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I foaiK.i') mrr iro evioiTAioosaA ox.irouaKoo «o auoM isya hjiT io i.-.i jiiiunoiJi gifij iioiJij'JGbianor) 'uio -lol }ooi_c(f/i; iuiT' ■ ■ lo ei ,6int>iiiji-ioii8 Luu; Ino7/ e;7>of,) Mieitnj a jeouihi 0107/ Jl .sormt-ioqini "'•> o) Iij(fo<-.ioq ^(Jb'^J'utdf ofc iioitfesii;- ■ Y ovijil avf 'lovov/oil eA .o^iv/'ioillo )Jl/5ni(^c en oi boJeyggue -^loeiw juriocmq-non j; sc iioiJxeoq i .ulJ Tifi'rnfffeSB -lo't eeoaJihm Jc:3gj)iiB w jxsif) 'to him (iioiiaoifp ii .■>kiiivbij Qiii OYBif vBiu Ji flflS — -.gifoioa rrc oihJa ifonfv/ jobuio -lovavz-oil (SBsbi ■ ■'■-'■'■■■■' ,-^-1:"^ -oqobni iocA-ioq ni gni .... w...>^v ,„[ inoit oaitei oilw ono •■1TJ5 efuoe 'lo'r [ens b!)Hr,9't.ofii orlT ' '■ -'AM him ■ ' '' ' "'* i) 10 .Ihiqa GifJ o3 • . . ..x,jL.iu,.,aj. .7iiliu eolqro/u'iq&i{j ■'■' ' oJ ,gbi8 doi/fr! .(H-os noqtj ->!?:i7/'',[.^)a I 1^1 National Ubrary BIbllothdque nationale of Canada du Canada f $ TUK BEST MODK OF CONDUCTING ASSOCIATIONS OF TIIK ClEBQT FOB CONFEKKNCE, STUDY, PKAYKR AND MUTUAL SYMPATHY. The subject for our cotisicleration tliis inorniiifr is one whicli to most of us liere present as being ministers of God's Word and Sacraments, is of peculiar interest and importance. It wore almost a truism to observe that a (luestion so markedly personal to ourselves could not be otherwise?. As liowever we have yet, I fear, failed practi- cally to atuiin that ' lent mode: the subject has I think been wisely suggested to us as matter for reflection. My own position as a non-parochial clergyman might naturally su-gest unfitness for assuming the position of writer on such a question, and of that unfitness I have been only too con- scious.— Still it may have the advantage of suggesting the ideas, however crude, which strike an outsider, and of bring- ing in perfect independence, before you, the thoughts of one who is free from parochial cares and ties. The increased zeal for souls and whatever relates to the service of God which has been of late years manifested iu the Mother Church in England and in our own branch of the Church in Canada has called into being, has multiplied and increased new and special furthering aids to foster and direct that zeal— aids new and special at any rate to our spiritual fathers of thelast 300 years or so, butstrange neither to the spirit or practice of the early church nor indeed to the principles of life and conduct of our Blessed Lord Him- self while upon earth. Such aids, to mention but a few of them, we recognize in the revived]convocations, the confer- encos, tlio congrc-us. ihe niisRion-week.?, tind clerical meetings of tlie Cimicii at iionic, in Uic legally established Synods, tlio more stridly ol>e.rvc(l Loiiteti Hervices and the rnral deanery meetingw of ihe Clmioli in Canada. Nor are sncli aids coniined to eluncliuien oidy— the yanie increased zeal is witnessed on iho ])art of Dissenting Chrifc-- tians and has doubtkss in come particulars reacted from them ii])on the ehurcli and revived ami awakened hor dor- mant powers. 1 say dormant poweii^, for after all wo must remember, as I pointed out before, that in these instances of rekindled zeal all, hiiili Churchmen and DL^suitera, have but returned, (under (iod's blessed guidance and provi- deucej in a measure, to iho practice of cur Blessed Lord Himself and of the Early Ciuuch. To one only, however, of tl.e.se paincularh which I Ifave enumerated must I call y.iiir ati^mtitui now; ihui f)f Clerical Conferences or A^M,ei:lli.•ll^^. That they iw^nch^^ul requires but little to be said, in wuvk nf. nil sort spiritual or secular, union, associatio)) and fellow sympatliy hare long been and must ever be, considered nil iinpoi'tant to develop indi 'idual .-trengtli and eihcienoy to their fullest. This, as regards secular work, need hardly bo enlarged upon in days when Confederation of States and Provinces, Uuiou leagues of labourers — and Internationalism, with its wond- rous social and political ramiiications, have been developed in our midst, so suddenly and with such fearful powers for good or ill. And in spiritual work the same combinations, larger or smaller, seem as equally necessary to, and as much required by, Imman agents. I speak to some perhaps who have had personal experience of what I can refer to only as matter of history in the Church in Canada—of clergy- men separated from brethren in the miaistry by distances ■ wljiel), as well from tliodillicultieB oftmvellinjrjw from tlieir actual extent, wore i)rncticiilly in.sunuouiitiil.le ;— of the tlav whoii tho whole of this vnst Uoniiiiioi!, s<> far ih it was known and explored, was under tho Kpiritniii .irnidance of a single Bishop with his handful of clorU, U tlio njudo ill whicJj ^NMh^ttiiuliuij^i (jI iho CJeiyy niiijr be lifld uuiJving these oWjectH their inuliculur aim ? • J^'irHtbj^ art to tliu JJicuiboiH coinpottin^' Huck asaocitt* tioii,; tlioy sUoiilil hu limited in mnubcr, cinbracinR only tho cltTgy ol'a jiui-'icular district, iiuar oiiouj!;h to ho .ac(iiiaiatef work, under tlio head of Conftrtnce', let such matters of praciical interest as Pari,«h hiboiirs, qucs- tiona of church administration, missionary eft'ortf, tho treat- ment in a remedial and cu.-ntive manner of practical and detinito evils, in a w.rd all tho;*e Huhjocta of parochial intorosfc which ncnv form the bulk of matter at a decansd cliapter bo practically coiijidored and dirtcn-scd. Pansing thence to Stu^/t/ we ome to a point whieli has always appeared to mo to mar tho elliciency of the presently arranged decanal meetinnj-^— rho absence /. e. of anylhinir to ketp alive ,.nr intellectual interest in what concerns our sncred offiee. Our c!erf,'y chiini to be, and shoidd strive to their utmost to continue to be, an educated clergy, and thequestion arises whether practical di9cus.si<->ne onparii^h or Diocesan mattern, however ably conducted,, counterbalanco the loss of intulloctnally spiritual j;ood,. whioh might bo gained from tho ^'cn-idenition (say of the Pauline Epistles,) in the original, or of s^omo Htaiulud An- glican Divinity. Of course it may be said that wo wore already 8up})0sed to bo acquainted with bo ks such as I propose; it may bo so, but tho quej-tion Mill renuiins whether tiro mind of the hard working |)arish priest de- pressed, voluntarily or involuntarily, by his nnohanging round of work, would not respond with soino degree of pleasure to the call for his toooften long-dropped Greek, and derive food and nourishment, spiritual aa well aa intellec- tual, from one or two hours' rending of sucli a kind with his brother clergy. A paiticuLir portion of an Epistle might be dottrmined upon for the coming meeting, tbtia. flO giving all an opportunity of lielpiRg ono anutiior, withsonie ideas suggested by thoir reading meauwiiilG. In all cases an Epistle once begun should be gone through with at succesiive meetings to theeud Nothing is at once more uu- oatisfactory or less likely to benefit than discursive, disjointed readings of the Greek Testament. For practical benefit to be derived from the reading of English Divinity, no better work could perhaps be suggested than Hooker's Book V on Ecclesiastical i'olity. One point to bo remembered in favour of such a matter as this will perhaps occur to most of you as of imj)ortancc. The reading beforehand of the portion announced for consideration at the coming meeting, may in some cases revive, in others tbrtify, that practice oi daily study which the present Bishopof Winchester in his ordina- tion lectures so strongly insisted u]>on as a special duty at- tacliingto all clergymen. Many a hint for a sermon, many a point to be impressed upon oui- people in the way of application or practice lie hid, and will lie hid unless sought for, in the too frequently neglectec pages of a clergyman's Greek Testament. Such, concluding with Evening Trayer and perhaps a very short sermon on some point more immediately Connected with the ministerial office, would be my sug- gested Programme for the First Day. — With reference to a second '^ay I will offer a few remarks in a mo- ment. I would meanwhile suggest, if one day only is possible, that it should be closed as before with Evening prayer and a sermon, or perhaps bettor, a meditation from one of the older members of the association. For the subjects of such meditation 1 would venture to propose the following, not as my own, but the suggestion of one much wiser and morfl ex! erienced ; The examDle of our Lord's life mav be I 1 . oai pourtrayeil in dotail as atruepattern ofa holy and especially a priestly life: tlieseveral virtiiesof his life enlarged upon and •allnstrated and the blessedness ofa faithful imitation of onr Lord urged on the aoul, so that its whole aim and oifort bo elevated. Or again the progress of a holy life may be unfolded p.nd traced out through its different successive stages, the cleansing from sin, the illumination by grace aud the formation of the christian virtues up to the highest degrees of union with God. Or once more ; Sin may be viewed in its origin, its nature, its working, its aggravation, its end in this life and in the life to come, and so may be brought homo more iiuiividualb o the conscience, repen- tance be deepened and moreeaujcst endeavours after a purer life Ije stirred. I bring forward these suggestions, as in such proposed clerical associations I take it that one main object is, or at any rate should be, that of awakening, deepening, or directing through God's grace the higher and nobler convictions and aspirations of the soul. If they are to be more business or debating meetings, sucli suggestions would of course be superfluous. In the event of the meeting being prolonged to a Second Day I would propose that it should be occupied entirely with the spiritiuil or devotional side, wliich formed my second division of the subject matter of thepresentquestion.Without presuming for one moment to assert that there is amongst us a spiritual apathy, for on such a point each soul must give its own answer, I would stillexpress the fear that there is and must over bo the possibility of such apathy over-reaching us. The cares and anxieties of our social as distinguished from our clerical life ; the non-interest, reacting upon ourselves, witnessed as the more manifest result of our ministration, the great individual risk wo run, and irreat indeed it is. rav 12 ^ bretlircn, of coming to use the Ohurcli'3 offices mecha' Tj/t'c^/^y, all tend if not 'm apathy at any rate to a hick of spiritual mindedness and devotion, Avhich perhaps more than myself can bear witness to. For tlio repelling of thi?, call it ajtaihy or deadness or what not, I would counsel a second dav to our Clerical Association Mcetini's. Willi the first devoted to [)ractical Parish or Diocesan niatters and study, let the second be one which by its devotional cha- racter tiold'i^ may give comfort to all, aid and ?up})ort to those who need it, and revive and rekindle the courage and strength of thos^ who, even though clergymen, feel that they have yet to fight the battle against the old foes, the worlds the jlcsh and the deail. Such a day I would ai'porlion thus : lx^,>;inning as the first day and followed as it by the Holy Communion, after an hour's letirement I would prop'vse a meditntion npou some such subject as I have suggested above; to be followed in the afternoon or even- ing by Evensong, witli a practical exhortation, whose eud shall be no? mere temporary excitement, or abstract con- t,'mp!alioii, or an_v mere intellectual study, but :). true, rcal^ blessed result, a soli