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Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 . - 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 •> J "-i'M i > lift-.- I' \ " w- >7f %■ S» >, If S ! :■ 1 f LTv^ ^ Hx^n.'C^ rvtJCM ^r-^ ADDRESS OP THE LORD BISHOP OF FREDERICTON, AT A MEETING OF CLERGY AND LiVY DELEGATES, CONVENED BY THE UNANIMOUS DESIRE OF THE CLERGY PRESENT AT THE I ATE VISITATION OF THIS DIOCESE, AND HELD AT ST. JOHN. JULY 5tli. 1866. * At a meeting of Clergy and Lay Delegates from thirty-five parislies. ' in this Diocese, called by the desire of the Clergy to* consider the desir- able- • of Synodical action, I was unanimously requetted to publish, and allow to be circulated the remarks wMch I then addressed to the meetr ing. I have much pleasure in giving what I believe to be the substance of what was said; but as the Address was not written, but delivered from scanty notes, I am unable to recall the exact words. Wt have met together to-day to consider whether, under the pre- sent circium'^-noes of the Diocese, and with reference to the late decisions of the Judit d C ' aiittee of the Privy Council, Synodical action is desira>'''' or l >. Some years since, you may remember, the attention of the D: m was called to a permissive Bill introduced into the Imperial ParliameHfc by Mr. Gladstone, with the fuir concurrence, of the then ■ Archbishop of Canterbury, which would have enabled us to have Synod- ical action, had we been so minded. All that the Bill provided for was to enable Colonists to do that which in all parts of the world, especially in those parts where there is abundant freedom of speech and actiott, ' large numbers, and great intelligence, they have ance done. Without fiirther discussion of this Bill, I wottld simply remark, that no greater mistake was ever made than to suppose, that to prevent the application of the Bill was to defeat any scheme of mine. I was not at tha,t tune anxious to have a Synod, and when action under the Bill was refused, I • was just as well pleased to let ^ihe Synod alo^.c. Since that time, I have never moved in the matte*. It isy however, very important to observe that, within the last year, the position of th6 Colonial Church is WhoUy; changed. In foriner times, as soon as the Bishop was consecrated, he was fiimished by the State With Letters Patent, under her Haiesty's sign' and seal, which designated hiin by his title, professed to give hhn autho- . rity over a special See, and to endow him with the power of coercive \ jurisdiction over the Clergy of th« Church of England in his Diocese, . attthoriEing him to establish and hold courts, to try causes, and vfeit' spiritual OTences with sawension^ or even .deprivation after legal tnaJ^' and^proof (rftheconM^ittonof the offence having been estabhshedr^ PbweVwiis also givetito appoint various officers, arid tO do sundry other? ' meters, On which it is not necessary to dwell. Th6 Letters Patent did ■ not, howeVef, appear to legftl authorities in this province to be wor«»*■' .C i/ii v advised not to come to trial upon them, — advice which I took care to follow. It was not, however, supposed that the chief blow to the Letters Patent would come from the Imperial Courts of law, yet such has now been the case. The late Attomev General of PJngland thus sums up the effects of the late Privy Counoil Judgments on the Colonial Church. He understood it to be determined, first, "that no le^al Dioceses were created by these Letters Patent in the Colonies to which the questions had reference ; secondly, that the Letters Patent created no legal identitv between the Episcopal Churches presided over bv the nominated Bishops, and the United Church of Euj^land and Ireland ; thirdly, that the Letters Patent did not introduce mto those Colonies any part of the Ecclesiastical law of England ; and fourthly, they con- ferred on the Bishops no legal jurisdiction or pow&e whatever, and added nothing to any authority which the Bishops might have by law acquired, or by the voluntary principle, without any Letters Patent or Royal sanc- tion at all. There remained, therefore, nothing which Letters Patent oould do, unless to incorporate the Bishops or their successqrs with the ordinaipr incidents of a legal corporation. But he saw it stated in the recent judgment, th%t these Letters Patent were not valid for the pur- pose of creating Ecclesiastical corporations, whose status, rights, and authority the Colonies should be required to recognize." Let us endea- vour calmly tP consider in what position this decision (if the interpreta- tion of one of the first law-officers of the crown be correct, and is as yet uncontradicted) places the Bishop, the Clergy, and the Lait^ of the Colonial Church, in all Colonies, which have Representative Institutions. As to the Bishop— the mandate for his consecration is admitted to be valid, and is unoisjputed. His consecration was performed accordinj; to the ntes of the English Church, and his power to administer spintufd functions according to the office of a Bishop, was lawfully bestowed on him by the imposition of the hands of the Archbishop ana Bishops pre- sent The Episcopal office, which no act of Parliament bestowed, no act 01 Parliament can take away. But even in respect of his ordination vow, this deoidon of the 1 rivy Council has made one ver^ important difference. In the questions addressed to the Bishop at ms consecra- tion the following wonis occur: — " Sudi as be unquiet, disobedient, and criminous within your Diooese, will you correct and punish, according to such authority as you have by God's word, and cu to you shaH be wm>- mUted by the ordmance qfthit Reahn t" Two sources of coerdve jurisdiction are here named. The first is, " the aathv>ri^ of God's word." This contains the ^reat prmcmles of all EpisODpal du^, but no rules for my special direction as a Bishop of the ChuTon of England. ^ The State propc ^ed to ftimish me with the aeoond power referred to in the Ordination Service. Could I have sup- p,i Colonists may reoogniae it, if they please, but they are not required by the law to give the recognition. What a position is this to place the «i8hop in ! To exact from him the most binding promises, and deprive hini ot the means of fulfilling them ; to land him on a foreign shore, with an empty title, yet without a See ; to promise him aid, and deny it altogether; to impose upon him all the burdens and cares of office, all the responsibility ;ii»d difficultv of admonishing, restraining and punish- ing evil-doers, ano! to expose him to the charge of connivance or neglect: to weaken his ha 8. is by affirming that whereas evil-doers are protected by law m the poss^fion of their nghts, the Bishop alone is unprotected, he has no legal nj!;hl,3,and cannot exercise the jurisdiction which every Bishop IS Bworn f) exercise and defend ; this is the protection which the titate offers to lier dutiful and loyal sons. We have then, a sufficient answer to those wlio say, " the Bishop has power enough already, and we do not want to ^;ive him more. He can deprive a man of his living now, for a cause for which, a man could be deprived of it in England. '^ The Bishop can do aothing of the kind. In England every Bishop has an Ecclesiastical court, recognized by law. On any written accusation of an Ecclesiastical offence committed by one of his Clergy, the Bishop may issue a Commission to five persons, according to the provisions of the Clergy Discipline Act, to receive evidence, and report to him if there be a prima facie case for further proceedings ; he may try the case, ot ren?it the case to the Court of Arches, and from the Court of Arches, there is an Appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ; ample provision is made lor justice, though it is justice ruinously expensive. But here the absence of all legal recognition of the Bishop amounts to a denial of justice. If a Clergyman be guilty of any grievous crime, the secular arm can deal with him, but it cannot (I apprehend) deprive him. He may be committed to prison ; but then a double wrong IS done ; he may still be the legal rector of a parish, without per- forming any of its duties. The only Colonial Act which bears on the case, IS one which has never yet been put in force. But there are many offences beside flagrant crimes, for which the law would not touch a Clergyman. He may be drunken,— he may be grossly negligent of hia duty— he may violate all the rules of his Church,— he may write and preach against the truth of Scripture, the Divinity of Christ, or even the Beipg of a God— he may set up an image of the Virgin Maiy, and kneel down before it, and offer up public prayers to it,— and who IS to bring hina to book? " I do not care for your admonitions," he says to the Bishop, "the law protects me ; you have no legal authority. I shall pray and preach as I please ; I am the sole judge in my own case ; I defy you," All these things are within the bounds of possibility. The depend Bishop of Natal has been guilty of one of these breaches of faith ; and had there been a Synod there with legal power to deal with such questions, he might have been now effectually dealt with in his own Diocese. I know the answer to this. ' 'Give us, ' ' say the multitude, * * the power of rtie purse, and the power of presentation, and all such evils would cease. We should drive awajr all ' erroneous and strange doctrines ; ' and driTO thMi away sneedily— no Clergyman could stay where^he was not Pajd. Yet even this does not meet the evil, as they suppose. The mis- chiet micht occur in well endowed parishes, such as exist already. If the peoplft present, the Clergyman onoe inducted might set them at de-« fiapce-. We seem the United States an active flourishing Episcopal i Lhurch. Wo know that democracy is jealous and exacting enough not to make autocrats of Bishops. But they have not found the power of M. m tlie purse sufficient without the power of the keys, without well ordered assemblies, and convened according to law, ordered by definite rules, Diocesan and Provincial, to which Bishops, Clergy, and Laymen are amenable. Ask any intelligent Clergyman or Lavnian, in Maine, or Massachusetts. New York, or New Jersey, whether Conventions (another term for Synoos) are useless, whether thev are instruments of Episcopal oppression, whether they regret their establishment, and he will smile at your ignorance. We need not, indeed, go across the border for informa- tion. In every Canadian Diocese Synods are established, and are u part of the settled form of Church government. Besides, in reference to SJcolesiastical offenders, it is generally found that the offender is able to form a jjarty in his behalf A man of popular talent may always sur- round himself with followers, and deliver appeals to the sympathy of multitudes whose loose lives moline them to support him because he supports them in believing little themselves. Deprive the Bishop of all power to deal with offences committed against faith, or morals, and the Episcopal office is in commission ; it is shorn of one part of the duty the Lord committed to it, and the Laity are not so secure as they suppose themselves to be. Suppose a Bishop to be a mere hireling, to be mdif^ ferent to the good or bad conduct of his Clergy, to be insensible to hia responsibility, and if he can secure his income, the present state of things might suit him very well. He sits like the gods of Epicurus in " blessed and everlasting ease," while eveiy man does that which is right in his own ejes. A few men undertake, of their own motion, to govern the diocese in his stead, and drag Sosthenes before their judgment seat. But it it is all one to him. Gallio oares for none of these things. This is certainly not the state of Church matters contemplated by the Church of England in her ordination office, or in the preface to her Frayer-boqk, nor is it supported by her general traditions, by experience, or the voice of her divines, and it would deprive the Church of all weight, influence, and general respect My argument as to the position of the Bishop is greatly strengthened by a Bill lately introduced by Mr. Cardwell into the Imperial Parlia- ment. The Bill, indeed, is not law, and we know not whether it will over become law ; but as it is a government measure, and is based on the advice of the law officers of the Crown, and the Judgment of the Privy Council, we may reasonably believe that some sueh provisions woula be found in any Imperial measure which may be introduced. The sub- stance of the Bill is, that it accepts all the decisions of the Privy Conn- cU : reenacts none of the Letters Patent ; disestablishes the Church in tU Colonies haying representative institiUions, confers no status, or juris- ietion on the Bishops, and places the members of every Chiiroh on the footing of a voluntary society of Christians, calling themselves members Qf the Church of England, but not legaUy identiccU with the Established Chunc^ in England. Can it be saidi that such an anomalous state is desirable, without rules, government, or any body legally competent to *et? But let us consider 'the position of the dergy generally. Their^ Ordination having been made, agreeably to the rules oi our Prayer-book,' aad by a duly consecrated Bishop» must be considered valid. Mr. Card* well's Bill, however, undertakes to remove doubts upon this important: subject, and it is un^easant even to hear of doubts. One kind or doubt arises out of the course followed by the Church and State at home dur- ing the last year, and I am unable to solve it. It proves practically, what the Judgment of the Privy Council determines theoretically, that WO are no longer in the eye of the law, identified rrith the Churoh in r.:^f s? :A i-^ Knglnnd. It was agreed in both Houses of Convocation, and determined by Act of Parhamont, that the terras of subscription for ministers before Ordination should be altered, and the alteration has been made. A ohange has also been made, and has been ratified by the same authority, in a Uubnc m the Ordination service. No intimation of this important alteration has been made to me by any recognized authority, though of the tact there IS no doubt. This Act doe^ not apply to the Colonies, and 18 not in force here, and I confess I am at a loss how to act. If 1 conform to the new regulations, I have no legal or other authority for doing 80. If 1 abide by the old, the rules I follow are not the rules of tbe existing Church of England. What can more distinctly show that we must, as a Church, act for ourselves ? If the Bishop move at all in the matter without a Synod, he acts autocratically, whfch he has no desire to do ; yet he must act one way or the other, or he must cease to ordam Should there be other changes made by the Mother Church, wmilar difficulties will occur. I presume that every Clergyman would desire that no doubt should exist, but I know of no body but a legally constituted Synod competent to resolve such doubts j the Colonial Legis- lature IS not an assembly fitted to discuss such questions, nor indeed de- sirous to entertain them. I have stated the grave difficulties arising from the entire absence of coercive jurisdiction. The Clergy ar'^ as much interested in these ques- tions as I am. No religious and pious clei^gyman would wish to see evil doers unpunished, and sin triumphant. He must feel himself degraded by belonging to a body of Christians which has no discii)line : above all, the weakness ofhis Bishop is a weakness to him ; and he is injured, when the finger of scorn can point to scandals notorious, yet unredress- ed. He looks up to the Bishop as his governor and pastor^ but he may look in vain : and it is r comfort or strength to him that irresponsible persons, of their own mt ■} notion, assume Episcopal powers, and pro- fess to govern the Diocese, and redrew all evils. " Oh that I were made judge in the land," was once a popular sentiment, but it proceeded from Tto very wise mouth. If the governor sent by the Church be not allow- ed to rule, mankind will not the less be governed, but they will be mis- Soverned; and they will find there are heavier hands laid on them that ae hands of the Bishop. There were those who fled even from the Star Chamber, who found themselves in no better, but rather a worse, conditipn, when they reached New England— "Mutatis mutandis, de te tabula narratur." But let us turn to the laity. They are every way interested in the formation of a Sjfrnod. They would form, by their re- presentatives, an important part of it. Church questions would, of necessity, be discussed before them, and by them; they would both gain and impart imfbrmation, and acauire a greater interest, and a more settled view of the Church of which they are members. At present, our in l^wn unimpaired to our children the precious heritage we have received TOom our ancestors. The English Church tells us, the British Parli«- nnent proclaims to us, that it is Ao longer their intention to guard our pnvdeges for us ; we must do our own work with our own heads, and our own hands. The Queen's supremacy cannot help us, for the supre- njaor of the Queen is simply the supremacy of English Law ; and En- glish Law by the mouth of the highest Court has assured us, that when there are Representative Institutions in a Colony, the power formerly supposed to reside in the Queen alpne, cannot be exercised here. Even if \ f ->■- 6 tion, and what seourky have th«lSt ? °- "s'^'«>Jow their jurisdic- Bishop, withoutVSJnJd ? Th?~ f ^' k?^'"',^ »n immoral or heretical kim, or ifhX inSt thLi«n^»Jfi"? ^^.^ '««""^ empowered to try .hould thrSce KJJ' t r^^ tohearhim.OT nominate, Or r^c^nS VsucJ^^^ ShoSS r»J« P^vided to elect, IB no body authorized to maKrwn the wJiLl nf PK '^ V^P^?'' ^t?"' «o important a matter THa ?/:»«;/ . ***^ Churohmen touch ng w far aa irreap^ibJJ" editor ornltJ^**" ^ T' "^ '»«'^«»'« ««<»Pt to make known and DroteStthLtn. '''''?" "^^ magawnes undertafe Scriptural, AptStoHif^nffitt^n^^^^^^^^^^ .But even if this were a whio'h it is not^anrWmen eiKl^^^ '« «««»> K^^ve matters, what is said. The whofc fwl,! ; °°' !f*^' <''"?'* not represented bV thing is not done 'Tec^ntlya^lno^^^^^^ '^a' transiction. ThJ , Ther« are two good o d mies L wmAi, ^ *''® ^P.?*''°, ^^^^'ses. should be governeS The SS nL S"?!,®!^'^ well-ordered Church nothing without SeBi8hoD''fn^!*l'' '^'^i °^ St Ignatius :-" Do Churcfi, as he is your acknowled^Sf "^^ '^^ ''l^^T ^^ '^ counol; ask his advS • «p? n J^!^i ?*!• ^^'e^ .Pastor, take him into possible a partrtoyS^; ^rk^^S t^^^^^^ against him; make him, if muchasyoLtrenJtCnhT 'Th«Z^^ ^^''^ hands as nothing withourthe advii of the rw^^;^^^^^^^ Cyprian :--'Do looks to Scripture and pLitive ririS«n;? M'- 4 ^«H ^^o •tand alone/Autoc«2y is d^SSstefuT to hr„.'' w ^^•'''' ^"^«« »<> concert with the other ordAruwiv* .°1?- "e desires to act ia «.d deems himLK^S^er^he^^i'^^^^^^ Brethren, to the Church irLZinl •' r * i?^' .the Bishop, Elders and united obuns;i to^'bT obSd?* C^earfv 7.'" *^ V^* ?f^«°' t»»i» together "at the summons oHurch^f 3^^ *^°ff, "gathered as the cLureh may aS-ee «^n il^ kI Y*^**!^,! ^° *" 0'^e«"'7 '^ay, such or Conventien,TLMot teH ' ThA^fn* "'S^V^^^; than iy a Syn(i, Aat thej^ should ST unttod SnTJoS whSht A^°\^^^^ you will or noT^Q' U oKv^' o^^^^^^^^ ^P"««°* yorwhether the Bishop in TOmmon^ZtnL **l"A"'^°^«>«e to join with Primitive. 'LimiST^pSfEftp^y ^'su^t%r*r^'''''°'» " iuppose that they wiU be oalES TSS5L, t"*^^' *^® ^^^^ ca°no> su.l,,^^they a^L -wtk^t i^^^M^ neLX^n"^SSiVfcr *^** ^J"?^**^ ^^on has become a and to tU mSS Chrreh^\=f 4S^^^ ^" ^^J? '^''f °" ^ t^S^t^ it is useless to igiiwfi^kmLte*' "^^ Society rapi% thlwant? h1™ wT^*^ '^^^i?' ^ "o* tlia Chim)h delegates Sy inSratJ^ ihrnfi*.*^^'* * ^5^/ C^«^«y a°d W- ' of thebusiSofTKlmiii? W^^^^^ *^« transact cause the ChuiSi Sa^^ST?- 1 J^ ^-1! *°***^®'i^y ^^^ Be- together to ^^ote S iS^^ste bfZ*^,'f}f'V^ the ^urch, caUed certain KmitS^bA and fo7^ ott '^^^"^"^^'^^ <>^^d« ^^^ &' M M-i I \ '?»t^- ■i^^iiiM 0^' k. .1 Tho Chunih Socu^^' h not authorlied to deal with tlio itiUtionn of tLa Chur«h,ne„ of New Brun«wiek to o,.o another, mvSZ'\^^^\^V\i^)^ g«o3^^ Ta^nSr V'sllT r'^"" *" Ontaru,^iefbourne"a;Sl.ndZd -n»» u5^ J 18 as comprehensive as the Churoh itnelf aid ThZ J^„n"?fl-^'''tl1! *"J ^J^*^ '^ t^« forniularieH of the Ch'ui^h IJere 18 no stifling of thought, no prossuro.to prevent its exi)r^"-«bn subiec^L'S/thL"^. "li^"! ^''"« bought U.Ather to discS^ CZa Sf^J "^^ ^ n ***.^ less suspicious of each other, and to learn n what pointe they can al unitti. Why should Churchmen in Synod L£^ whl^Sfn"** '^H'-"^ temperately and freely than in the ChSsiK^ietf 7lT *i« o'^*"*'^^'"" *' ^.^'^ «?"'«' '^"•l the men ar« the same ?cC fi^S'^Q ® **^®°i'T> ^^■"'^^ "^^y aJ«o be considered. It is supDosed that SynocTical action may tend to separate us from the Mother cffrS^ Mid unloose those holy bonds of communion in which wo have iS hitherto bound. As far as the legal asiKJCt of the question L S)n(^rnS hat of^^ho r wT''*f t ^"' '^''^^ '^'^' «"^ r^^^ ''' "«' ideS witl tnat ot the Church at home. But as regards the moral and sDiritual aspect, there is no point on which Colonial Churchmen are eve^where SrMnT"'^^'"^^'^'*". " the wish to preserve our conn^tiSTwkh the Mother Churoh inviolate. We should not meet in Synod to form ftflT'^' *°^ °^"?P"" * \^^ Prayer-book ; we should not des^ new R-T^T'lsI'T T^ ''"^ ^*K" ^^'S t^*"* that of the existing Church ?f^w® §^A ^"^ "^^^ "i^"^ fc"^ «>me of our ancient moorings ™?f T ^.V :?"^* '''"'^ °** ^"':t^«''- ^« l^»o^ tbat without rules, wX ^\^rlhZli «o^ra"»ent without a status and position, we cannot stand as a Church. We are left helpless on the stream, and may be carried wL^r "**^ ''Y^^r- ^ ®^«^' ''^ ""^y ^0P«' '^iU tend to presTrve nia^ltl "% ''*''^^^* untouched, as weU as add whatever islacking! ifp IVfntw Pk""* ^""^^^ "^ ^'*°^« *"<^ ^*« »« l .x til *"»▼• itpraeticaUy, The BiMhop haa it hetcf%» Synod in formed, and ^hewill have no more, if if be formed. The. Bynod wifliout the veto oould do tothins without him, aad with the veto, he ciui curry no moa- fuft wbf^h the Synod diHapprovta. It amounta aiiaply ton oonHerra- tiv« check npon hoMty leginlution, whioh in prncUoA would never ho ex- oreiaed bat to prevent what all purtien would probably bo thankftil for an ojjportttirity of reconHidoring. To auppone a Synod frc<^ ifTefragable ; and that the weight of rei»>on lies with those \ |i who were grilling to hear the Bubject argned, Jitf who did not deuire to k,\ abut their ears to the arguments of thoir opponeoM. My reaaQiu are all based on the dceiaionH d^he highest court of Judicature, in England, and on the ij^rowir^ coflffction, that a Church which iano longer legally identified with the Paiyftt Church, whioh has no eettled'TOles, and whose Bishop is in an ui^termincd, anomalous position, oan have no weight in the oommunitv, >nd is in a very unsafe itnte, and that as the Imperial Parliament rortit«8 to help m, wo must help onmelvCH, especially as our brethren around lis on every side have ooiu^uded that the only effeotual method of help is arnodical action. Some of the Oplpnial Dioceses which have no Synods nA incapaoitateil by the amallneiM of their numbers, or th«> distances whIoNi make it : ""Dasible to meet in Gounoil, or they are in Colonies whertthe Church iseslablish- ed bv Imperial orOolonial Acta. Geoemlly speaking, in proportion to (he importance and intelligence of the Diooese, has been tho desire for united ofderi:^' action of this kind. If you are cdifcvinced by ich argu- menta, you will, I trust, fearlessly assert your convictions, and will en- deavouf to win to your aide those who have deoliaed to be present at thi« "on* RW 3 ■/ JOHN FREDERICTON. L ■>^5*fi A .f 'i;J :»rt *«i lin.'iL ^nt »-,■; t: ^ ^p: ^ iC^' I