or fondest hope of many a worthy labourer in the Lord's vineyard who is old and poor to-day. And remember, if churchmen pay something, and even pay well, to secure the general resignation of aged clergy, that payment is no alms to the recipient, but the cheap price of advantage to the contributory laity. The recipient gives his clerical income when he takes his pension, in every case of uncompelled resignation an absolute quid pro quo. And, therefore, it is but justice to say to those who would, if they could, turn every old man out of his benefice, "If you must, for your purposes, have them out, you must bear your share of the cost; buy them out, for that is reason; do not beat them out, for that is robbery." Whatever, therefore, can be called eleemosynary in this scheme is only of a temporary nature, and, moreover, can fairly be claimed from churchmen, who have never provided any endowments for Church purposes, not as a dole to improve the position of needy clergy, but as a duty to aid the efficiency of the Church of Christ itself, by, so to speak, setting free her existing resources from the otherwise irremovable burden of supporting worn-out men. Passing from the question of providing for men now too far advanced in life to secure retiring pensions from their own resources, I earnestly desire, in conclusion, to call the attention of my younger brethren to one most salient point of our proposals. The Clergy Pensions Institution offers this unique and otherwise unattainable advantage to a newly ordained man. By paying £2 25. a year from the age of 25, he may secure an annuity of £25 a year on attaining 65 years, whether he retire from work or not. If he then retire from work, he will have added to his annuity, his share of all accretions to the fund as endowments by all churchmen, from now till then, who use the organisation of the Clergy Pensions Institution for the deposit and accumulation of such retirement funds for the clergy as all members of our Church ought to contribute, not by way of alms to individual clergy, but by way of aid to the efficiency of the Church itself. There is good reason to hope that, by the time present ordinees are able to claim that share, their £2 2s. a year will secure them £100 pension at least. In addition to this they may also secure, on independent terms, by paying a second sum of £1 13s. 4d. a year, a retiring pension of £100 a year at 60. So that, by paying from ordination £3 135. 6d. a year, a clergyman retiring at 60 years of age, could claim a pension of £100 a year, which at 65 years of age must amount to £125, but will, in all human probability, reach £200 a year. It is perfectly obvious that, as regards the men never beneficed at all, such a provision will prove an immense boon, giving them in their advanced life, an average secure provision greater than they ever earned, and extinguishing for them the risk of penury and want. On the other hand, to men possessed of benefices, a pension of £200 a year, with whatever additional sum might be assigned them on retirement, would secure at least the average income earned by beneficed men, and induce the retirement in good time exactly of the class whose inefficiency, through advancing age, is of most injury to the interests of the congregations. Moreover, the grand effect of such a system, if generally adopted, would be to remedy one of the greatest existing disadvantages of the clerical profession, namely-the slowness of promotion to independent posts in the Church. For the Pensions Institution would so stimulate earlier resignations as to reduce the thirteen years, now the average period between ordination and obtaining a benefice, to something less than seven. But, desirable though these objects may be, we are, of course, met at once by the common exclamation, "Many candidates for orders are too poor to undertake such a cost as this; they find it hard enough to live, on their stipends." I should have thought no new ordinee would have offered such a plea on his own behalf had the case not happened once in a conference which I attended, and where, the possibility of any small payment at all being disputed, a young curate present, being appealed to, said that for his part (and he was receiving £150 a year) it would be absolutely impossible for him to find any money for the purpose! Of course, there is one obvious answer to this objection; if young men in their earliest and easiest times are unwilling to do anything whatever for self-provision, they deserve no help and no pity when they grow old; and if that were at all the general spirit of the English clergymen, who undertakes to inculcate fulfilment of duty on all men, the establishment of a Clergy Pensions Fund would be a folly, and its advocacy on a Church Congress platform a simple impertinence. But I am bold to absolutely deny that there is any possibility whatever in such small contributions; it is altogether a matter of management, not of possibility. Suppose that curate's stipend fell to-morrow by two per cent., would he starve? Most certainly not. And, therefore, as there are such inexperienced young men to be found, and as their inexperience should not deprive wiser ones of the vast advantage which the establishment of a sound and cheap pension fund will secure, the proper course to do is to give some suggestions for making the management of such contributions more easy than they at first may seem. Therefore, we should ask the societies which contribute so largely to the stipends of curates to consider whether they might not greatly aid so good a cause by stipulating, either with the curate or incumbent, that, say two per cent. of each grant they made should be lodged with the Pensions Institution to the credit of each curate's pension account; we should ask the clergy who nominate candidates to make the same stipulation; we might even ask the bishops, without making any such contributions a sine quâ non to ordination, to put a question on their ordination papers which would ascertain the mind of the young men desirous of entering their dioceses as to the general duty, in their own interests and in the interests of the Church, to provide for pensions for themselves, just as a means of being able to provide for "their own" afterwards, as St. Paul commanded us all to do. And I am encouraged to hope that if the general body of churchmen do its duty in this matter, by example and by counsel, there will ere long be established such a general conviction of the advantage of joining, and of the unworthiness of remaining outside of such a society, that a Clergy Pensions Fund, like its great and beneficent forerunner, the Clergy or fondest hope of many a worthy labourer in the Lord's vineyar is old and poor to-day. And remember, if churchmen pay something, and even pay w secure the general resignation of aged clergy, that payment is no to the recipient, but the cheap price of advantage to the contribu laity. The recipient gives his clerical income when he takes his pe in every case of uncompelled resignation an absolute quid pro quo. therefore, it is but justice to say to those who would, if they could every old man out of his benefice, "If you must, for your purp have them out, you must bear your share of the cost; buy them o that is reason; do not beat them out, for that is robbery." Whatever, therefore, can be called eleemosynary in this sche only of a temporary nature, and, moreover, can fairly be claimed churchmen, who have never provided any endowments for Church.. poses, not as a dole to improve the position of needy clergy, but duty to aid the efficiency of the Church of Christ itself, by, so to s setting free her existing resources from the otherwise irremovable b... of supporting worn-out men. Passing from the question of providing for men now too far adv. in life to secure retiring pensions from their own resources, I ear desire, in conclusion, to call the attention of my younger breth one most salient point of our proposals. The Clergy Pensions In tion offers this unique and otherwise unattainable advantage to a ordained man. By paying £2 2s. a year from the age of 25, he secure an annuity of £25 a year on attaining 65 years, whethe retire from work or not. If he then retire from work, he will have added to his annuit share of all accretions to the fund as endowments by all church from now till then, who use the organisation of the Clergy Pens Institution for the deposit and accumulation of such retirement fr for the clergy as all members of our Church ought to contribute, not way of alms to individual clergy, but by way of aid to the efficienc the Church itself. There is good reason to hope that, by the time! sent ordinees are able to claim that share, their 2 2s. a year secure them £100 pension at least. In addition to this they may also secure, on independent terms. paying a second sum of £1 13s. 4d. a year, a retiring pension of £ a year at 60. So that, by paying from ordination £3 13s. 6d. a yea clergyman retiring at 60 years of age, could claim a pension of a year, which at 65 years of age must amount to £125, but will, in human probability, reach £200 a year. It is perfectly obvious that, as regards the men never beneficed at such a provision will prove an immense boon, giving them in the advanced life, an average secure provision greater and extinguishing for them the risk of penury hand, to men possessed of benefices, a pensi whatever additional sum might be assigned secure at least the average income ea the retirement in good time exac through advancing age, is of mos gations. Moreover, the grand 411 ng disadvantag romotion to inde stitution would so e years, how fa a Seactice, to VALE of course, met af s for orders are V/ sard enough to lie, : Save offered such a once in a conference Most certainly not which contribute so largely they might not greatly w the curate of incumbent, made should be lodged with ect curate's pensión account : candidates to make the same 415 compelled be unfit. inhappily essity for e openly eformers. etirement care they so to be been an we know and that nknown. for the s me to e are at already ing this other by ; in the pon the certain v. For nent is e new livings. as the ounger. ɔm the n their better some and as ow the , if it rtually isters. irdens what are of years, addi bents' them? without making any suct to put & question on ther the mmd of the young mer kennara el enterier n the genera duty, ir then own. other own An.. I am encourager. ✓ him at the total se in the ,837. I y of New of promo Mutual Assurance Society, will be found to have lightened, not only the burden of advancing age to the clergy, but also the graver burden of increasing inefficiency to the Church. The REV. CHARLES J. ROBINSON, M.A., Rector of West Hackney, and Hon. Sec. to the Clergy Pensions Institution. THE necessity of providing for the retirement of the clergy whom age or infirmity has disabled, is a necessity of modern growth. George Herbert makes no reference to it, and we may be pretty sure it never entered into the thoughts of the "Vicar of Wakefield." In some degree it is a result of that revival of religious life and development of activity in the Church of England which the past half century has witnessed. Sixty years ago the zeal now exhibited by a parish priest would have been regarded as undignified and extravagant-tinged too much with that spirit of enthusiasm which was the note of Methodism. Sixty years ago the clergy, as a body, took a far lower view of their duties and responsibilites than is now the case, and the perfunctory discharge of a minimum of clerical work gave them no right to expect any special consideration in old age. But the exception in the past has become the rule in the present, and the modern bishop has to use his staff more often to guide the zealous than to stimulate the slothful. Everywhere work is going on and generating fresh work. Even in a country parish a conscientious clergyman finds abundant occupation from week's end to week's end; and though his duties may seem small, they are not on that account less necessary nor less harassing. In our towns and cities the tasks that devolve upon a modern incumbent defy enumeration. Besides the care of the church or churches, which comes upon him daily, he has to preside at every committee, to supervise the schools, to organise the charities, and to set on foot and encourage such various schemes for elevating the spiritual, moral, mental, and even the physical condition of his people, as circumstances may from time to time suggest. "Who is sufficient for these things?" Not, certainly, the man whom the weight of years, or the burden of sickness has permanently disabled. We sometimes talk of the machinery of a parish as though, when once set a going, it was thenceforth automatic. It is an unfortunate phrase. Mechanical action is utterly opposed to true Church life. It is impossible to conceive a living Church apart from the conception of a living ministry; it is almost equally impossible to believe in a living ministry without the evidence of parochial activity, inspired and animated thereby. But if, in the interests of the parish and Church at large, the retirement of the aged and incapacitated be desirable, it is no less desirable in the interests of the clergy themselves to whom such epithets can be rightly applied. "Solve senescentem mature sanus equum, ne There can scarcely be a sadder sight than the ineffectual struggles of a man whom a sense of duty constrains to action when the powers of action are gone. Yes, perhaps there is one still sadder, and that is a man |