together on a reasonable and friendly social footing, without either roughness or false shyness, the decent housing of the poor, the questions of drainage, of water supply, of open spaces, and pure air, these are not only the permissible, but the necessary subjects of Christian thought and action, the treatment of them is directly supplementary to the Church's parochial system. I could illustrate indefinitely, and I should like to do so, but it is impossible. To one fact, however, I must venture finally to point.

A new political era, we are told, has set in-the era of social legislation. I do not think it is only beginning to-day. The modern period surely set in with the noble life-work of the great Conservative peer and great landlord whom England mourns to-day, and who had to begin by fighting and coercing the manufacturers and tradesmen who fancy themselves to-day the monopolists of political Liberalism and Christian Socialism. But let that pass. I ask you, fellow-churchmen, to take notice, that as this supposed new era is setting in, and a new and more popular Parliament is being elected to inaugurate it, the first thing we are told is that 500 of those who aspire to be our rulers (I do not myself believe it yet) are prepared to say to this Church of ours-which they emphatically accuse of having said and done little in these social questions involving faith and morals (though here again the witness is by no means wholly true), and that they count upon the support of the people, whom, as they say, we might have lifted up but have not, in saying to this Church, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground ?”

The eventual issue of the attack is quite beyond our present range of vision. It is in higher hands than those of Parliaments or Congresses. For it directly concerns and involves the government of the whole modern Church and world. But I am sure that reflection upon the fact I have referred to is quite germane to a discussion of the best means of supplementing the parochial system.

And now I have done. I only call upon you to enter upon this discussion with the conviction present to your minds, that the Christian parish is the fragment of a greater whole, and the local organ of that Christian life for which the whole Church exists; that, therefore, it is only supplemented, as it is only in the first instance rightly presented by that which affirms the solid reality and universality of the kingdom of God on earth, and tends to realise it for actual men and women-here alive to-day-by that which maintains and facilitates the duty and the possibility for Christian men of glorifying God in their body, mind, and spirit, which are God's.

The Rev. W. CARLILE, of the Church Army.

I CANNOT be too thankful to your lordship for your kindness in a'lowing me to bring before this important assembly the subject of the Church Army, though I am thankful to say that in many parishes this work is no longer supplementary, but has become an integral part of the regular parochial system.

The Bishop of Truro said in Convocation, during the discussion on the Church Army, "There is a work to be done amongst working men which can only be done by the working men themselves. The moment

they become communicants, if they take up the spirit of the early Church and feel bound to do something for the good of the whole body, they should be quietly trained for the work in their own parishes, kept at the Holy Table, fed by Bible Reading, guarded from excess and extravagance, and then sent forth according to the judgment of their clergymen to evangelise the other working men of the parish. Would to God that this ideal was realised!"

These were weighty words, and I thank God that now, in a large number of parishes where the Church Army system has been systematically introduced and carefully directed by the vicar, the above ideal has been realised!

We have found, however, that the work is more successful if the working man, after being trained, goes to another parish than his own. A prophet is without honour in his own country; but if he be introduced from elsewhere and made a supplementary agent, he will probably prove very acceptable and do excellent service.

The English mind of to-day shudders, and perhaps rightly too, at the revival in our Church of any orders of preaching friars. There are, however, great fundamental differences between them and the officerevangelist of the Church Army. In the former case the authority was from the Pope alone, regardless of the bishop or parish priest; whereas in the Church Army no officer-evangelist acts except :

1. By the sanction of the bishop of the diocese.

2. Under the direction of the parochial pastor.

Here is seen at once the safety of the system.

It is almost universally admitted that the lay Tertiaries of ancient orders, sometimes called Lollards, were amongst the most holy living and mission-spirited people of their times. The Church Army endeavours to incorporate the good points of these orders, and to avoid the bad, by trying to gather around the officer as soldiers those persons who will submit to a simple rule of life and act loyally under the vicar of the parish.

Many wonder why modern dissent retains its existence in many places. The main reason is, that it uses "supplementary agencies" of some evangelistic type. The Church Army is a working man's Church mission to working men-a people's movement. It is not a church, but a society or guild within the Church, and it is always most anxious to be the Church's active handmaiden, having its basis as wide as the Church of England.

ORIGIN.-About three years ago the Rev. E. H. Hopkins, at Richmond, the Rev. F. S. Webster, at Oxford (who has undertaken the charge of the Church Army Training Home in London), myself at Kensington, and several others, were working somewhat on the lines of the Church Army, but without working men leaders, and without any bond of corporate union, either of name or of defined principle. It was at this time strongly laid upon me to make an effort to train working men to work as evangelists under the clergy, and also to unite under one name (the Church Army), and one defined principle, the various helpers who were continually assisting their clergy in aggressive mission work.

It was felt that the Church could do the rough work on her own lines as well, and in many ways far better than the Salvation Army, to whom,

however, all credit should be given for whatever good they have accomplished in many places.

It was found that where the Church first undertook this kind of work, it was rarely if ever attempted by dissent. Converts of Church bible classes and other parochial efforts, who formerly allied themselves to dissent, now had no reason for doing so, because they found in the Church just that form of mission work which they felt themselves able to assist in. The Bishop of Oxford at the last annual meeting of the Church Army, said that it had been suggested that men of a lesser education should be admitted to holy orders for this special kind of work, and he said that this had been tried in a small degree, but without success, and that the idea was now given up. This is not surprising, for such a compromise could scarcely succeed. According to the old adage, we must "set a thief to catch a thief," and in like manner we must set a bona fide working man to reach the working man. We must not lower the clerical standard, but add to it a less cultured order who would not be too educated to feel as working men feel. Thanks to the zeal of the Rev. F. S. Webster, who has personally trained many of the officers, and to the various clergymen who have had the evangelists under them, the work has gradually grown to its present proportions.

Our chief failures, and it is best to confess them frankly, have been from the following causes, which we trust experience now enables us to prevent.

1. Want of suitable men.

2. Want of sufficient training.

3. Want of experience in finding right men to fit difficult posts. 4. Want of funds to train the men.

5. Want of sympathy from the Church-workers.

6. Want of sufficient persistent support from the parochial clergy. OUTLINE OF ORGANISATION.-The council to which the committee. look for directions is composed of the patrons, who are the Lords Bishops of Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Exeter, Llandaff, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Rochester, Ripon, Sodor and Man, Southwell, and Truro, and we naturally prefer to work in the dioceses of our patrons. The executive committee meets weekly, and is composed of seven gentlemen, assisted when possible by the presence and advice (though without vote) of the parochial clergy who have at the time agents of the society working under them.

The Church Army plan is to send to the vicar, one duly trained working man officer, who is under him as distinctly as his curate.

He is sent for a minimum time of one week, or a maximum of one year, to act solely under his direction; in fact, if the officer acts unwisely, the vicar and not headquarters is to blame. He can be speedily exchanged or removed at the shortest notice, though it is usual to inform headquarters one month in advance of such a move being desired. His average stay is about six months. We find that the principle of itineration can alone maintain his freshness. The Church Army principle is diocesan, because no agent can be brought into any diocese without the sanction of the bishop. The Church Army is a parochial agency, because no officer may work in any parish without the sanction of the vicar, nor, in fact, can he be withdrawn from the parish by

headquarters under twelve months without the vicar's consent, unless the officer's stay be a financial burden to headquarters.

We are much cheered by the enthusiasm shown for the movement by most of the clergy who have adopted it.

One of the Northern clergy who has a most successful work going on in his parish, said to me recently-"It is now no longer a question as to whether the Church Army can be made successful, but it is a question where to find a sufficient number of the clergy who are really able and willing to direct it.

ADAPTATION of right methods to right ends is one of the first principles of the Church Army. The words " By all means (that is all lawful means) save some," leave a wider margin than our preconceived notions of propriety have usually allowed.

The following words fell from the lips of one whose staid judgment demands the respect of all. The Lord Bishop of Durham said at our annual meeting last June: "Throughout all classes from top to bottom it seems to me that the great difficulty the Church has to meet is not scepticism, but the multiplicity of interests of the present day. There are so many voices, intellectual, social, political, and artistic, voices of all sorts clamouring to be heard, that it is really difficult to get a hearing for the Gospel; therefore, it is more necessary for us to be more demonstrative, to adopt new methods in teaching, and to have new forms of service." Throughout Holy Scripture the most extraordinary means were used to arouse religious impressions from the days of the patriarchs to the apostles. The object lessons of the prophets to bestir a backsliding Israel have been as yet but poorly applied to our own days in which still greater evils abound. Thousands at our very doors are, apparently, as thoroughly heathen as any abroad.

We are told to "compel them to come in," and, though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, yet we may assuredly use such means as appeal to the senses of the people to attract them within reach of the message. The emotional appeal may fail with the solid mechanic, the reasoning common sense is useless with the besotten drunkard. We need to adapt the attack to the attacked. Look for example at the minister of Bacchus. He places his shrine in a good thoroughfare; gilded looking-glasses attract, the gin palace is open from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., the door is always ajar; the sound of vocal and instrumental music, over which the utmost pains have been taken, burst through the windows. The charms of company allure. The devotee is drawn in and habit soon makes him a slave. Cannot the minister of Christ condescend to learn something from all this? The daily service is provided for the saint in the prominent and beautiful parish church, but the poor outcast must be induced by the Scripture reader and parochial mission woman to pass up a court into some dull mission room open twice a week, and often attended only by a small coterie of good people long attached to the spot.

Is the mission room or schoolroom as well placed and adapted to save the lost as the gin palace to destroy him? Is it as attractive? Is it regularly open with some bright and attractive meeting going on? Is there vocal and instrumental music of a character that is adapted to the non-worshippers? Is there that which will satisfy the craving for "company," a warm brotherhood to give hearty welcome?

He

OFFICERS. The class of agent we feel to be so needed as supplementary to the parochial system is a trained bonâ fide working man. shall be no novice, but a tested man of devout Christian walk. He shall not be a Scripture reader, nor work on the lines generally taken by them. He shall not be a lay reader or a lay curate. He shall not attempt to usurp the position of the pastor, nor to teach much Church doctrine. He is not the shepherd, but the sheep dog. And the sheep dog is a most useful supplementary agent to the shepherd. He shall not be a relieving officer, for anyone becoming a soldier in the Church Army surrenders all fond dreams of grocery tickets. In a word, he must be a man of sanctified common sense, yearning for precious souls; believing in the possibility of the conversion of the worst, and willing afterwards to hand them over to the parish pastor to lead them in the good way.

Our officer is a total abstainer from alcohol as a beverage, and from the use of tobacco. He is either a single man, or if married, with but a small family. Many of the clergy prefer married men for various reasons. He is not considered eligible for an officer unless his wife is likely to be a help in the work.

The soldiers or members gathered around him with the vicar's consent are expected

1. To be communicants of the Church of England.

2. To be total abstainers from the use of alcohol as a beverage.

3. To confess Jesus as Lord with the mouth on all suitable occasions. 4. To wear the red cord, which is the badge of the Church Army, as often as possible. This cord is found to attach the soldiers to the Church. (Probationers are under the same rule as the soldiers, wearing, however, a red and white cord).

The officer-evangelist is of course baptized and confirmed, and works loyally, consulting his vicar's wishes in every possible way. He is not allowed to manifest any political or Church party spirit, or to show any favouritism.

He keeps a systematic roll of probationers and soldiers, showing whether they are baptized and confirmed.

He sends a weekly report of his work to headquarters, countersigned by the vicar. The influence of this regulation is most beneficial.

His visiting is for at least two hours each day: on the days that he has no open-air meetings he visits four hours.

He cannot be expected to help much in Sunday school work, but it is often well for him to assist in the choir.

He is under a moral and legal bond of £100 to leave any parish when ordered.

He has the spiritual advantage of the half-yearly conference of all the officers, held for two days, first in the north and then in the south.

TRAINING. Few Scripture readers have any definite training at all. We feel training to be of the utmost importance. If any work is to be supplementary in a parish, surely it should be skilled labour of its kind. Every candidate for the work has the most rigorous search made as to his antecedents, and the fullest details are obtained about his past lifetemporal and spiritual. He is subjected at the various stations to a thorough test. He has to give in writing proofs of a fair knowledge of Holy Scripture and Church doctrine.