared himself unable to accept. His Scotch
friends, who naturally wished to see him again settled