Disestablishment of the National Church
SHALL the national church be disestablished ? is a political question of growing importance in England; and as concessions are made to non-conformists they become encouraged and more determined to throw off the great burden altogether. Prof. Scott, of the Lancashire Independent College, defines the position of the non-conformists as one of "dissent from any church established by act of Parliament, whose constitution is fixed or altered at the will of a mere legislative assembly. They know nothing, nor does the New Testament, of a church which embraces all the inhabitants of a country, but only a church of those who love Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth, and profess their love to him." To the inconsistency of Christianity by act of Parliament (after the manner of Pagan Rome's "conversion" under Constantine), is added the enormous expense of the national church, entailing a heavy burden of taxation. The salary of the Bishop of London, alone, is £60,000 a year—five times the salary of the President of the United States.