A circular letter addressed to all Christian ministers was published
in the Times of Saturday last. The appeal is signed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York; the Presidents of the United Methodist Free Churches, the Wesleyan Methodist Conference, the Baptist Union, and the Methodist New • Connexion Church; the Chairman of the Congregational Union ; the Moderators of the English Presbyterian Church, and the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church : and thus represents practically the whole religious life of the nation, with the exception of the Roman Catholics, who, however, express their sympathy, though they do not sign. The signatories, while deprecating any large schemes of corporate reunion, or any attempts to minimise existing religious diver- gences, agree in believing profoundly that Christ desired the unity of Christians, lament the paralysing effect of divisions, and are fully convinced that it is the duty of all Christians who desire in this respect the fulfilment of the Divine pur- pose to give themselves to penitence and prayer. They accordingly appeal to all the Christian ministers of religion iz England to prepare their congregations for a united effort of prayer, on Whit-Sunday, for the reunion of Christians. The issue of such an appeal would command serious attention at any time; it is of specially good omen at a moment of serious tension over the education controversy. That the leaders of the religious bodies should thus emphasise the importance of keeping alive the hope of unity shows, at any rate, that they recognise that their duty lies in composing, not in aggravating, the warfare of the Churches.
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