^ A(F-%^ ■ft i- ! I I L I E) RARY OF THE U N I VERSITY or ILLl NOIS i^ '.'^; ]_ Cl)e Cjcammation of CantJiDates for A LETTER TO THE LORD BISHOP OF SALISBURY BY THE REV. R. F. WILSON, M.A. PREBENDARY OF SALISBURY AND EXAMINING CHAPLAIN TO THE BISHOP JLontion: RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE HIGH STREET 1 • TRINITY STREET ffl))cforn I CambriDffc 1874 i A Letter to the Bishop of Salisbury on the subject of the Examination of Candi- dates for Holy Orders, My dear Lord, I venture to ask your permission to address this letter 'to you, not as in any way thereby implying your approval of the several sugges- tions made, but only your concurrence in the de- sirableness of some better arrangement for the examination of candidates for Ordination, whereby the days immediately preceding the Ordination might be employed less in a testing of intel- lectual and theological attainments, and more in a calm and serious consideration of the natilre of the duties which- are then about to be under- taken and of the quaHfications needful for their due discharge. I ask permission to address this letter to you — (1) In order to obtain a sort of episcopal sanction for entering on a subject which treats of one of the most solemn functions of your sacred office. A 2 4 Importance of the Subject. (2) Because after a friendship of nearly forty years, there is no Bishop of whom I could more properly ask this favour. (3) Because, further, by appointing me one of your Examining Chaplains, you have supplied me with a large portion of such experience as I have had in Ordination examinations. And lastly — (4) Because Salisbury has special facilities for making trial of such a change as I advocate. The subject is of deep importance. The offering oneself for Ordination is, perhaps, the greatest and most solemn venture of a man's life ; and although it may have been long thought of, and prepared for beforehand, it is much to be desired that the last few days before the irrevocable step is taken should be spent without distractions, and as much as may be uninterruptedly in inner communion of the soul with Grod, in painful and exact review of the past life, in considering well how weighty is the office about to be undertaken, in framing resolutions for its faithful discharge, and, above all, in committing all to God, in self-examination, meditation, and prayer, with special and fervent entreaties for guidance and for strength ; in short, that it should be a season of strict devotional retirement — a gathering up of the spirit for a great and holy venture. None who have listened to your addresses to the candidates on the evenings of Ember week but must be well aware how deeply you are impressed General Desire for a Change. 5 with these convictions, and how earnestly and affectionately you seek to impress them on those on whom you are about to lay your hands, and so dedicate them to this holy and noble, but most responsible, work. No doubt it is the same with the rest of our Fathers in God, and there are indi- cations of a desire to make some change in the ordinary proceedings of the Ordination week. Some of our Bishops have already made certain changes in regard to the time for the examination into the attainments and intellectual qualifications of candidates, and in regard to the manner of spending the days immediately before the Ordi- nation. Proposals have also been made for the establish- ment of a Board of Examiners at Cambridge, which should give certificates of sufficient attainments in the chief subjects on which questions are given at the present Ordination examinations, and already the plan is in partial operation. These certificates are to be accepted by the several Bishops into whose dioceses the young men propose to enter, as warrant for their sufficient qualifications in those subjects ; and for the days immediately pre- ceding the Ordination it is proposed to reserve subjects more particularly relating to the discharge of their office, and of a more personal and spiritual character. Of the objection which, it appears to me, there would be to this plan, I will speak presently; I 6 Unsatisfactoriness of Present Syste^n. mention it here, merely as showing that there is a stirring of men's minds in the direction of some sucli change as I venture to advocate. Both examining chaplains, and the candidates themselves, would, I believe, generally concur in the wish that the formal examination as to intel- lectual fitness might, if possible, be completed at some earlier time, and thus the Ember week be freed from the almost inevitable excitement and distraction of the present custom ; the result of which is, both to chaplains and candidates, trying, and, in many ways, unsatisfactory. This opinion is, I believe, shared by men of various minds with whom it has been my privilege to be associated as Examining Chaplain to yourself, and to my dear friend, your honoured predecessor, Bishop Hamilton. The usual field of examination is of such wide and varied character, and has to be traversed with such rapidity, that the chief powers of the mind are taken up with answering questions, and anxiety as to the result. It is only by a great strain and effort that the mind, already in a state of tension, and more or less exhausted by the w^ork of the examination, can be recalled from it to the still graver and more important work of calm and careful self-review. It may not be amiss here briefly to sketch the usual course and order of such examinations, which must be, more or less, the same in all dioceses. Usual Course, 7 The examinations, then, in which I have my- self taken part, have generally been spread over three days, and not unfrequently part of another. Every day three papers are given, each of which occupies the candidates for at least two hours, with the exercise of all the mental and manual speed they can put forth. The subjects of these papers comprise — writing Latin or translation ; Old Testament^, with questions on the Hebrew text of some given portion; New Testament, with critical questions on the Greek Text ; Evidences ; Liturgy ; Church doctrine ; Ecclesiastical History ; questions on pastoral work, and a kind of specimen sermon. It is not surprising that the result of such an examination, under such circumstances, should in most cases be unsatisfactory. I would not wish to characterise the result further than to say, that in almost all cases quantity rather than quality is the salient feature of the papers. But this is not the unsatisfactory result to which I wish to invite particular attention. It is of another kind, namely, that the mere examination, and anxiety about its result, almost absorb other considerations ; at least they take precedence of all others. They are the immediate point of interest, and the attention is unflaggingly directed to them, as paper follows paper in rapid succession. How and what questions have been answered ? sensitive misgivings as to the answers, disappointment^ dissatisfaction, weariness, excitement, and anxiety, 8 Effects of Present System these are uppermost in the minds of the candi- dates. It is to be observed in their manner, in the questions they ask in private, and in their fidgets and nervous fears about the result of their ex- amination. A further consequence of this sort of excitement, which many will at once recognise in their own experience, is, that in the intervals between the hours of examination, at mealtimes, and in hours of relaxation, there is an eager canvassing of what has passed, and often something, I may say, of unsuitable levity. Partly from weariness, partly from awkwardness as between examiner and ex- aminee, both seem drawn to speak of anything rather than of what is uppermost in their thoughts. Many times I have had reason to know afterwards, how little the outer manner and conversation did justice to the serious earnestness within. This has been found again in the cordial way in which, when all has been over, thanks have been given, far beyond what was deserved, for such few words of a graver kind as there had been opportunity for. Kind words, in chance meetings afterwards, have shown how much there was of deep earnest feeling at the time, which did not appear, from a sort of reserve added to excitement under the awkward process of examination. Then, again, the minds of the candidates are too weary or too much preoccupied to be able in the evenings to give full powers of attention to the on the Minds of the Candidates. 9 Bishop's addresses, and to the after consideration of them, which would be so desirable. It has been said to me by a young man, two or three years after his Ordination, that he would not on any con- sideration go through such another week, for that the strain of trying at these intervals to separate his thoughts from the mere examination was almost more than he could endure. And this sort of feeling is not a passing one. Not long ago I received a letter from a total stranger, thanking me for some words written in a preface to the Life of S. Vincent de Paul, on this subject, and expressing his hope that something might result from the suggestions, so that others might be spared the retrospect on what, after a lapse of twenty years, stood out before his memory as the unsatisfactory days of his Ordina- tion week. The substance of these remarks may be summed up in saying, that the time and thoughts of our candidates for Holy Orders are, during the days immediately preceding Ordination, far too much distracted with the conduct and result of the examination. The frame of mind which inevit- ably results from this is that with which men pass through the schools at the University, or a Civil Service examination. The lesser but more imme- diate interest tends to absorb the greater. Then, when the day of Ordination comes, there is a feeling of regret because the more sacred subjects A 3 lO Question in Ordination Service. to which the best powers of soul and spirit should have been directed seem to have been thrust out, not wilfully, but for lack of time and place during those solemn days which should have been most especially devoted to them. The answer provided in the Ordination Service to the Bishop's question as to the fitness of the candidates seems to recognise a distinction between formal examination and other ways of ascertaining fitness, and to subordinate the former to the latter. It runs thus : " I have inquired of them, and also examined them, and think them so to be." The examination seems mentioned as something over and above and subordinate to more private and personal intercourse and inquiry. I have some- times felt, in making the answer, that too much prominence had been given to the mere examina- tion, and less done than ought to have been, in order to obtain a real acquaintance with the inner mind and heart of the ordinands. Let me not be supposed to mean that in the press and strain of the examination higher things are forgotten. I know full well that this is not the case. All that is* meant is, that the time and attention are necessarily too much pre-occupied with the work of the examination; the mind is too weary and excited for calm and sustained thought on other things. Now the first step towards remedying this would be^ to separate the examination from the Difficulties of Change. 1 1 Ember season ; the second, to make provision for a more devotional use of those days. No doubt there would be considerable difficulties in both. The separation of the examination from the Ember season would entail an additional call upon the Bishop's time, and that of his chaplains, in seeing and receiving the candidates twice over. There would also be additional expense to all con- cerned. Such expenses might, however, very well be defrayed by a diocesan fuud for the purpose. Earnest Churchmen would surely readily contri- bute towards such a fund. Once satisfied of the benefit, which might confidently be hoped for^ and of the call for help, their hands would not be closed. As regards the candidates themselves, the increased expense is the sole consideration of real weight. Their time and attention ought for months before to be employed in preparation for their Ordina- tion ; and it would be no real hardship to them to pass their examination a month or six weeks before the Ordination, any more than it is a hardship to come up (as is very commonly required) for a pre- liminary examination, some weeks before that time. It does not appear to me that there are on this head any very serious difficulties which might not be removed. And as far as my own experience goes, I believe far the larger number of candidates would prefer such an arrangement. A decided advantage would moreover, I think, result from thus disposing of the examination a 12 Advantages of a Change. certain time before the Ordination. It would enable the examiners to take more accurate measure of the work done, and to make their report to the Bishop in such sort as to give him more exact knowledge of the capacity and attainments of his younger clergy. It is true, judging from the substantial agreement among examiners of very different powers and learning, as to the result of each man's work, it may be said that the necessary haste in looking over papers does not prevent a fairly just estimate of the work done; still, it is necessarily a hasty proceeding, whereas, supposing an interval of three or four weeks between the examination and the Ordination, the examiners might, by an immediate and rapid review of the papers, satisfy themselves whether they could report favourably on the whole to the Bishop, and thus relieve the candidates from suspense and anxiety ; they might then take the papers home, go into them more thoroughly at their leisure, and append a short summary, stating exactly their opinion how each had acquitted him- self in the several papers, noting, where desirable, the character of mistakes or failures, as also the particular points of excellence in the answers of each of the men. This might be submitted to the Bishop at the beginning of the Ember week, and would not only furnish him with matter for advice or commendation to each severally, but also might be kept as a record of the attainments and mental Cambridge Central Board. 1 3 powers of the men who were from time to time entering his diocese. Such a method of examination would, I cannot but think, be found in its working far preferable to the proposal to which I have already referred, of a Central Board of Examiners at Cambridge, who should give certificates to those who satisfactorily pass their examination. It may be said that this latter plan would in fact go far towards lessening, if it did not quite remove, the too great prominence and pressure of the examination in the Ember week. The main work would have been com- pleted, the certificate obtained, and it would be understood, that the production of this certificate would be regarded as sufficient evidence of com- petent attainments, at least in certain subjects. The candidates producing these certificates would be relieved, in large measure at any rate, of anxiety as to the result of the further examination. But this is, in truth, a serious objection to the scheme. It is devolving on this Board of Ex- aminers a large part of that which should rest with the Bishop. These certificates would come to be considered, not simply as a claim to the Bishop's favourable consideration, but as conferring a right to claim ordination at his hands. They would be more or less of the nature of letters dimissory, with this difference, that with letters dimissory, the Bishop who accepts them does so in each case separately, and as an act of grace, but here the 14 Objections to Proposal Bishop would be considered to have granted a general acceptance to any who should produce testimonials of sufficient attainments on certain subjects, from a Board of Examiners, over whom he would have no kind of influence or control. It is true the examination is considered only to vouch for intellectual fitness, but when it is considered that among the subjects for this examination are included doctrine, creeds, the Thirty-nine Articles, and Liturgy, and that the Bishop is expected to accept the testimonial with- out further investigation, little opportunity seems left for inquiring into the soundness of the views of the ordinands. It would surely be considered an invidious exer- cise of the Bishop's discretion, if any of these certificated candidates were rejected on account of views entertained on the subjects in which they had already received certificates of satisfactory attainments. Practically the Board would come to be a sort of co-ordinate authority with the Bishop's, apart from and independent of him. It may be said that a Bishop does not generally conduct the examination of candidates himself, he delegates this office to his examining chaplains; but they act under his sanction, and their printed questions are under his supervision ; and in every case of doubt, whether as to doctrine or amount of attainments, the particulars are submitted to the judgment of the Bishop, with whom rests the of Central Board of Examiners, 1 5 sole responsibility of ordaining or refusing to ordain. Such a case might result under this new distinct examination, as was told me years ago by an aged and distinguished member of the University of Cambridge — namely, that when he was proposing to be ordained, he made known his wish to the head of his college, of which he was a Fellow, who said he would arrange all for him ; and the issue of this was thus graphically summed up — " And I never saw the Bishop, sir, until the day I went to church to be ordained." ^ I pass now to the second and more important point, how to provide for a more devotional use of the Ember days. Here the difficulties are much graver, and need very serious consideration. I will not attempt any detail of them. I have no wish whatever to magnify them, lest it should seem too hazardous to attempt a change. I am myself fully persuaded that such a change might be carried through successfully by any Bishop who was sufficiently impressed with the desirableness of it. And I am also as fully persuaded that it might be ^ This license by Bishops, delegating to a Board over which they have no control the examination of their candidates for Ordination, is the rather to be deprecated now that offices and endowments within the Universities are open to professors of all religious beliefs. There might be a Nonconformist Professor granting certificates of theological attain- ments and soundness, so as to dispense with or supersede the judgment of the Bishops of the Church. Of course a Bishop might withdraw his co-operation from the Board of Examiners. But a withdrawal would be embarrassing, and likely to cause offence. 1 6 Scheme Suggested. carried through, to the great benefit of the Church at large, and to the spiritual comfort and advan- tage of the ordinands. Instead, therefore, of dwelling on difficulties which might arise, I will venture to submit a slight sketch of a scheme for the employment of those days. I will suppose the ordinands to assemble on the Tuesday in Ember week. On that evening there might be an evening Service, with an address from the Bishop, making any reference he might wish to the past examination, then shortly explaining how the time would be employed during the three succeeding days. It would be desirable at first to dwell upon this subject with some fulness, until the course and order for the employment of the time had become known, and to point out particularly the advisableness of passing the days as much as possible in privacy and in silence, in order the better to weigh the dignity and greatness of the calling to which they were about to devote themselves, and the great difficulty and respon- sibility of the work of dealing with souls, that being deeply convinced of their own utter power- lessness, and of the need of continual strength and guidance from Grod the Holy Grhost, they might now at their outset, after strict and solemn con- sideration of their past lives, lay their sins before their Saviour's Cross, in a spirit of true and deep penitence, beseeching Him, that as they trust He has called them to serve Him in this ministry, so Scheme Suggested, 17 neither past evils nor present un worthiness might hinder the necessary gifts of His grace, and that the souls to be committed to them might not suffer through their fault. The order for the three following days might be something of this kind : first, an early celebration of Holy Communion ; then breakfast, and after an hour's break, morning prayer, say at 10 o'clock, followed by an address from the person selected by the Bishop for this office. The ordinands should then retire to make some sort of digest of the address, whether from memory or from notes taken during its delivery, or they might, if they wished it, seek in private fuller explanation of anything said which they did not quite understand or enter into. The chapel should be at all times open for prayer or meditation. At 12, or 12.30, there might be a short service, for which nothing better need be sought than that already in use at that hour, drawn up by Bishop Hamilton for the Ember days before an Ordination. Dinner might follow at 1 o'clock, and the time after it till 3*30 be allowed for relaxation or rest. At 3 . 30 another short service, which might easily be compiled from the Day Hours of the Church, taking the psalms, collects, &c., for " Nones," adding such other collects or readings as seemed desirable, followed by the second address. At the opening of each of these services the 1 8 Scheme Suggested. Veni Creator might suitably be sung. Prom 4.30 till 7 might be spent in retirement as before. Tea might be at 7, and at 8 evening prayer with a third address, concluding with an evening hymn. After which all should retire to their rooms for the night. It might be well that the morning, afternoon, and evening addresses should be on distinct classes of subjects; the morning, say, on the study and teaching of doctrine; the afternoon, on subjects connected with pastoral care ; the evening, exclu- sively and strictly devoted to the inner personal life, with a view to help self-examination and spiritual contemplation. It should be very distinctly set before the ordi- nands that the chief object of this season of pause and retirement is not for any intellectual exercise, but to help them at this time to separate themselves from outer distractions, and to impress them with the thought of being alone with God, communing with Him on the great work of their lives, to which they are about to devote themselves, and praying Him so to impress them with its sacredness and deep responsibilities, as an account between Him and their own souls, that these impressions may never be obliterated, never weakened, but more and more deeply and vividly graven on their souls to the very end of their ministry. The one thought which they should* strive to keep uninterruptedly before them should be that I Retirement and Silence Essential. 1 9 of being alone with Grod ; laying open their whole heart and soul before Him ; taking counsel with Him, as it were, as to the discharge of their high office, and beseeching Him over and over that His Fatherly hand may ever be with them, and the guidance of His Spirit ever keep them from harming the souls entrusted to them. It may be added that at meals there should be reading, beginning first with one or two chapters from a Gospel, and then continued from such a book as Thomas a Kempis' Imitatio, or selections from Gr. Herbert's Country Parson, or from any book, either on the pastoral care, or on the teaching and pattern of our Blessed Lord's life. Silence too should be recommended as specially helpful to calm inward communing with Grod and one's own soul. And for the same reason it would be better neither to write nor receive letters until Saturday morning, when this time of retirement would finish with a celebration of Holy Commu- nion. That day should be passed in quiet restrained social intercourse, and in such formal official acts as have to be gone through preparatory to the Ordination. At evening service on Saturday there might be another address from the Bishop, as also on Sunday evening, before separating each to his particular curacy. It should be free at any time for any one of the ordinands to seek an interview with the Bishop or 20 Mode of Conducting, the clergyman giving the addresses_, on any matters on which he might desire to confer with either or both of them. It will be seen that by keeping distinct classes of subjects for the morning, afternoon, and evening addresses, they might be assigned to three different persons. I believe myself that it wonld be much better for all concerned that they should be de- livered by the same person. It would tend to lessen the exercise of criticism by way of com- parison ; and the becoming each day more accus- tomed to the reader or speaker, would set his hearers more (so to say) at ease with him, and enable them to follow his general train of thought calmly and without excitement. It would no doubt be an anxious thing for the Bishop to select those to whom he could unre- servedly entrust this office at each Ordination, and no doubt it would be unwillingly undertaken, and with great misgivings. My belief is that there are a great many clergy perfectly competent if sufficient notice were given for preparation before- hand, though few would be able without such time for preparation. For after all, sincere earnestness, and a deep appreciation of the difficulty and danger of the priest's office, are the main convictions with which a man should be penetrated in order to speak what would surely go to the hearts of those just entering upon the office, or at any rate what would suggest Qualifications of Conductors, 2 1 thoughts, which, followed out in stillness and privacy, and with often renewed prayer, would surely bring a blessing, and open the way for God to work in their souls. The real matter would lie between God and the soul of each one separately and apart. Were this single thought duly grasped and followed out by each, difference in the excellence of the iDstrument employed in promoting this blessed work would not matter nearly so much as might be supposed. I doubt whether any one such as a Bishop might prevail on to undertake the task would really fail, if he himself were penetrated with this thought, and if the ordinands were in the mind that gene- rally prevails amongst them, which would also certainly be greatly fostered, beyond what might be expected by such exercises, during three con- secutive days spent as I have briefly described. It may seem to have been taking too much upon oneself to offer a scheme with as much of detail as has been here proposed. This, however, has been done, because in lamenting a defect, it seemed better also to suggest how the defect might be supplied ; and to invite consideration of what might be a real and practicable attempt to remedy it ; whereas, if the deficiencies of our present system are simply pointed out, it is a natural and almost sufficient answer from those whose many occupations make it very difficult to mature a scheme, to say, "There is a great deal 1 2 Conclusion. of truth in what you allege, but what can be done ? " Now here is a sort of sketch ; set it side by side with our present system for those Ember days, and let the consideration be, which of them, carefully followed out (as well as circumstances might admit of, and with such modifications as might be deemed desirable), would be most likely, by the grace of Grod, to deepen and strengthen those dispositions of soul which all would agree to be most needful at that time, and to bring the ordinands to kneel before the bishop with a fuller appreciation of the gifts they needed, and a deeper and more earnest desire for them. One other personal remark I desire to make. These are not hasty thoughts ; they have been long entertained. I have wished that some other, better qualified by station and other gifts, would have taken up the subject, so as to command more respect and attention to what was said. I can only say that I have suggested it to others, who seemed to me in both respects fitter to cope with the difficulties, and whose name would at once have given weight to what they said. But whilst the desirableness of some change has been freely allowed, they have not been prepared with any definite plan. I have therefore ventured to put out these thoughts upon the subject, trusting that those in authority, our Fathers in God, with whom the responsibility of any such change would Conclusion. 23 entirely rest, will acquit me of presumption, and, it may be, give tbe suggestions a candid consi- deration. But from a deep conviction of the exceeding benefit which might accrue from some such change, I should hardly have brought myself to speak. Moreover, it is not an untried system, nor one the almost immediate beneficial result of which has been doubtful. The adoption of such a plan, at Yincent de Paul's suggestion,^ was one of the very chiefest agents in the wonderful revival of earnest- ness and devotion among the clergy of the Church of France in the seventeenth century. I do not for a moment place the condition of our clergy on the same level with the sad con- dition of the French clergy at that time. Grod be thanked over and over, it would be most unjust to do so. It would be ungrateful to Grod, by whose grace and gift our clergy are what they are, as well as to those around, who in all their ministra- tions are striving earnestly to stir up the gift that is in them. But surely there is need to leave nothing undone which might serve to make the Ordination a season which should leave its mark upon the whole life, and bring the ordinands to that sacred Service with the deepest sense of their own un- worthiness, highest appreciation of the great gifts needed for the work of their ministry, and in- ^ See Life of S. Vincent de Paul, p. 105. llivingtons. 24 Conclusion. tensest craving for the necessary grace and help of God. I appeal to the yearnings of those who are look- ing forward to their Ordination ; I appeal to the regrets of those whose Ordination is past ; to the former as testifying to what they would gladly welcome ; to the latter as testifying to the feeling that a great opportunity had been, in large mea- sure, missed. Happy the Bishop who shall succeed in in- augurating such a system ; happy the candidates who shall have opportunity of testing its spiritual benefits ; happy the Church that shall have shep- herds thus girded to their work, and sent forth to it in this mind, to minister to her various flocks. I beg to remain, my dear Lord, with sincere personal regard, and with respect for your sacred office. Your obliged friend and servant, R. R WILSON. i