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■'l^r-r-jg;^^-- •■' 
 
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 A CHARGE, 
 
 BlUTISID TO mi 
 
 CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF MONTREAL, 
 
 \'^ 
 
 On th* 20tli Tannary, 1858, 
 
 1 I 
 
 ! 
 
 THE PRIMARY VISITATION, 
 
 HELD M 
 
 0]^ ffatJb^Dral ^^wctft of i^ntvi*!. 
 
 '>'r > 
 
 BY FRANCIS FULFORD, D.D., 
 
 LOBD BMHOP OF MONTUAL. 
 
 9uiIUl|<)f at tl^e xetpntit of ffft CIrrss ontr ftatts fteitnt on 
 
 MONTREAL : 
 
 nUNTKD BT JOHN LOVELL, AT HIS STEAM-FRINTINO KSTABLISHMKMT, 
 
 ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 
 
 1852. 
 
 >.■' 
 
V t ■ 
 
 1 
 
 
A CHARGE, 
 
 *•. fti. tu. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Mt Reverend Brethren, 
 
 The Primary Viaitation of the Bishop of a new Diocese mark» 
 an important epoch in our < ^clesiastical annals ; and I doubt not 
 that we all have looked forward to this occasion of our assembling 
 together with no small degree of interest and anxiouH expectation. 
 May the Spirit of Wisdom from above, and the Spirit of Love 
 and of Strength rest upon us all, and overrule our purposes and 
 deliberations, now and always, to the glory of God, the edification 
 of the Church, and the salvation of our own souls. 
 
 It is my wish, in the first place, to direct your attention to the 
 real position, which, as members of the United Church of England 
 and Ireland, we occupy in this Diocese. While spiritually we 
 are identified with the Church in the mother-country, — emanating 
 from her, using the same liturgy, subscribing the same articles, 
 blessed with the same apostolic ministry, visibly forming part of 
 the same ecclesiastical body, and claiming as our own all her 
 mighty champions, confessors, and martyrs — yet in a political 
 sense, and as regards temporalities, and everything that is under- 
 stood by a legal establishment, or as conferring special privileges 
 above other religious communities, we are in a totally dissimilar 
 situation. Whether it ever was contemplated in these respects 
 to carry out the theory of the Church of England in Canada, 
 certainly it never has been practically effected ; politically con- 
 sidered, we exist but as one of many religious bodies, consisting of 
 such persons as may voluntarily declare themselves to be members 
 of our Church ; and who thus associate together because they 
 are agreed upon certain principles and doctrines, according to 
 which they believe it to have been from the beginning the rule of 
 the Church to serve and worship God. The abstract truth of 
 any religious principles or doctrines in no way depends on the 
 
 r 
 
/ 
 
 \ 
 
 I . #1^' . 
 
 degree of countenance which they may receive from the autho- 
 rities of the State, nor can there be the slightest advantage or 
 wisdom, but quite the reverse, in putting forward claims of the 
 nature above mentioned, which we cannot fully substantiate, and 
 which, circumstanced as we are here, if they \%ere to be granted 
 to us to-day, it must be absolutely absurd for\us to expect to 
 maintain. ' 
 
 But while we have been held to be identical with thjj Church 
 in England, this practical and essential difference in our political 
 and legal position has never been provided for ; and the conse- 
 quence has been, that we have lost the administrative power provid- 
 ed for the Church by its legal establishment at home, and none has 
 been supplied, adapted to our condition here. We seem to have 
 been deprived of the ecclesiastical law of England, and have not 
 been provided with any recognized and effectual means of self- 
 government for those, who associate themselves together as 
 members of our communion in Canada. The only alternative has 
 been to seek a remedy in the discretionary exercise of Episcopal 
 rule and superintendence ; an alternative, which is A<!)1f^l\v|^ 
 available in all cases, aqd which, by casting too ninch weight and 
 responsibility upon the individual judgment and discretion of the 
 Bishop, has a tendency to deprive his decisions of much of that 
 influence and authority which ought to attach to all the acts of 
 the ecclesiastical body. 
 
 It cannot be thought unreasonable that we should all anxiously 
 seek a remedy for this evil. Tt was a full consciousness of our 
 unsatisfactory slate in this respect that influenced the. Bishops 
 assembled at Quebec at our recent Episcopal Conference, when 
 we unanimously agreed, amongst others, to a resolution expressing 
 opinions almost identical with those which we lately embodied in 
 the proceedings of our " Church Society," at one of the meetings 
 of the Central Board, viz : " That in consequence of the anoma- 
 lous state of the Church of England in these Colonies with 
 reference to its general government, and the doubts entertained 
 as to the validity of any code of ecclesiastical law, the Bishops 
 of these Dioceses experience great difficulty in acdng in accord- 
 ance with their episcopal commission and prerogatives, and their 
 decisions are liable to misconstruction, as if emanating from their 
 
mdiv'dual will, and not irom the general body of the Churoh ; 
 and that therefore it was considered desirable that the Bisbo^s, 
 Clergy, «nd Laity of the Church of England, in eadi Diocese, 
 should nteet together in Synod at such times and in such manner 
 a« may be agreed : the laity meeting by representation, and that 
 their representatives must be communicants/' I most firmly 
 believe that a provision, such as is thus recommended, for the 
 purpose of supplying sufficient means of self-government for the 
 Church, (having reference o[ course only to those who, by volun- 
 tarily joining our communion, must of course be subject to its 
 rules), would not only have the happiest influence on the Church 
 at large, but would also strengthen the true and legitimate 
 influence of the Bishop, and cause increased reverence and 
 roHpect for his office and authority. 
 
 The learned Thorndike, a divine by no means inclined to make 
 light of the universally acknowledged law of the Primitive Church, 
 that " without the Bishop nothing was to be done," thus expressed 
 his opinions, writing just two hundred years ago :* " But if the 
 '•' rank of Bishops over their presbyters be not only a just human 
 " ordinance, but estated in possession of sixteen hundred years, 
 " without deceit or violence at the beginning, let me have 
 '< leave to think it will be hard to show a better title of human 
 ** right for any estate upon the earth. How much more when 
 <' the possession is avouched to have been delivered from the 
 " hands and time of the Apostles, must it needs seem strange 
 " that the successors of their place should be destroyed by the 
 " sons of their faith. ♦ • « He that acknowledgeth, and is 
 "^ glad to see these heads stand in their right place, looking back 
 " upon their beginning, which was to succeed the Apostles over 
 " several presbyteries, in the place which they held over all for 
 « the time, must needs miss their relatives, the bodies of these 
 " presbyteries in the government of the Churches, • • • • 
 " joining them with and under the Bishops, for assistance in all 
 " parts of the office hitherto proved common to both. ♦ • • • 
 " He that aimeth at the primitive form, and that which cometh 
 « nearest the institution of our Lord and His Apostles, must 
 
 • Thomdike'a " Primitive Qorennaent of Cborches," ch. lav. 
 
" not think of destroying Bishops, but of restoring their pres- 
 " byteries." 
 
 The exact details of any measure, making provision for some 
 sufficient ecclesiastical government and rule, need not be every- 
 where and at all times identical, but it should be effectual. It 
 cannot be reasonable or just for so large a body, as our Colonial 
 Church now is, to be leA in its present anomalous and unprovided 
 state. And from the first all ecclesiastical discipline and govern- 
 ment seems always, as Churches became settled, to have partaken 
 of a Diocesan character, in due subordination to the decrees and 
 canons of the Church, as set forth in national, provincial, or 
 general councils, and to the authorities and order of the particu- 
 lar body, ecclesiastical as well as civil, of which they formed a part, 
 so that the general unity might not be broken. " Ridiculum est di- 
 cere," (writes St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, when asked to in- 
 terfere in the concerns of another Bishop's Diocese), " quasi ad me 
 " pertineat cura propria nisi Hipponensis erclesio;. In aliis 
 " eniir civitatibus tantum agimus, quod ad ecclesiam pertinet, 
 '' quantum vel nos permittunt, vel nobis imponunt earundem 
 '' civitatum episcopi fratres et consacerdotto nostri."* 
 
 But whatever may be the ecclesiastical constitution of the 
 Church to which we belong, whatever provision may be made 
 for its self-government, however suitably adapted to the circum- 
 stances in which we are placed in relation to the civil powers, 
 and our fellow-citizens around us, it is still for us, my Reverend 
 Brethren, to remember that, under any circumstances, no blessing 
 can be looked for upon our Zion, no growth and increase of 
 spiritual life within her courts, unless there be also present with 
 us faithful, godly, and laborious ministers, God's Remembrancers, 
 Watchmen in Israel, who shall bear witness for the truth by their 
 lives, as well as by their doctrine, and point out to their flocks 
 the way to heaven by walking in it themselves. The teaching of 
 Gospel truths in the preaching, and the exemplification of Gospel 
 obedience in the lives of the ministers of Christ are a great and 
 
 * S. August Opera. Tom : ii. 66. " It is absurd to say that I can have any 
 charge, except in what relates to the Church in the Diocese of Hippo. In 
 other cities we only act so &r, in what relates to ecclesiastical afhirs, as our 
 brethren the Bishops of those cities, and our associates in our holy oflice- 
 either permit us or lay upon us a du^." 
 
powerful means, in the hand of the Lord, for pulling down the 
 strong holds of Satan and establishing the kingdom of God. But 
 while publishing to others " the glad tidings** of salvation, let us 
 for ourselves ** make our own calling and election sure ;*' let us 
 strive to observe that steady consistency of character in our 
 general conversation, that gravity of deportment that becomes 
 our holy office ; and ** keep our own bodies under, and bring them 
 into subjection, lest while preaching to others we ourselves be- 
 come castaways."* Besides being our interest, this is our bounden 
 duty for promoting the success of our ministry ; since, whatever 
 grace may attach to direct ministerial acts, " which be effectual, 
 because of Christ's institution and promise,"t yet the prayers of 
 an ungodly man can be of little use to others, and no unction can 
 be hoped for to descend on the people from the skirts of our gar- 
 ments, unless we ourselves have received an anointing from above. 
 Moreover, unless we have analyzed the tear of penitence when 
 dropping from our own eye, how can we recognize it when be- 
 dewing a brother's cheek, unless we ourselves have taste^I of the 
 bread of life, how can we describe to others its strengthening 
 powers, unless we have drank of the fountain of life, how tell 
 them of its cleansing and refreshing virtues, unless we ourselves 
 " have been with Jesus," and with Him, " entered within the veil,"} 
 how can we enlarge upon the excellence of His communion, the 
 fulness of His temple, or the splendours of His throne ? 
 
 The office and the work of the Ministers of the Church are 
 tiius strikingly described by one of our poets : — 
 
 "There stands ihe me88<)nffer of truth : there Btands 
 The l^te of the skies I — iQs theme divine, 
 His office sacred, his credentials clear. 
 By him the violated law speaks out 
 Its thunders ; and bv him in strains as sweet 
 As angels use, the Ooepel whispers peace. 
 He 'stablishes the strong, restores the weak, 
 Reclaims the wanderer, binds the broken heart i 
 And arm'd himself in panoply complete 
 , Of heav'nly temper, furnishes with arms. 
 Bright as "his own, and trains, by ey'ry rule 
 Of holy dicipline, to glorious war, 
 The sacramental host of God's elect.''^ 
 
 • 1 Cor. ix 21. 
 
 t Articles of Religion, zzrl 
 § Cowper's Taak : Book 2. 
 
 X Heb.TLl9. 
 
 J' 
 
 ill 
 
8 
 
 But we mmt lock at the duties of the clergy, not only towardf 
 tfkoee wHhin our own cc mmunion, but nlso towanla those who 
 tre without. The visible unity uf the body of Christ is marred 
 by the sine and weakness of man, and the unbeliever and the 
 ungodly drew from thence much encouragement to gainsay the 
 truths of revelation, and the plain requirements of the law of God. 
 If, therefore, the diflferenees that exist between various religious 
 communities, are not thought of materia) importance, they must 
 surely appear to us to be unjustifiable and sinful ; if, however, 
 we think ourselvo6 justified in maintaining them, we oughtto be 
 fully persuaded in our own minds of the grounds upon which they 
 are fcunded. But in all such questions let it be our care still to 
 maintain our Christian charity, to contend for truth, not for vic- 
 tory : to condemn, not persons, but their errors, and to be far 
 more diligent in declaring positive truths, than in denouncing the 
 belief or practice of our neighbours. A little religion is very apt 
 to engender a violent spirit of partizanship, a larger measure of 
 grace and knor^tedge, while it confirms us in our own position 
 on better and clearer grounds, teaches us also more correctly in 
 what way we ought to act towards others. " We have just enough 
 religion, (says an excellent author,) to make us hate, but not 
 enough to make us love one another."* '< If we establish truth, 
 error will fall of itself, not immediately perhaps, but gradu Jly and 
 finally. Belief cannot be forced. To attempt it will only gener- 
 ate hostility. But by the exercise of Christian virtues, by up- 
 holding the truth with meekness and gentleness, by putting the 
 most candid construction upon the motives of them that be in 
 error, by inducing them to view the truth from other points than 
 those to which education or habit have accustomed them ; — by 
 such methods will the Christian Religion be most successfully 
 propagated."! If you endeavour to cultivate such a spirit, no 
 one, whose opinion is worth listening to, will ever think the worse 
 of you for being faithful to the specific principles of the commun- 
 ion to which you belong, or for being anxious to act up to the 
 tenor of your ordination vows. Far otherwise ; be assured that 
 
 * Quoted in the 46l8t No. the Spectator, 
 f Janris's " Church of the Redeemed:" Preface p. ziy. 
 
 !»■. ,)tft;, 
 
I* 
 
 your truth and conHistency will gain rospcct and confidence, your 
 Christian moderation and charity will win love and aoulii. 
 
 The controversy between the Church of England and the 
 Church of Roine, from particularcircumstanceH, has been renewed 
 with increasing earnestness of late years ; and as we cannot but 
 be deeply interested in every point at issue between them, so in 
 particular are we, no less than our brethren in England, concerned 
 in the question of the validity of the authority, in virtue of which 
 the Pope has recently made several high ecclcsiaaticnl appoint- 
 ments in England. On the validity of the authority thus assumed 
 rests the whole fabric of the Romish Church. 
 
 The question really at issue is the Supremacy of the Pope : a 
 Supremacy not held to consist in a meie superiority of rank, 
 power or jurisdiction, such as have been, or are exercised by 
 patriarchal or metropolitical Sees over other Bishops and Clergy, 
 but in the fact that the Bishop of Rome, as successor of St. Peter, 
 is the one Universal Bishop, Christ's Vicegerent and sole Repre- 
 sentative on earth, the only channel of grace, and that therefore, 
 except as deriving through him there can be no Church, no grace, 
 no salvation. If this assumption be true, no doubt it must be wrong 
 on any grounds to refuse submission* ; but if it be without founda- 
 tion then may we feel not only justified, but, because of such 
 assumption so much the more, bound to maintain those reformed 
 doctrines and usages which we believe to be confirmed by the 
 
 " * I am satisfied that a groat many of the Laity of tbo Roman Catholic? 
 do not know the doctrines. It is a rule of thoir Church, '' I iiave understood, 
 that it is not necessary for its followers to know exact.^ what its doctrines 
 are. There is what is called an implicit faith, admitted according to the 
 eetablisht'd principles of that Church; and if a person can say, "I believe 
 all which the Church believes and teaches," he is not required to explain 
 what that is. Tliis sufficiently signifies that be is docile, and devoted to the 
 authoritv of his Church ; and this, as I unuerstand, is considered the great 
 virtue ot the Roman Catholic Religion. To explain myself further, I can 
 conceive that a per-^on may hold all the doctrines belonging to the Roman 
 Catholic Church, excepting whatever is connected with the Supremacy of 
 the Pope ; and yet if he had drawn these doctrines by the force and exer- 
 cise of hid own judgment from the investigation of the Scriptures, he would 
 not he acknowleaged as a person within tlie pule of their communion. He 
 would not be connected with the body of the Church, as not being connected 
 with its head. I rather tiiink that he would be pronounced, from his not 
 yielding in the one point of submittiug to the Supremacy of the Pope, and 
 the authority of the Church, as a person to whom by the rules of ^hat 
 Church, salvation must be denied." Archbishop Mageia evidence before the 
 Howe of Peers, quo*«d in the notes to the Christian Institutes, vol. iv, p. 7S. 
 
10 
 
 r 
 
 written Word of God, and to have the witness also and testimony 
 of the Church from the beginning. 
 
 It itf not now my purpose to go into the details of this argument, 
 but I will just refer to a passage in the late '< Apostolical letter of 
 Pope Pius IX, re-establishing the Episcopal Hierarchy in England." 
 
 After alluding to '< the Power of governing the Universal 
 " Church entrusted by our Lord Jesus to the Roman Pontiff," it 
 sets forth that " the records of England bear witness that from the 
 '< first ages of the Church, the Christian religion was carried into 
 « Britain, and that it afterwards flourished there very greatiy ; but 
 " that towards the middle of the fifth century after the Anglo- 
 " Saxons had been called into that Island, not only the common- 
 " wealth, but religion also was seen to fall into the most deplorable 
 " condition. But it is recorded that our most Holy Predecessor, 
 « Gregory the Great, immediately sent thither the Moniw Augus- 
 " tine." The first connection of the Church in England with the 
 Church and Bishop of Rome was commenced by the Mission of 
 Augustine, thus referred to in the Pope's letter. At the same time 
 it is a well-established historical fact that though the Anglo-Saxon 
 inhabitants were heathens and idol-worshippers, yet that there 
 still existed in the mountains of Wales, and the West of England, 
 where they had been driven by their conquerors, a primitive 
 Church, the same which the Pope mentions as having " from the 
 " first been carried 'nto Britain and which flourished there very 
 greatly;" which Church was presided over by seven Bishops of their 
 own, who met Augustine in conference soon after his arrival, in the 
 year 596. Moreover they asserted their right to continue their 
 own ecclesiastical customs, having never read in the Bible, or 
 been taught as an Apostolic rule, that they owed any special 
 obedience to the See of Ilome. And it is furthermore a circum- 
 stance not to be forgotten that Gregory the Great himself, the 
 very Bishop of Some, who sent over this Missionary to the Anglo- 
 Saxons, most pointedly declares the unlawfulness of any one 
 Bishop setting up a claim to Supremacy, or assuming the title of 
 Universal Bishop. " Therefore (he says writing to the Em- 
 peror Mauritius) I am bold to say, that vhoever uses or affects 
 the style of Universal Bishop, has the priae and character of 
 Anti-Christ, and is in some measure his harbinger in this haughty 
 
11 
 
 ^fnfllUy of motihting himself above the rest of his oi^er. Ahd 
 indeed, both the one and the other seem to split upon the samd 
 rock. For as pride makes Anti-Christ strain his pretensions up 
 to Godhead, so whoever is ambitious to be called the only oir 
 universal prelate, prefers himself to a distinguishing superiority » 
 and rises, as it were, upon the ruins of the rest." And again he 
 writes, " if that Universal Prelate should happen to miscarry, the 
 v^hole Church must sink with him."* vr;n » 
 
 It would be easy to bring a multitude of examples to prove 
 that whatever deference may generally have been T)aid by the 
 Western Church (for the Eastern Church has in all ages wit- 
 nessed against the Papal claims) to the Bishop of Rome, as being 
 the chief Ecclesiastical authority in the ancient capital of the Em- 
 pire, still obedience or submission to his authority or decisions, 
 was never held as a necessary article of faith, or his supremacy 
 acknowledged ; but I will only instance one special case, and 
 that occurring in the middle of the third century ; when under 
 the presidency of no less a man than St. Cyprian, Bishop of Car- 
 thage, a Synod of 85 African Bishops, with the Priests and Dea- 
 cons, (much people also being present) was assembled at Carthage, 
 to determine the question of the validity of the Baptism of Here- 
 tics ; and it was unanimously decided against the judgment of Step- 
 phen, then Bishop of Rome, and the custom of that Church.f 
 And the great St. Augustine differing from Cyprian upon a point 
 connected with the same question, quotes approvingly Cyprian's 
 own words to show, that no one Bishop has a right to impose 
 his opinion, as binding upon the rest. " Non solum ergo mihi 
 salvo jure communionis adhuc verum quserere, sed et diversum 
 sentire concedit. Neque enim quisquam nostrum (inquit Cypri- 
 anus) episcopum se episcoporum constituit, aut tyrannico 
 terrore ad obsequendi necessitaterh coUegas suos adigit."J And it 
 does scom extraordinary if it be as binding on the conscience to 
 
 * CoUier'a Ecclesiastical History, Book 2. 
 
 JPodie'e Life of St Cyprian, p. i06. 
 St. Augustine : Opera, Tom. 9 110. " lie not only therefore grants to 
 me the right, without any breach of our full communion, to search out 
 the tmth in this particular, but also to differ from him. For none of oa 
 (says Cyprian) seta himself up as a Bishop of Bishops, or binds down his 
 colleagues, by any tyrannical assumption of authority, to a compulsory 
 obedvence." 
 
 i ' 
 
It 
 
 Kl i 
 
 believe in the aupremjicy of the Pope as it is in the atonement of 
 Jesus Christ, that it is left in Scripture to be supported by the 
 slender testimony of one or two passages of doubtful interpreta- 
 tion ; and that St Paul in all his preaching never hints at such a 
 necessity, while he specially sets it forth as a claim tu considera- 
 tion, and mark of his faithfulness, that he had withstood St. Peter 
 to the face, when he thought him in error.* " And is it not 
 marvellous (asks Dr. Barrow, in his matchless and unrefuted 
 treatise on this subject) that Origen, St. Hilary, St. Cyril, St. 
 Chrysostome, St. Hierome, St. Austin, in their commentaries and 
 tractates upon those places of Scripture, " Tu es Petrus," " Pasce 
 oves," whereon they now build the papal authority, should be so 
 dull and drowsy as not to say a word concerning the Popc."t 
 
 The rejection of this unwarranted usurpation of authority over 
 all other Churches by the Bishop of Rome, was the first actual 
 step, and practically the most important one, in the Iveformation 
 of the English Church in the 16th century ; and being thus set 
 free from all foreign jurisdiction, and consequently from any 
 necessary submission to every custom, or belief in every doctrine, 
 which may happen at the time to be in force at Rome and to 
 have the papal sanction, the Church in England was able to con- 
 sider in detail what further reforms either in doctrine or discipline 
 were required. It was not a work completed at once, or by one 
 generation of men ; but in the end it resulted in two inestimable 
 blessings, which we now possess as our inheritance, which have 
 preserved to us " the truth once delivered to ihe saints ;" and 
 which, I trust, we shall faithfully hand down to those that come 
 after us. 
 
 The first and greatest of these blessings was the Bible, which 
 now once more received its due reverence and regard; and, 
 having been translated into the language known and used by the 
 people, was placed by command in all churches and places of 
 public worship, that it might be read by all for their guidance and 
 comfort, and be referred to by all who, respecting aiiy matters of 
 faith or doctrine, vvrished to " search the Scriptures to see whether 
 these things were so."t And it is the great excellence of the 
 
 • G&L 2. 1 1. t Christian Institutes, vol. 4. page 1 60. t Acts, zviL 1 1. 
 
13 
 
 11 
 
 f^^i 
 
 Church, to which we belong, that, in all her formularies and 
 articles, she shrinks from no enquiry, and fears no comparison 
 with the Written Word ; and teaches expressly in hsr 6th Arti- 
 cle, that " Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salva- 
 tion, so that -Arhatsoever is not read therein, nor may proved 
 thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should bo 
 believed as an Article uf Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary 
 to Salvation." ^^;' -' i . r 
 
 The other blessing I refer to is " The Book of Common Pray- 
 er," which S'^rves not only as our guide and assistant in public 
 worship, and in most simple and spiritual language leads us with 
 one mind and one voice to praise and worship God ; but it also 
 provides us with confessions of faith, and standards of doctrinal 
 truth, by means of which the maintenance of a full and pure 
 system of Christian belief is always preserved, and the Gospel- 
 message necessarily set forth before men. 
 
 The weakness of man, is so extreme, the temptation to evil so 
 great, and false doctrine so agreeable to our natural inclination, 
 that we may truly bless God that we have not been lefl, each of 
 us to search out for himself, without such a guide to help us, the great 
 and essential truths contained in the Word of God.* And when 
 we number up the amount of the ever-varying and increasing 
 interpretations affixed to the same passages of Scripture, and 
 affecting most important doctrines : and when we so often hear 
 of the falling away of whole congregations, as well as of individuals, 
 from the faith, which once they believed and maintained, we 
 
 • " Q. What need we catechisms, while we have the Bible ? 
 
 A. Because the Bible contains all the whole body of religious truth, which 
 the ripest Christian should know, but are not all of equal necessity to sal- 
 yation with the greatest points, and it cannot be expected that ignorant per- 
 sons can cull out these most necessary points from the rest without help. 
 A man is not a man without a head ana heart, but he may be a man if he 
 lose a finger or a hand, but not an entire man, nor a comely man without hair, 
 nails, and nature's ornaments. So a man cannot be a Christian or a good 
 and happy man, without the great, most necessary points in the Bible, nor 
 an entire Christian without the rest. Life and death lieth not on all points 
 alike, and the skilful must gather the most necessary points for the ignorant ; 
 which is a catechism." 
 
 " Q. But are not the articles of our Church, and the confsssions of 
 Churches, their religion ! 
 
 " A. Only God's Word is our religion as the divine rule ; but our confes- 
 sions, and books, and words, and lives, show how w« understand it." — £a»' 
 ter'$ Catechiam. 
 
u 
 
 I 
 
 6ught not lightly to estimate the mercy of God in allowing ud, 
 together with the free U8C of the Written Word, to possess " the 
 Book of Common Prayer." It is true, that notwithstanding the 
 assistance and guidance thus provided for us, there will still be evils 
 to correct, and deficiencies to deplore ; — there may be also some 
 seasons of less light and less holiness than others, and individual 
 pastors may be untrue to their profession, and teach chat which is 
 contrary to the mind of the Church, and her continued faithful 
 testimony. But, as a Church, she can scarcely fall away ; she 
 bears her own unfailing witness to the same great principles and 
 doctrines ; and through the influence of her own expositions in 
 *» the Book of Common Prayer," after a time, eithei forces back, 
 as it were, her erring ones to believe and confess the truth, thus 
 set forth, " as it is in Jesus," or causes them to go out from her, 
 because they do not belong to her. The influence of such an 
 authorized exposition of the Church, so simple, so scriptural, to 
 which the Clergy are required to subscribe their unfeigned assent, 
 and pledge themselves to conform, and which serves as the gen- 
 eral Liturgy to be used in all our places of worship, caimot but 
 be most beneficial, as a standard of doctrine, and witness of the 
 identity of that Reformed Faith, which it embodies. Any mere 
 subscription to a confession of Faith, or Articles of Religion, by 
 the Clergy at their Ordination, or institution to a charge, can never 
 produce the same results. Such a subscription is an act complete 
 in itself, and testiiying to the opinions of the subscribers at thei 
 time, but carrying with it no perpetual check, and bearing no 
 audible testimony in case of subsequent unfaithfulness. Notwith- 
 Btandint; the many trials and persecutions which the Church of 
 England has undergone during the last three centuries, notwith- 
 standing the violent controversies, which occasionally, as now, 
 have been raised within her own communion, yet she still holds 
 fast to the same great Catholic Triths, continues faithful to the 
 principles upon which she was reformed, believes only what the 
 Church has always believed, and preserves her unity with the 
 whole body of Christ, " built upon the foundation of the Apostles 
 and Prophets, Jesus Christ being himself the chief corner-stone."* 
 
 Ephes. ii. 20. 
 
To you, my brethren, however, who officiate as Ministera of 
 Christ, and conduct the pubhc services of the Church, it belongs 
 to see that the people, who wait on your Ministrations, have 
 the full benefit of that provision, which has thus been made for 
 them. Let not any irreverence or carelessness, on your parts, in 
 t'le performance of your duties, lead the people to forget the 
 nature of these services, or to Whom it is that your prayers are 
 addressed. Teach them by your manner, aa well as by your 
 words, the meaning and importance of the work, in which you are 
 engaged, and that " God is very greatly to be feared in the council 
 of the Haints, and to be had in revarence of all them, that are round 
 about Him."* There is no one point perhaps (especially with 
 the mixed population amongst whom you dwell) which it is more 
 necessary to keep ever before them ; without it your " prayers 
 will be an abomination to the Lord,"f an insult to His Majesty : 
 and ih6 rich blessings of the Gospel will be an encouragement to 
 sin. However rude the building in which you may assemble for 
 divine worship, however few or humble the worshippers, •* where 
 two or three are gathered together in the name of Christ, there 
 is He present in the midst of them ;" therefore be ye very care- 
 ful how ye pray, and what ye speak. Remember that your 
 business is not merely to deliver a message or to preach certain 
 important doctrines, but to watch over your flocks and to train 
 souls for Heaven ; so that they may be fitted to join with the 
 people of God in those holy and blessed services, which will be 
 the employment and the joy of the followers of the Lamb for 
 ever and ever. ;^' 
 
 ,: In the use of *' the Prayer Book " as a standard of doctrine and 
 exposition of faith, it should be our object, as far as may be, to act 
 up to its teaching ; and to receive what it teaches in a simple and 
 literal meaning, without overstraining its words, or explaining 
 them away to suit other systems, or private interpretations. With- 
 out too curiously defining the exact extent or manner of tha ope- 
 rations of grace, we are always warranted in adhering *' to the 
 law and to the testimony " given for our use, that the Sacraments 
 are ** outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given 
 
 I !■ 
 
 * Ps. iTxxix. 7. 
 
 \ Prov. xxviii. 9. 
 
n 
 
 • i 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 unto U6, ordained by Christ Himself, as means whereby we re- 
 ceive the same, and pledges to r ure us thereto ;"* and that 
 « Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens 
 of ChriHtian men's profession, but rather they be cartain sure wit- 
 nesses and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us 
 by the which He doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quick- 
 en, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in Him/'f There is 
 nothing unreasonable in the fact that Christ works by means pro- 
 vided for our use, and by ordinances appointed by Him : but it 
 will be perverting those means, and making those ordinances of no 
 effect, if we rest in them as the end, or consider them of any force 
 or value except as leading us to Christ. As the Bible itself, from 
 Genesis to the Revelations is but the history of man's fall, and his 
 redemption by Christ, so also it is with the Church and all her 
 ministrations ; " being born in sin, and children of wrath, we are 
 hereby made children of grace," and are taught " heartily to thank 
 our heavenly Father that He hath called us to this state of salva- 
 tion ;" and to " pray unto Him to give us His Grace, that we may 
 continue in the same unto our life's end."| Whatever we do, 
 whatever ordinances we attend with an intelligent spirit, must 
 constantly remind us of the evil of sin, and of our lost estate by 
 nature, and that it is by grace only we can be saved ;§ and that 
 as our persons can only be justified for Christ's sake, so that we 
 may have access to the Father, as our reconciled God, so only by 
 the gift of the Spirit, purchased for us by Christ's blood, can we 
 ourselves be sanctified, or enabled to do that which is well pleas- 
 ing in God's sight. May we all walk worthy of this our calling 
 in Christ ; and " work out our salvation with fear and trembling, 
 because it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his 
 good pleasure."!! . 
 
 But where shall we look for a supply of those faithful, godly, 
 and laborious ministers to whom I alluded before, and without 
 whom, not only will it not avail to perfect our ecclesiastical orga- 
 nization, and make arrangement for our better government and 
 
 *Church Chatechism. f Articles of Peligion, xzr. ^Church Catecbinn, 
 §" We must note that in a Christian man there is, first, nature ; secondly- 
 eorruption perverting nature ; thirdly, grace correcting and amending cor- 
 ruption." Hooker'a Sermon. A remedy against sorrow and fear. 
 
 |PhiL ii., 12, 18. 
 
discipline, but the purity of our reforined faith will be unvalued, 
 and our public services without a blessing. In former times the 
 Church in these C'^lonies looked almost necessarily to England, 
 both for the maintenance of her ministers, and also for the minis- 
 ters themselves, who were to officiate. " Beautiful upon the 
 mountains," and amidst the woods and desolate places of Canada 
 have been " the feet " of many of those holy and self-denying 
 men, who were the first to " bring good tidings and publish 
 peace "• to the rude settlers in the wilderness — men whose names 
 live in honor amongst us, and the fruit of whose labours we are 
 now enjoying. There may, however, be reasons why we can- 
 not, if we widhed it, depend upon a continued supply from this 
 source ; and if it were available, it might not always be desirable. 
 It is impossible to estimate too highly the dignity and excel- 
 lence that in reality belongs to the character of the true mission- 
 ary ; or the importance of the work to which tJiey devote them- 
 selves, who, " counting the cost," constrained by the love of 
 Christ, have " left hi use, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mo- 
 ther, or wife, or children, or lands for His sake and the Gospel's,"! 
 that they may go forth and preach among perishing sinners '< the 
 unsearchable riches of Christ." But men of such stamp and 
 character are not to be called forth on every cry for help ; and 
 the immense extent of missionary work now carried on by the 
 Church, and the many more exciting and interesting scenes of 
 labour open before them, render it every day less likely that, if 
 such there be, they will cast in their lot with us. While to any 
 good and faithful men, (and others we cannot wish to associate 
 with us here), who have been educated, and are qualified for the 
 ministry at home, our low estate can seldom permit us to ofier 
 any thing equal to what their services deserve, and can command 
 as a remuneration in England. If then we are to have a trained 
 and educated clergy, we must look, for anything like a regular sys- 
 tematic supply, to training up a native ministry of our own. And 
 there are some advantages in such a plan, which could not be 
 obtained in any other way ; though we may not at once be able 
 to make every provision for this which seems requisite. 
 
 * laaiah lii, 1. 
 
 f Mark z, 29. 
 
18 
 
 It was hoped that by the establishment of McGill College in 
 this city, the church would have possessed an institution capable 
 of supplying us with what we require. The difBculties and dis- 
 putes, that have hitherto destroyed the usefulness of that munifi- 
 cent bequest, are much to be deplored ; and, on every public 
 ground, I sincerely wish that they may be removed and settled. 
 But whether it will ever become an efficient institution, and if so, 
 whether we shall be able to associate ouraelves with it, or other- 
 wise to provide here for the education of candidates for the min- 
 istry, it is impossible for me to say. Still, in the meantime, we 
 are not left wholly without resource. The College which the 
 Bishop of Quebec, while administering the affairs of the undivided 
 Diocese, founded at Lennoxville, in 1845, has already supplied us 
 with no less than 10 of our present clergy, — and those not the 
 least faithful of our body. And though it is not now within the 
 limits of this Diocese, it is still open for us to enjoy the benefit of 
 it, and I have myself been appointed one of its Trustees.* 
 
 There are at present 17 students resident there ; and every 
 year, receiving that increased support which it so much needs 
 and deserves, I trust, the tone and character of the institution, 
 will be rising, its usefulness more generally acknowledged, the 
 proficiency of the students more advanced, and their training 
 more complete. 
 
 Doubtless the first and most important point in that training, is 
 the formation of the students' character, that their thoughts and 
 tempers, and habits of life and conversation may be conformable 
 to the work and office, which they seek to undertake ; that they 
 may be men of thoughtful, religious, and pious minds, fully im- 
 pressed themselves with the importance of those truths, which 
 they are about to preach to others. Without this foundation no 
 superstructure of acquired knowledge can be raised of any effici- 
 ent value for the work of the ministry. And at the age of 
 
 * The two Dioceses of Quebec and Montreal, are placed upon an equal 
 footing in ererj respect, as far as is possible under the diarter. The Bisnop 
 of Quebec being constituted by the charter, Visitor of the College, the only way 
 in which the Bishop of Montreal could become o£Scially connected with it, 
 was by accepting the office of Trustee. But all the powers given to the 
 Visitor, by the nues of the College, have been given to the Bi^op of Mon- 
 treal ; and the grant of £800 sterling, for Divinity students, is enjoyed equally 
 by both Dioceses. Another of the Trustees also belongs to this Diocese. 
 
twenty-three years, the earliest at which any candidate can be 
 presented for Deacon's orders, whatever practical experience 
 may be wanting, the character in all essentials ought to be formed, 
 and the choice made. But though this be especially necessary, 
 we must not undervalue the importance of possessing, if possible, 
 a learned; as well as a pious clergy. It is true that there may be 
 spheres of duty, in which classical acquirements may seem un- 
 necessary, and erudition thrown away ; but when all the world 
 is agitated by an enquiring spirit, when all those around us are 
 making progress in knowledge, when truth is assailed on every 
 side, and by every weapon, when new forms of controversy are 
 forced upon us, or old ones reproduced, it becomes us to look well 
 to all our armour ; to be " the scribe instructed unto the kingdom 
 of heaven, who is like unto a man that is an householder, which 
 brought forth out of his treasures things new and old,"* and we 
 must " be ready always to give an answer to every man that 
 asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us."t 
 
 The proverb, no doubt, still holds good that a " prophet has 
 no honour in his own country," and especiaUy it is too much the 
 custom in many quarters to look with a disparaging eye upon 
 every thing of Colonial growth, in comparison with productions 
 of the Mother Country. But if we never for an instant can pretend 
 to put ourselves in competition with the valued and time-honoured 
 institutions of England, we may yet be able to train candidates 
 for the ministry, who shall in every respect equal most of those 
 who may be likely, under present circumstances, to be sent out 
 to us from home, as missionaries or candidates for ordination. 
 And we moreover shall then ourselves know well all their quali- 
 fications and character ; and if we know their weaknesses and 
 filings,, we shall also know to what we have to trust in them as 
 grounds of hope and expectation of usefulness. They themselves 
 also will have this further advantage, that they will be well 
 acquainted with the country and the people, with their habits of 
 of life and thoughts ; and will be prepared with more accurate 
 knowledge to enter, (if it prove necessary,) upon any controversies, 
 which may be prevalent here, but which may be comparatively 
 
 •Matt xiii. 62. 
 
 f 1. Pet iii. 15. 
 

 i ' 
 
 unknown or unheeded in England. And above all they will be 
 fully i^live to the nature of the work, which they are undertaking, 
 and enter upon it with a full conaciousness of its trials and diffi" 
 culties, and will therefore be more likely to rest satisfied with 
 their lot. Indeed, when I witness the spheres of labour in which 
 our clergy may be called to officiate ; where they must oflen be 
 " hoping against hope," patiently toiling *' for souls that will not 
 be redeemed," cut off from all those who can appreciate and 
 and sympathize with their previous tastes and habits, with many 
 an anxious intruding thought as to the future prospects of those 
 around them in their own family, I cannot but feel how essential 
 it is that they should be men of strong and settled faith, who in 
 humble dependence upon God are satisfied to do His will, com- 
 mitting to Him all their ways, laying up their treasure with their 
 heart in heaven. For men of such a spirit, " the wilderness and 
 the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and 
 blossom as the rose."* Whilst we, if we be otherwise minded, 
 though now we may be had in honour, and our cup may seem 
 full, shall give way to them " in the regeneration," and " begin 
 with shame to take the lowest place." There is some excellent 
 advice bearing upon this point in a short passage from Bishop 
 Taylor's " Holy Living," which will not be out of place for any 
 of us : " God is master of the scenes ; we must not choose which 
 part we shall act ; it concerns us only to be careful that we do it 
 well, always saying, if this please God, let it be as it is : and we 
 who pray that God's " will may be done on Earth as it is in 
 Heaven," must remember that the angels do whatsoever is com- 
 manded them, and go wherever they are sent, and refuse no cir- 
 cumstances ; and if their employment be crossed by a higher 
 decree, they sit down in peace and rejoice in the event ; and 
 when the angel of Judeea could not prevail on behalf of the peo- 
 ple committed to his charge, because the angel of Persia opposed 
 it ;f he only told the story at the command of God, and was as 
 content, and worshipped with as great an ecstasy in his proportion 
 as the prevailing spirit. Do thou so likewise : keep the station 
 where God hath placed you, and you shall never long for things 
 
 *lBaiah zzxy. 1. 
 
 f Dan. z. 18. 
 
I 
 
 ft 
 
 without, but flit at home foaoting upon the Divine Providence, and 
 thy own reason, by which we are taught that it is necessary and 
 reasonable to submit to Ood.'* 
 
 I shall dismiss this subject with one remark respecting " testi- 
 monials," specially those required by all candidates for orders. 
 The Church has carefully provided that there shall be every 
 possible means taken to prevent improper persons intruding into 
 the holy office of the ministry. It is hardly possible for the Bishop 
 himself to know intimately the private life of every candidate; 
 but three clergymen, or tutors of his College, must in the case 
 of every one offering himself, certify "that having been personally 
 " known to them for three years last past, and Jiaving Juid aiyportu- 
 " nities of observing his conduct, they verily believe him to have 
 " lived piously, soberly, honestly, &c., and that in their consciences 
 " they believe him to be, as to his moral conduct, a person worthy 
 " to be admitted to the sacred order of Deacon."* Public notice 
 is also given in church, in the place where the candidate usually 
 resides, calling upon " any person who knows any just cause or 
 " impediment, why he should not be ordained, to declare the 
 " same to the Bishop." Now these were not meant to be mere 
 unmeaning forms ; and I consider by granting testimonials on any 
 occasion, and specially for this purpose, that you are performing 
 a most sacred and solemn duty, upon the due discharge of which 
 must rest most serious and important consequences to the welfare 
 of the church and the salvation of men. 
 
 There are many other topics of deep interest and concern, 
 upon which I might naturally on this occasion have wished to 
 address some observations to you ; but some of these I have 
 recently made subjects of remark in my " Pastoral Letter ;" and 
 others have been carefully considered at the Episcopal Conference 
 held at Quebec in October last, the minutes of which will, I ex- 
 pect, shortly bo laid before you. I should otherwise not now 
 pass over without separate and grateful acknowledgment the 
 operations of " the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel" in 
 this Diocese. One department, however, there is which presses 
 most seriously upon our attention, and which bears immediately 
 
 * Form of Testimonial. 
 
22 
 
 'I » 
 
 upon, anil in scarcely scconil to, your own direct ministerial dutiei } 
 I mean that uf Cotnmon Scfiools for the great body of the people. 
 The system, which haH lately been pursued in connection with 
 the grants made by the Provincial Government, has proved very 
 generally to have failed in cfTccting any practical good, or in satis- 
 fying the just expectations of the people, at least, in those parts 
 of the country which I have visited. But we ought to bear in 
 mind that such a work must be attended with considerable dif- 
 ficulty, to superintend it and carry it into operation successfully 
 on any general plan. The impossibility of obtaining a due supply 
 of competent teachers is one great obstacle at present ; but this 
 will, it is to bo hoped, be in some measure obviated before long, 
 by the establishment of a Normal School in this city, at which 
 they may be trained and taught. Then in many of the country 
 districts persons can scarcely be found, who are qualified and 
 willing to net as Members of the Boards of Management ; or if 
 they so act, it is not always perhaps with due impartiality. I 
 may think that more interest would be excited, and a better su- 
 pervision oflen exercised, and more liberal help from private 
 means oilen elicited, if greater facilities were oiTered for connecting 
 these schools, where practicable, with particular churches. But 
 whatever be the plan adopted, I hope we shall be anxious to 
 assist in the great work of educating the people ; and not unfairly 
 raise difficulties or objections, because we cannot have every thing 
 settled afler our own plans, if the government take the matter up 
 in a liberal and equitable manner, and provide some efficient 
 system of inspection to certify that the public money, annually 
 voted for education, does really help forward the great object for 
 which it is given. We all must be convinced that in a country 
 like this where every thing is in a transition state, and full of pro- 
 gressive developemcnt, — where the rude settler of to-day, rapidly 
 becoming a thriving landholder, is before many years of\en th9 
 chief inhabitant of his district, — it is no unimportant matter to the 
 state, as well as to ^he individuals, that his rising family should 
 receive such an education as may qualify them to fulfil those 
 duties of citizenship and those offices in the state, which must 
 necessarily devolve upon them. Let us, as Churchmen, do all 
 we can ourselves effectually to promote this necessary work, with 
 
28 
 
 8U- 
 
 whatovor machinery tlio moans nt our (liMposal may furniHli us ; 
 and lot us rcjoico to seo that done by others, which we cannot 
 do ourselves, if only it bo done sufficiently. Our Diocesan Churtik 
 Sanety having been so fully brought under your coniiideration 
 already, I need not further allude to it now, than to any that tliis 
 work of education is its especial province, if we con from any 
 quarter obtain means for actively engaging in it. 
 
 The subject of " the Clergy Reserves" is still made matter of 
 discussion, and will no doubt be again brought before Parliament 
 during the ensuing Session. The amount which wo receive fiom 
 that source is not very largo, though fur more than wo should 
 wish to lose. But a greater question seems nt issue in connection 
 with this matter, than one merely involving certain pccuniaiy 
 considerations. If this grant, originally made for the maintenance 
 of the Protestant Religion, and ratified repeatedly by every form 
 of law, and by the authority of both the Imperial and Provincial 
 Parliaments, is not to be kept for the special purpose of its ori- 
 ginal appropriation, upon what principle arc any religious endow- 
 ments ever to be held sacred, or what reliance is to be placed in 
 the security of property in those Provinces, or what faith in 
 Legislation t 
 
 Also with regard to the two Church Bills which passed through 
 the Provincial Legislature last session, the one for the Incorpora- 
 tion of our Church Society y and the other making provision for 
 the Management of tfte Church TemporcUities of this Diocese, it 
 is evident that the principles upon which they wore opposed must 
 lead to the overthrow of all acts of Incorporation for religious pur- 
 poses. We wish not to interfere with others ; we only ask for 
 powers sufficient to enable us to manage satisfactorily our own 
 temporalities ; and it really seems a greater act of injustice to us 
 to deny us this request, because some parties object to all such in- 
 corporations, than it can be an injury or a grievance to others, 
 that it should be granted.* 
 
 *Wbile these bills if ere nnder discussion in the House of Assembly, they 
 received the decided and candid support of the Hon. Mr. Lafontaine, (the 
 
 ¥remier of the late minlBtry, and a Roman Catholic,) aud of the Hon. Mr. 
 lincks, (the premier of the present ministry, and a Unitarian.) Mr. Hincks 
 wlien speaking in £EiTour of tnem said : " lliere was unfortunately a strong 
 feeling affainst the Church jf England, and he deeply r^retted it. He was de- 
 termined that he would endeavour to do justice to ue (^urch of England. He 
 
I 
 
 V 
 
 V I' 
 
 tt 
 
 Finally, my Bev. Brethren, if the present be \^th us in many 
 ways " a day of small things," it is also, I feel sure, a day of hope j 
 if we are conscious of our weakness we must only be led by it 
 more earnestly, in dependence on God's blessing, to seek to 
 « strengthen the things that remain." But although we be little 
 among the mighty gatherings of the people around us, yet have 
 we fellowship with a countless host, whose tents are spread 
 throughout all the world, and whose voices are heard in one 
 united strain of prayers and praises in the courts of the Lord's 
 House. The world is everywhere full of excitement, eager after 
 progress, and pleased with novelty ; 
 
 HuDoan kind rejoices in the might 
 Of mutability.* 
 
 But the Church of Christ, like her great Head, is in all her 
 great principles of faith and doctrine " the same yesterday, to-day, 
 and for ever."f She may be rich or poor, settled or Missionary, 
 persecuted by a Diocletian, or served by a Theodosius, but still 
 her identity as a spiritual body is maintained, her faith unchanged, 
 " built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus 
 Christ being himself the chief corner-stone." Nor shall the 
 principles of "Apostolic Order and Evangelical Truth," by which 
 we stand, fail, though the light be quenched in one or more of its 
 
 would do that justice to tlie Church of England which he would do to every 
 oth". Church in Canada. What do they ark in this bill, simply the power of 
 holding property, and managing their own a&irs." And in reply Mr. Hincks 
 said : " He belonged to a body of Christians, who were very unpopular in 
 the Province, and have very little weight, and although he never boasted of 
 what Church he belonged to he never shrunk from any occasion of otating 
 that he belonged to the body known as Christian Unitarians. There are 
 two congregations in this Province ; and a few years ago he asked foi them, 
 the very same privileges now asked for by the Church of England. That 
 act passed this House without a dissentient voice. It gives us all we want 
 eimply to manage our own affiiirs, exactly as the Independents do. It is 
 easy to understand that persons, who have that form of managing their 
 Church aifairs, do not require an Act similar to that now aeked by the 
 Church of England. But we get th? privileges we ask for, and he woulc' 
 like to know whether in that case, it is proper to stand up and refuse a largu 
 body of Christians the power to manage thek own affairs, in the way they 
 desire to do. But at the present tiire there seems a disposition to refusui 
 every thing like justice to the Church of England." From the report of tho 
 debates in the House of Assembly, A3 given in " the Globe " of Juno 2S, 1861. 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 f Heb. ziii. 8. 
 
f 
 
 25 
 
 present candlesticks. The English Church of the Reformation 
 for a while insular, now has her home in every quarter of the 
 world. She embodies facts which are known and recognized. 
 She appeals both to the Bible as the foundation, and to Catholic 
 testimony as the witness of " the faith once delivered to the 
 saints." She has been planted and taken root in these Provinces, 
 in the United States, in the East and West Indies, in Australasia, 
 and every where has raised up seed, and is full of reproductive 
 life. 
 
 And now unto the Great Head of the Church, and to God the 
 Father, invisible, eternal, with the Holy Spirit be ascribed all 
 praise and glory, giving thanks for past mercies, and praying that 
 we may have grace to keep us from falling into sin or error. And 
 " peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the 
 Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that 
 love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."* 
 
 Out of fifty-one officiating Clergy in the Diocese, fifty were in 
 attendance at the visitation ; and altogether, including Clergy 
 from the Dioceses of Quebec, Toronto, and New- York, fifty- 
 eight were present. 
 
 * Ephes. vi. 23. 24.