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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'imagos n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. rrata o lelure. n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 CHARGE DELIVERED TO THE CLERGY AT THE VISITATION HELD IN mt Cathedral djhuriili oj St. %i\h, at ialifax, On the 1ST DAY OF jIuLY, 1884. BY HIBBERT, LORD BISHOP OF NOVA SCOTIA / Published at the request of the Diocesan Synod. A HALIFAX, N. S.: Printed by Geo. W. Baillie. 1884. For Sale by WM. GOSSIP, Granville Street. i CHARGE DELIVEKED TO THE CLKKdV AT THE VI S IT AT 10 -\ o HEI.li IN t Cathiulral €)x\\\^\ of ft. fuhc, at Ijiidfu^. PN THE 1ST DAY OF jIULY, 1884. BY HIBBERT, LORD BISHOP OF NOVA SCOTIA Published at the request of the Diocesan Synod. HALIFAX, X. S.: Printed iiy Geo. W. Baillie. 1884. T II -i >- I. r- \ /,' \\ ^ II A CHARGE. V7 My Keverend Brethren,— Among the events aflectinj^ the welfare of our iJranoh oi" the Catholic Church, which have occurred since the delivery of my last Charge, we have to note in the first place, the death of Archibald Campbell Tait, for seventeen years Archbishop of Canterbury, and thus the natural head of the whole Anglican Communion. From the Presbyterian College at Cllasgow, he was sent to Oxford, where he became a member of the English Church, and distinguished himself by his dili- gence and ability. Having been successively Dean of Carlisle and Bishop of London, he was finally seated in the Chair of St. Augustine, and well maintained the dignity of the Archiepiscopal See, although some of his official acts might perhaps be characterized as savoring of Erastianisra, and manifesting a want of appreciation of the spiritual nature of the Church of Christ. But, as his old friend Bishop Moberly stated, =^ " so great was his popularity among the laity of the land, such was his undeniable influence with the other Bishops, such was his prudence and his continually increasing charity and largeness ot heart, as not only to defer the day of disestablishment, (which he sincerely deprecated), but to make it more unlikely in the future and less near when his primacy was over." Dean Lake, after an intimate acquaijitance of nearly half a century said of him " he was above all real and simple, and emphatically a man with the best qualities of a good man, courage, sound judgment, and a strong but tempered will ; and though this is far from all that is to be said of him, yet these were the simple and strong founda- tions on which a great character grew and ripened."! His devoutness, and his unquestioned personal piety, have been recognized by all ; and officially he manifested, as years -♦Seriuori in Salisbury Cathedral, Decenibsr lOtl;, l.SS'J. tSer!n>'ii in Durham ('atl;eilr.il, December 10th, ISSi'. d I J () advanced, mnrh moro sympathy than in the (»arly days of his episcopate, with those who ditlorcd from his own views, when he had satisliod himself that they were doing, or were earnestly desirous to do the work of the Lord, with zeal and energy, aix-ording to their judgments and ability, and we ran never forgot, that his last ofUcial act, when he knew that his end was near, was an endeavor to save from fuither molestation one who had sulUsred much for conscience sake, and to restore peace to the (!hureh. He has been succeeded by Edward White Benson, whose appointment was hailed with almost universal satis- faction, his antecedents, and especially his brief adminis- tration of the new Dioreso of Truro, having afforded good reason for the belief, that the arduous and responsible duties of tlie Archbishopric would also be elHciently performed. The newspai)ers, l)oih religious and secular, of opposite politi(\s and of dillcvenL parties, united in a chorus of applause and satisfaction. This was not mere blind adulation, for they did not all profess to agree with his sentiments, or to approve of the character of his proba- ble actions ; but it was admitted, that i>n him were remarkablv combined the qualities required for the high oliice to which he was called. L(>t us pray for him, that he may be guidi'd and strengthem^d, that he may with boldness and tirmncss administer the affairs of the Church of Christ subject to his control or influence, unmoved by a desire for popular applause, undeterred by the fear of misrepresentation or ill will. The Bishops of Llandafl and Tlipon have also been removed by death, and the Bishop of Chester has resigned ; and in addition to the Bishops appointed to fill these vacancies we have the occupants of the three new Sees of Newcastle, Truro and Southwell, created within the four years. May they all approve themselves as faithful, earnest pastors of the flocks committed to their care by the chief shepherd their Lord and Master. The death of the Archbishop was proceeded a few months earlier by that of Edward Bouverie Pusey, whom I cannot pass over without a few observations; for no name in our age has been more widely known, no man has exercised a more decided influence upon religious thought, whether for good or for evil. E\en the Times wrote : " if Cranmer was the most conspicuous ecclesiastical per- i) f days of 11 views, ioing, or )rd, with I ability, :^t, when )r to save much for h. Benson, rsal satis- adminis- rded good }sponsible elliciently d secular, lited in a not mere igree with his proba- him were ■ the high him, that may with he Church noved by a ,he fear of also been s resigned ; ) fill these lew Sees of in the four iful, earnest »y the chief eded a few jey, whom I for no name no man has 3US thought, mes wrote : siastical per- sonage ill the sixteenth contury, and L;ind in the seventeenth, noone could dispute with Dr'l'usey the honor ofgivinghis name to the rrveat Anglican reaction of the nineteenth." "Half the theological world has rcvi'venced him as a saint, and i>ronounrod even his name with hated breath, half have found no charge nor insinuation too hard for him." This was the admission of the «>-r(>at representative organ of the men of this world; and I will nowquoie the words of one who has lately been advanced to the episcopate. "The name of Dr. Pusey has i)een for close upon fifty years daily on thi^ lips, for praise or blatnc, of all l*lng- lishmen who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. He was a man of no})Ie birth, of good fortune, and high am})ition, a man of deep and most diversified learning, of the greatest insight into character, of the widest arid kindliest sympathy toward every good cause jhit by what shall -we who have worked with him and loved and honored him remember him best ? Llis one single purpose was to serve, in all things, and at all times, and on all calls, and in all quarters for many years, the l^ord and Master whose^ .;ross he so gently and steadily bore, in much weakness of body, and in the loneliness of an almost desolate home."* The Bi.shop of Manchester who. as you know, differs much in many of his opinions from Dr. Pusey, said in a sermon, " A great man had fallen in Israel. AVhether they thought that Dr. Pusey, in all that he said* or did, was right or wrong, he should be sorry for their Christian faith, and for the progress of religion in England, if all men of what- ever denomination, whether churchmen or nonconformists, (^ould not recognize and appreciate that simple, bold, earnest, self-sacriliciiig life." t I have quoted these observations, by men well qualified to speak, because some of you, who have not had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with his character and work, may have been disposed to regard him merely as the leader of a party of very extreme views, without lecon-nizino- the depth and soliditv of his learning, and the O O *■ •• '"ill l^ersonal piety for which he w^as above all remarkable. Some imagine that he was on the verge of Romanism, and that as an honest man he ought to have crossed the border. But one who would have rejoiced in such a perversion, (or ♦Senimuliyt ■an'iii Stulilis (iujw Bishop of Chester), September 17tli, 188'J, fSeniion liy Fiisliup'if .MaiK'hester, Se[iteiiiber, IHH2. (J as hn would hiiv»? snil, fouvi.'V.sioii, John IlcMiry Newman htis thus tt'stilii'd- " Ho \v;vs :i imux of larii:(> dtvsin-ns, ln^ liad a hopeful sau'/uiuo mind, h»( had no {'(Mir of othors, he was haunti'd by no iutflleciual pcrplcxitios. I'iiopli; arc apt to say that he was onctf nearer to tiie ('atliolic (/hmch (i. e. of course the Roman) than he is now. 1 prav (lod that ho may one day be far lU'art'V than lie was t'»":., lor I ])elievo that in iiis reason and judcnnenl, all lh(^ time (hat 1 i^new him, he was nevi'r near to it at all ."'^ And he has now made u'ood liis i)romise u'iven more than thirty years ag"o, that his answr to the taunts rd' disloyalty to the Church ofKnu^land. winild he his death in her communion. If any were U-d hy his (cachinu- into danu'er, there can he no doubt on tin' other hand, that his steadfast attitude, and stauiudi adhereiiee to our eommunion, cheersons. who have been (Mitirely ignorant of some truths, become by any means acquainted with them, they naturally attacdi undue importance to them, instead of regarding" them according to the proportion of faith. Thus where the facts of the organization of Christ's Kingdom upon earth, with its officers and its ordinances divinely instituted, has been ignored, per.';ons when led to perceive these truths begin to entertain doubts as to the soundness of the system under which they hav(> been educated, and to rashly con- clude without further examination that the systemin which these dogmas occupy a prominent position must of necessity be more soi;nd than the other. As a matter of fact, the largo proportion of those who have been attracted to Rome have originally been under the influence of an opposite school. Newman himself, was in his early days a decided Calvinist.f and the only clergyman who has ever seceded, *Xe\viuan's Ain'luiria, p !;'•■'<. tXewiiiairs Aiidlogia, [> j!I. \ • '£ iiMnrl.-il Tl fil nry No win an vsisi-iis, h(? had thor.s, h(i was )l(i are apt to ('huich ( i. ('. (i()(l that he lor I lu'lit'vo that 1 kiu!W |l he has now rty yoars ag-o, () the Church iiion. 11" any 11 bo no doiiht , and staunch ircain of [X'r- ohl positions, al of church lis altnost for- laiiy so much i thing's, that 3ther extreme. t if you would m, you must truth. When f some truths, they naturally of regarding' lius where the n upon earth, instituted, has e these truths of the system to rashly con- stem in which ist of necessity er of fact, the acted to Rome )f an opposite lays a decided > ever seceded, (or so I'iir as 1 Know Ikm'ii inrliiu'd to sci'cdc-. in this ])ioi'esc, was well known in llalilaxas a popular preacher of that school. Train up the chiKlron in the knowledge ot the i)rincii)h's of this reformed hranch of Christ's Church, especially insisting u|)on tlic fact, that it is reformed, and not newly constituted, that it has a continuous history from the days ot the Apostles. l\>ai'h them to appreciate their privileges, as members thereof, and they will not be seduced by any of the attractions of the Chunhof Ivome, which has adopted tiieoretically a new rule of faith, by establishing the Pope as of hims(df, and by himscll. the infallible authority, a dogma absolutely repiuiiated by some leadiiif^ Coitmnls. and until very lately by the great and veneral)le (lallican Church. Among' oitiselves also thert' have been iiuitkm'ous changes ; six have died, amongst whom f may mention more particularly the late Rector of thi,-- T-n-isli, and the two Senior Clergy of the Diocese, iJr. Moody and Dr. Owen ; and sixteen have removed, whilcj twenty-live have been added to our number, leaving' a nett ;ain of three "While mentioning' these chang'e«, I must .iiore esc)M lally refer to t! I )ss sustained by the renH)val of tl;c Rev. .]. 1). 11. Browne, who has so ably, and with so much credit to the Diocese, established and successiully conducted a Church newspaper. The labor involved has been 1 fear too mitch for him ; and we cari only now hope and pray, that by a resort to a mild climate, ht; may be so far lestored, as to be still lor some time a tiseful laborer in the Lord's vineyard. "With respect to the i)aper, the Church Ouardiaii, I think that the success of a publication so free from acri- mony and party si)irit, is a ])henomenon for which we should be thankful, proving that there is still a goodly proportion of church people, who can a])preciate sound church teaching, without any extreme tendencies on either side. We can hardly regard it any longer as our own paper, Intt as it is taken up by a churchman of high stand- ing in Montreal, anxious to preserve its character and religious tone, I think we ought all to continue to aid its circulation, and thus to encourage the new proprietor and editor. One of the most interesting events in the last four years, was the publication of the Revised Version of the New Testament in 1881. This was the result of eleven years labor, of a body of very ablo men. appointed by the Convo- cation of Canterbury, with the (?oncurrent action of an American Council, and was looked for with much anx- iety, both in I']nirland and on this Continent. Its merits and demerits have been fully discussed in Church news- papers and magaxines, and I brielly relerred to it in 1S80, and it has probably been examined by all of you for yourselves, so that I need not say much concerning it ; but you will probably expect an expression of my opinion, as to its practical value. In my Charg-e of 1870, on the appointment of the Committee, I admitted that the revision had become a necessity, and that the reverence due to our translation of the scriptures can only be preserved by an honest endeavor to remove all the blemishes, which it has acquired in passing through the hands of men. But I did not contemph.te the extent to which our authorized version would be changed by the Committee, who far exceeded the instructions and cautions given to them on their appoint- ment. It has been calculated that over 30,000 changes have been made in the New Testament, and that of its 8000 verses not 800 have altogether escaped correction. These are partly due to changes in the Greek Text, and partly to new translations of the text as received by the translators of 1011. Doubtless without a revised text the revision must have been imperfect, but I think the revision of the text, and of the translation, should have been separate aiul distiiu-t works. The text should first have been revised, and then handed over to the translators to do Iheir part, without any authority to deviate from what had thus beeji delinitely settled. The most hostile of the critics, Dean Burgon, in the "Quarterly Review," has demonstrated that the Committee manifested too great a partiality for two manuscripts, the most ancient of which the existence is known, but not therefore necessarily repre- senting the original text more accurately than others, written at a later date, but copied from still older A'ersions. Many of the amendments of the text would be approved by all biblical scholars and critics, but it is to be feared that some of them have been adopted, without sufficient authority, and may therefore mislead us. That the translation, supposing the text to have been settled, is a valuable improvement, is, I think, unquestion- able, and the chief cause of dissatisfaction with it has been 9 id by the Convo- nt action of an vith much anx- eiit. Its merits I Church ucws- ■ed to it ill 1S80, all of you for iiceriiing it ; but my opinion, as •f 1870, on the hat the revision rence due to our •reserved by an es, which it has nen. But I did hori/ed version ■ar exceeded the 1 their appoint- 30,000 changes and that of its ped correction. J reek Text, and received by the revised text the ink the revision uld have been 3uld first have ranslators to do from what had hostile of the Review," has ted too great a icient of which cessarily repre- i than others, older versions. Id be approved is to be feared hout sufficient t to have been ik, unquestion- 'ith it has beea a change of words and phrases which have been endeared to us by long familiarity, anr" by their continual use. The desire to be as literal as possible has led to occasional harshness, and in several places the charming rythm of th<> familiar translation has been lost. But the ear would gradually become accustomed to these alterations, if the versions were publicly read and commorily used, and all must recognize the greater accuracy of meaning provided for the ]*]nglish reader, by careful attention to the ditler- ences of tenses, and especially to the definite article as used in the Greek. The principle of always translating a frequently occuring G-reek word, by the same English word, and using different words for words originally differ- ent, has been benelicially adopted ; as for example, we no longer have the two entirely distinct words Gehenna and Hades represented by the one word Hell. Tt is certain that this revised version will never take the place of that to which we have been so long accus- tomed, but it is very useful read in conjunction with it, and may be taken in some places as a commentary, as for example, where an obscure passage is (^leared up, by an accurate representation of the tenses used by the writer. And 1 (^onclude with th(^ words of a friendly, critic, "after all it will be found that the real defence of the revised version lies (hn^per than the surface, in the exact scholarship which has unravelled chains of reasoning which the authorized version had obscured ; in the new light, which will be found to rest on whole passages, through a more accurate representation of the force of articles and tenses, in the more intimate connection established between the unlearned reader and the inspired evangelists or apostles, by close translations which sound awkward, merely because they are strang<\ but wiiich along familiarity will be certain to commend." The report of the Commissioners, appointed to en(iuire into the constitution and working of the Ecclesiastical Courts of England may not directly ailect us, and yet we are at the least indirectly int(?rested, because the interpre- tations of our formularies, and the expositions of ecclesias- tical law, by those Courts, must always be regarded as guiding, if not legally binding us. I will therefore state what 1 understand to be the substance of the report. You are all aware that the working of the Ecclesiastical Courts, 10 especially siiiue tho onactmoiif of the Public Worship] Ivogulation Act, has produced widespread dissatisfaction. At length, on the motion of the late Archbishop oil Canterbury, an address was presented to the Crown by both houses of Parliament, asking for a commission to enquire into the constitution and working of the Eccles- iastical Courts since the time of Henry YIII, and a commission was issued to the two Archbishops and twenty- three other representative men, three years ago, directing them to enquire and report accordingly. A very full and exhaustive report was completed, and presented to Her Majesty last year, which has. as might have been expected, been criticised and condemned in some of its details, but has upon the whole been very favorably received by churchmen generally. It is a work of deep research, and containing very valuable information, independent of the recommendations which are based upon it. Many witnesses were examined, and a summary is given of the objections to the present system, especially to the effect of the Public Worship Hegulation Act, and the constitution and practice of the final Court of Appeal, the Judical Committee of the Privy Council. The special objectioji to the provisions of the Act was, that the Arch- bishops were not left free to appoint each, the Official Principal or Judge of his Provincial Court, who might, if they could not agree upon a nomination, be appointed l)y the Crown, without reference to them : and that thus the representative of the Archbishops, clothed with authority to suspend and even deprive a priest, was divested of all spiritual character, and treated simjdy as an officer of the State. On this account some have believed themselves bound in conscience to refuse obedience to the decrees of the Judge so a])pointed, when tjiey would have submitted to their Spiritual Superior or his Deputy appointed by himself. With respect to the present Final Court of Appeal the objections are, that as a Committee of the Privy Council advising the Crown, the members have allowed themselves to be influenced by considerations of policy, instead of merely expounding the law ; that inasmuch as the judg- ment is determined by a majority, and the members do not, after the manner of other courts, deliver their judg- ments with their reasons ,serLati»i, the moral weight of anv ! Tublic Worship ad dissatisfaction, tc Archbishop of to the Crown by 11 commission to ing of the Eccles- nry VIII, and a shops and twentv- ars ago, directing- A very full and presented to Her tve been expected, of its details, but ably received by eep research, and dependent of the mrnmary isgi^en especially to the n Act, and the I't of Appeal, the ^il- The special «, that the Arch- ach, the Official n-t, who might, 11, be appointed lem: and that >s, clothed with • a priest, was ed simply as an have believed >bediencc to the ley would have >!' his Deputy t of Aj)j)eal the Privy Council yed themselves icy, instead of h as the judg- e members do I'er their judg- weight of any 11 Judgment can never be ascertained, and there is always room for the supposition, that the minority were in quality superior to the numerical majority ; lastly, that as theology is a science, with its technical phraseology, it was unjust to leave the interpretation of the l^rmularies of the Church to persons unacquainted with that phraseology, and with the history of the Church. The Commissioners appear to endorse these objections, and this affects us, because some members of the Provincial Synod have desired to bind us to accept and obey all the de(^isions of the Judicial Committee, which are now by this able report so discredited that, while still legally bind- ing upon those who are subject to its jurisdiction, they have been deprived of all moral weight. In fact some of these decisions in Ecclesiastical causes have been utterly unworthy of an English Tribunal, having been marked by gross ignorance, as well as injustice. As evi- dence of the truth of these statements, I may remind you that the very able Chief Baron Sir Fitzroy Kelly said l)ublicly that the judgments of the Committee, of which he was himself a member, were guided by motives of policy, rather than by the law ; that the extraordinary assertion was made in 1857, that a Liturgy had been published, Edward VI, Second Prayer Bor-., without any prayer of Consecration ; and that in the Purchas Case Bishop'Cosin was adduced as an authority for a specific interpretation of a rubric framed nearly forty years after his words were written, the date assigned by the Council being fifteen years after his death. Th(^ (Commissioners have recommended the restoration of the Diocesan and Provincial Courts to their original positions, with the Bishop or Archbishop personally pre- siding, every sentence of suspension, deprivation or deposi- tion, to be pronounced by the President in open Court. Then on the assumption that every subject of the Crown, aggrieved by the sentence of any Court, has an indefeasible right to approach the throne, with a representation that justice has not been done him. a Court of Appeal is to be appointed by the Crown, consisting exclusively of Lay Jiulges who may, or in some cases shall, apply to the Bishops for intbrraation as to the doctrine of the Church of England in answer to specific questions. Upon the constitution of this Court of Appeal much 12 controversy has arisen, many objecting to an exoliisi\'| Lay Tribunal, which mig'ht override the decision of Archbishop's Court, and require him to reverse his ]i\\ ment as to the truth or falsehood of some doctrinal stii ments. There is in truth serious difficulty, with respl to this appeal to the Crown, since a Court of Ecclesiastil which is theoretically required, is practically unobtainalj and a mixed Court, with Episcopal assessors having control over the judgment, is most objectionable as givil an appearance of a spiritual character to the Court, whil it does not in fact possess. It may be well to call yol attention to the condemnation of the prelimin^iry inqui] provided by the Church Discipline Act, from which have adopted it, as there is no reason why it should retained by us, if it has proved to be practically inconve| lent or objectionable. There is a subject, in some measure new to us, whiJ nevertheless must not be passed without notice, for it occi pies a prominent position in all discussions and deliberj tions upon the welfare and work of the Church of Christ, refer to the recognized agency of women. The Convocatioij of Canterbury and York, some of the annual Church Coi gresses and the several Diocesan Conferences have all coi] sidered this matter as of great importance, and there is general agreement that arrangements should be made fn the definite employment of women in a systematic ani authorized manner. Men widely differing in their view in many respects, such as Canon Carter and Dean Howsoi are of one mind as to the principle, although they may nr agree as to the details of its application. Several questions have to be considered : Are Deacoi esses or Sisterhoods to be preferred? Are the former t have any spetdal preliminary training, and should the always live together? In Sisterhoods, what is to be th chief authority ? At what age are Sisters to be admitte< and are they to take vows ? If so, are the vows to be pe ])e1ual or i)eriodically renewable? Already this subje( has been broached in our Provincial Synod, and a resolutin has been adopted by both Houses, that " it is desirable i the interest of the Church in this Province to make pr vision for the official employment and recognition of Chri tian women in the work of the Church." Moreover, a joii Committee, of which I am Chairman, has been appointt i»g to an exclusively e the de(3isioii of the » to reverse his jud<'-- some doctrinal state- Ihcuity, with resnci -ourt or ]^\-closiastics ctically unobtainahle, assessors haviiio- no 'jectiouable as g-ivino- to the Court, which 36 well to call your preliminary inquiry ^-ct, from which we » ^vhy it should he Practically inconven- 3 new to us, which at notice, Ibritoccu- S'Sions and delihera- Church of Christ. I fi- The Convocations "nual Chur(>h Con- ences have all con- nee, and there is a 'hould be made for 1 a systematic and "ini? in their views and Dean Howson, 5ugh they may not ered: Are Deacon- Are the former to and should they what is to be the ^rs to be admitted, le vows to be per- ready this subject d, and aresoluiion it is desirable in ince to make pro- oirnition of Chris- Moreover, ajoint . s been appointed I 13 to prepare a Canon and report at the next Session in 188(5. [n the meantime I think we may venture upon some action, which may, if ne(^essary, be hereafter modified, and the p]xecutive Committee of our Synod will recommend the adoption of some regulations similar to those adopted last yenr by the Synod of Montreal. With respect to Deaconesses, there is a general agree- ment that the "wives" of Deacons, mentioned in our trans- lation of the first P^pistle to Timothy, should he Deaconesses, that there certainly was such an order in the Primitive ( hurch, itnd that Phcebe probably belonged to it, being a Deaconess of the Church at Cenchrea. Dean Howson does not scruple to affirm : " If we take our stand simply on the New Testament the argument for the recognition of Deiiconesses as a part of the Christian Ministry is as strong as the argument for Kpiscopacy." "What we want is an authorized official Diaconate of women as an integral part of our Church system, a body of Deaconesses co-extensive with the Church itself, ready for service wherever they are needed, but appointed and directed by the Bishops, and serving under the Parochial Clergy." ' " It is a Church .Ministry, not a mere voluntary agency of any kind, which is demanded." In harmony with these views propounded by the Dean, I have already, as you know, ordained a Deaconess for this city, but we require a definite system and a more organized effort. When this subject is discussed in the Provincial Synod, 1 hope that some steps will be taken for the establishment of a central Deaconess Institution, for the training and preparation of candidates, and as a Home to which they may from time to time resort for rest and refreshment. The age at which women should be admitted to this order requires much consideration, and there should be the intention of a lifelong dedication to the work, although there should not be an obligation to take any vows, and the orders should not be indelible. There is much more difference of opinion w'ith respect to Sisterhoods, or communities of women living under cer- tain rules and submittinii' to a stricter discipline than could be practiced in ordinary Hie. Some persons are prejudiced against any such Institutions, because there have been abuses connected with them, but surely we may have the use without the abuse. It is idle to object, that women may live holy lives and useful lives without any such formal : I 14 '^^8'anization, for we knou- f) . earnest, valuable work'e rl ^^h '^ '"""^^ ^«"^«» are m ^hern whoarei„<"p^blenrr r'^'"'^' ^'^''^^ '« laid out for themselves. X fh/ "'''"- out or arraun-j,,. ' , ^-J ^hat a Home t!^:;.t^^- --"-". "^^ ^ ^-' -" those vvho are aspirino-afte^^t. ^'^'•*" ^'^ ^^em, wh to live as citi:.ens of heaven m.^K^'' ''^"'^'"^^1 ^^^^^ de.ivi «"^h as cannot he en o'ed i,. n'T^f"" '""^'^ ^"^ed by he , the same time. 1 objeSo .h^' ;;;^,!"«'-y ^^«'"-^tie l4 ^ f« specuilly desig-natincr s„ph ^'f''^^^" •» "relijrious" ji J'^eofthoseis .^il &er\:j,^^^^^^^^ ^or I think hat y«t not of the world wh-^ , ''^'">8" '» the -world m ^<^""in^ their dut e in i^ ^^'t ^^^.^''^"tly and dilio.rntlv " ^niptations, reslV t .d over^l"; ^^'^^^ ^^ A-in^g fc eavening. the society TnwhXV^^'"'- ^^'^« ^^e as le^ve ;ny means deprecia/e tL se taa-IL^e "TV.^ "^"^^^ ««' b asoeti r^^^^"^^ «f home l!?e and ^uT ^'^^ ^^^^i^' «»» «rteot«allv 'aocomXh '»'''' <'«'''". "'''«'' women onl. are advantag-eous and perhin. ?. '^'^'' «^ '^ Sisterhood ^" the present day the W k ''''" »«^««sary,. Work i J with the''l^Uu:;'<,2;'';f/°» "f va.st ''"Portauce connected hoods, ifav the offi,.„ ^- r> ' DeaconHsses or of •^i./ ">"■ ^f-'. What -t.ctio\r:j;u7'i>'rx:;2,'''s ! ! »y vyomen are most v^'ork is Jaid out for 't or arrann-ing ^,.oj.|. e", not a few, so situ- ^o<>n to them, whil. ^P";iS- ni the -world are ^^ and diligently per- d of fleeing from its ' ^^'\o are as leaven 've. I would not by [>t those who relin- earthly joys for an I'Ules and to the ^•^h systems, when s^^paration from the ;!V^[» ; but I believe f those who, 0(vu- mselves to their 't Christian lives ice much greater ■ ^vhich they con- U'e. hich women only outcasts of their e separation from « of a Nislerhood -^sary,. Work is e Sisterhoods, so ^y have not suffi- •=ource of power ^•^'^<^ni is to unite y, as both alike ■tance connected f or of Sister- n« profession of )ation or obliga- e imposed, and 15 what should be the conditions of admission to the Order or the Sisterhood ? With respect to the Deaconesses, I per- sonally do not sec any practical dilHculty. The liishop who frives her the authority to minister, may for good cause revoke that authority, and may in like manner rel(>ase her from the obligation to which she has submitted herself As a rule, practically we should prefer and should generally expect to have, unmarried women as Deaconesses, but 1 know not why we should deprive the Church of the beneiit of the services of such married women, as may be able to devote a considerable portion of their time to such work. If we enforced celibacy upon our Deacons, we should ot course deal with the Deaconesses in the same way, but as we do not, I am not of opinion that any such distiuclion need be made as a principle. It is written indeed "the unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, but she that is married careth for the things of the world how she may please her husband;" but this is immediately preceded by a similar statement respecting the man. In those cases therefore where there are no domestic obligations, incom- patible with the performance of the duties of the oflice, 1 would admit married women to serve. Hut a Sisterhood is a different thing, and its attraction to some persons is the fact of self-renuncintion, and entire dedication to a peculiar life, entirely sei>;u-ated from the world, occupied with prayers and good works. And we have no right to refuse to such persons the power to do what they desire in this respect, provided only proj^er restrictions and conditions are 'maintained. At the last Kochester Diocesan Couference, Bishop Thorold said, on the ({uestion of encouraging Sisterhoods : " Why should they not trust women with their self-surrender and their spirit oi" sacriiice ^ If they wanted to ffive their young lives to Christ why should they not? Why should women be supposed to be able to think of nothing but of getting married :" All he said was that women had courage, thev had devotedness, and strength of purpose, and if they were willing to give themselves up, to lay their lives at Christ's feet, and if they found that it helped them to live together, what was there against hi" We must not allow any to bind themselves by vows, under the impulse of excited feelings, or until they have arrived at mature years, and 16 I after a sufficient probation. St. Paul, as you knoi mentions sixty years of age, but at all events we would nl adoi>t a limit lower than thirty, and an early couiicl prohibited vows to women under forty. iSome have sua j^ested vows for brief periods, say three or live year! renewable at the end of each of those ]ieriods ; but it hiJ been objected that this is a cause of disturbance, that then- is thus a constantly recurring crisis in the life of eaci Sister, when she has to determine whether to renew he vow or to abandon her purpose. If there were any recod nized dispensing power in our branch of the Church, th7 practical diiliculty would be much less serious ; but as W(| have not, we must only be the more careful and watchful lest while allowing the vows, we unwittingly sanction i\ course which may lead to grievous evils. In connection with the recognition of women's assis- tance, as a valuable element in Church work, the subject! of help to be obtained from Laymen has been muchl discussed in England, and the two Convocations havel adopted resolutions, with a view to the increase of help to the incumbents of Parishes. With respect to the formal recognition of Laymen, by issuing licenses to them as readers, or generally visitors and helpers in Parishes, on the nomination and under the direction of the Incumbent, 1 think there is no difference of opinion, either in England o. in the Colonies, and we have a Provincial Canon pro- viding i'or such appointments. But in England they cannot legally assist in the services in any consecrated building. 01 this restriction however, the l^ishop of Lichlie)d in his lately delivered charge, has said. " I look forward to the time, although I may not live to see it, when in every part of the country, and especially in our towns, a noble army of Lay Evangelists, formally licensed, will fullill their appointed calling both within and with- out the walls of our Churches." And in order that ellicient help may be provided for the Clergy, already in many (;ases overworked, and with constantly increasing demands u]>on their strength, both mental and physical, the need is felt of an extension of the Diaconate ; which may be accomplished, either by lowering the age of admission, and the standard of qualification, or by ordaining men engaged in secular business, as permanent Deacons, leaving them to pursue their calling, and at the same time to devote part of their ] «I, as you know, j-ents we would not f aii^ oarly council y- Some have sug- ^ree or fivo yoars periods ; but it has urbance, that there "the life of y,^^.{^ ther to renew her I'e were any reco^r. f^f the Church, tJie serious ; but as we villi and watchful itting-ly sanction a of women's assis- work, the subject ^ has been much invocations have increase of help to •t^ct to the formal <^"'Ses to them as '« in Parishes, on >f the Incumbent, thither in Kmrhind ncial Can oil pro- '1 England th«>y iiny consecrated the l^ishop of as said. " I look ot live to see it, specially in our :|rmally licensed, thin and with- er that efficient y in many <;ases ? demands ui)on le need is felt of >e accomplished, id the standard iged in secular hem to pursue te part of their 17 time to clerical ministrations. The former, which appears to me to bo the more likely to be successful, has been rejected by our Provincial Synod, and the latter has been adopted in our 18th Canon. It has also been adopted by the, (^)uvocutions of both Provinces in p]ngland. But it must be admitted that there arc difficulties. Suppose, for example, an influential man, professional or otherwise, is ordained Deacon under this system, and he and the Incum- bent do not work happily together, or his services are no longer required, what will bo the probable issue ? In the ordinary case of a Curate becoming dissatisfied, or unsati.s- factory, there is no difficulty ; for willingly or unwillingly he goes elsewhere, but under this system the Deacon is settled in the Parish or District, perhaps a land owner, or practicing some profession, so that he cannot remove, and yet his continuance in the place, after his license has been withdrawn, may he very trying to the Incumbent, and prejudicial to the interests of the Church. 1 still hope to have the former plan tried, aud I think that with proper safeguards it would Avork well. At present there is too little distinction between the orders of Deacons, and of Priests, aud it would be much more real and in accordance with the intention of the Church, if, the limit of twenty-four years of ago for the Priesthood being strictly retained, men could be ordained Deacons as soon as they are legally of age. being required to serve three years in that capacity, under the direction of a Priest, and not being allowed to be in sole charge of a Mission or Dislri«3t under any circumstances. In a new Country, where men have to begin early to provide for themselves, it is hard to require them to wait two or three years after graduating before they can be ordained. We should be glad indeed if our graduates could remain at College for those years, and devote themselves to such studies as are needful in these days, that they may be thoroughly furnished, i>repared to meet and demolish the arguments and objections of sceptics and scoffers, and especially of these knowing "agnostics," who profess to knov^ that they can know nothing of the unseen world. But there are few who, even with help, can afford to do this, and men vv^ould probably secure more time for study as Deacons, reading under the guidance of a Priest of good standing, than if they were occupied with any secular employment. 1« Little use, however, has been made oT the fa^iliti iilroady provided uiulor our present Canons, and I have n yet received an a|)pli«^a(ion for ordination of a pernianei Deacon, althomjh I have licensed some lew Lay readers, you really desire su(jh help, I think that in many of on Missions it would be possible to iind some one or more me able and willini^ to assist you in such duties as ma properly be performed by a Jjayman, if only they n authorized so to act by lawful authority, and I shall aiwa\ be ready to supply such authority when requested to so c by any of you. There is still another ao-ency, of which the value is no generally admitted, even where the ordinary provision lb the pastoral work of a Parish is most complete, and whic' ai)pears to be well nigh essential w'here such provision ii inadequate. I refer to what are commonly called parochia Missions. These are among the fruits of the great revival o the last half century, and like many other things, at iirs regarded with suspicion, and supposed to be coniiectct with certain doctrines, have now been adopted by men o all shades of opinion. A Mission was supposed to have something of a Roman flavor, but under the name of fi revival the very same thing has been long familiar tc Methodists and Baptists. It is the appointment of a certain definite period, during which special efforts are made, with the help of laborers, other than the ordinary ministers, to awaken a lively interest in spiritual things; and to stiruj) the people by means of earnest appeals and addresses, from men endowed by the Holy Spirit with the power of touching the hearts, with prayers, and as lar as possible personal intercourse with those who are pricked at the heart, and enquiring " what must I do to be saved ? '' In fact Missions have been opposed, on the one hand, because they were supposed to be of Koman. origin, on the other because they savored too much of enthusiasm, lor our respectable steady going Anglican Church. JJut, happily for us, we live in an age in which prejudices of this kind cannot long prevail. "We are disposed now to judge of measures and of modes of action by their merits, without reference to the circumstances in which, or the persons by whom they were introduced, and since the principle of such Missions is good, and the results proved by experience are beneficial, they now occupy a recognized place among the agencies of our Church, both iu England and in the Colonies. flo of the farilitios ms, and I havc! not tioii of a porin.uioiif. b\v Lay roadors. Ji' li^t in many of our le one or nioro men ^ such proA'ision is ily called parochial the great revival ol' her things, at iirst to 1)0 connected (lopted by men of supposed to have tM- the name of a long- familiar io ntnu^nt of a certain 'I'ts are mad(\ with inary ministers, to igs; and to stiruj) nd addresses, from power of touching possible personal at the heart, and In fact Missions ecause they were ther because they ;espectable steady or us, we live in ^ind cannot long f measures and ol" reference to the ' by whom they of such Missions ice are beneficial, g the agencies of Colonies. 10 A.t one time it was supposed that 1 he system of the Church of l']ngland was like cast iron, incapable of accommodating itself to the pi'cuiiar circumstances of times and places. Any d<^parture from a certain groove was supposed to be erratic, and betokening erroneous tendencies. We were, in fact, being smoth(!red under the burden of respectability; }>ut we have learned at length that a living Church must l)e capable of adapting herself to the wants of each genera- tion, must avail hf^rself of all means whereby her influence may be extended and iiKreased. It has been objected that an unlKuilthy ex(;itement is produced by these revival agehi ies, and that they are not in harmony with the spirit and dignity of the system of the Church of England. But all who are anxious for the salvation of souls, and for the manifestation of vigorous spiritual life in the members of the Church, will thankfully avail themselves of every ageut^y whereby these objects may be promoted. Some Pastors appear to think that the suggestion of the need of other teachers is a reflection upon themselves; and some, 1 fear, almost unconsciously perhaps, are reluctant to encourage what will certainly, if at all successful, necessi- tate more energy and effort on their part than they have been wont to manifest. But the former objection is entirely imaginary. The Pastor charged with the care of any portion of the ilock may be of remarkable ability, may be earnest and diligent, and yet a Missioner, inferior to him in many respects, may influence those whom he has betMi uuiible to reach. Words repeated over and over again by a familiar voice lose their force, and many hear as though they heard not;^but the same truths in a new form, uttered by a stranger, appear to be clothed with unwonted power. Moreover the numerous additional ser- vices, and addresses produce an ellect much greater than what is duo merely to their multiplication. Ordinarily, however deep may l)e the impression made by a preacher on the Lord's day, it becomes faint before the following Hiuiday ; but when the stroke is repeated day after day, the impression made becomes permanent and ineffaceable. ]*]ven those who love God, and desire to be obedient c;hildren. are nevertheless apt to become cold and dull, are often deficient in zeal and devotion to our dear Lord and blaster. They desire perhaps to lead a higher life, to be more spiritually minded, but are iinable to make the effort "20 requisite in order to free themselves from the ontangh>j meiits of (he world, and to rise to a hijrher and <'learei atmosjihere. And tlie Mission is the means orbraciiii]^ upl the failini^ energies, definitely checks the tendency tol l>rocrasti nation, and supplies the impulse that was neededl to quicken the soul. Then there are everywhere to ])e| found careless ones, who seldom, if ever, attend in the House of Prayer, and some of these can usually bo induced] lo attend at lhes(^ special services, and thus beconn^ acquainted with truths, of which they have been utterly ignorant. J>ut ••hiefly and a])ove all the success of a| Mission depends upon the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in answer tol he prayers of the Church. When a Mission is ])roposed, it is always to be preceded by a period of i)re- paration, with lu'ayer and intercession, and it is ([uito possible to obtain a union in prayer, for such a definite object, which could not be secured otherwise. We ]ject, has borne held within this ictory results, f >r such Missions, ^ population is tmay bedilhcult •1' it is not every he a successful xtent help each could lind the iVee from Tar- me to work in 3(_;hial Missions ain some men ork, and also to e free to engage le Report in the , that upwards 21 ol 700 Missions havo boen hold by its apronis, that well known Missioner, Hay McDowfJl Aitken, being its«(!hair- iiian. and that thore aro nearly -00 Clergymen on its list, prepared to undertake to conduct Missions when called upon by the Committer, in some suggestions prepired by Mr. Aitk(!n. it is recommended that prei)aration for a Mission should be commenced, at least six months before tlie dale proposed for it, l)y semiring the Missioner, and letting the intention be known ; and two or three months beforehand prayer nuH'tinofs should be held, and later attention should be din'cted to the matter by addresses, iind circulation of tracts. Much will depend upon this ])reparation, and therej'ore it is useless to attempt a Mission where the Clergyman in charge is not willing to laf)or diligently with this intention, before it is held, and still more alterwards, to prt^vent the ill effects of the reaction, w hi(;h is apt to follow upon any temporary excitement. I ara sure t'. »t in some of the country Parishes, although it may not L possible to carry on a Mission with the same advantage, or for as long a period, as in this City and in the towns, modiliecl arrangements might be made, and that much more life than is commonly apparent would be manifested. Ft is worthy of notice that a Mission was hold in Dublin last Lent, oi' which it is reported, " The mere fac t that all the Clergy were united in the matter, was in itself iin encouragement to look for a blessing, and it is pleasant to bo able to record that nothing was allowed to mar the unity with which it was begun."' We shall look with much interest upon tln^ Mission to be held through- out the great City of Loudon in the Atttumn, for which ju'eparations have been in progress for more than a year, and that i^roposed for New York. While speaking of the endeavors to rescue the outcast, and to reach the lower classes of the poptilation, I may mention, although it is outside of our own Communion, that remarkable organization, the Salvation Army, of which we have all heard, which has now been working for 20 years, and which is activtdy engaged in one of the Dioceses of this lilcck'siastical Province, although it has not yet invaded Nova Scotia. ?>oine of the Clergy of our Church, believing that it is doing a good work for God, have fraternised with it, and it cannot bo alleged that there was, at the lirst, any opposition to it, even by those Jf tJiis organiza- '« oy employijig when they are ^■es and a desire to ^oiigst the class t\ will not listen v/e have here a ^d through the ■^ to the under- these principles, " the Salvation working immed- '■^«s^ and this -iccessful. St the instances Missions largely t public schools, \-orsitius, in the ud other places ^ you each to ^the Church of •1 will be aston- vork done or •ogress of vice, 'i^' :'!^'hilosopliers of Greece and liomc ; ior as it was truly said ill one of the papers read at the Congress, " The 24 ■< \ 5!i only motive that is strong cnongh permanently to checkl and eventually to silence men's passions, is the love of tin' Incarnate Son of God. If we could only make the incarnaj tion a reality to men, could make them realize the personal union of every christian with Christ, could make them se( by virtue of the incarnation the Divinity in humanity, thifJ vice would become impossible to them." Still it is ouil duty to help the weak, and the knowledge that many oil his equals are banded together to pursue a right, course, willl strengthen a man's resolution and counterbalance the tool frequent suggestions of the assumed prevalence of the sin. The organization has gained much favor, and many] members of the English Universities have heartily phnlged themselves to its principles and its objects. And if those who are more practically acquainted with the moral statistics of this City and Province, than I can be, consider that such an organization might be helpful and beneiicial, I shall be happy to take the lead in its formation. A Society for the help and protection of young women was formed in 187-') in England, under the name of the '"Girls Friendly Society," and in Canada a Branch was established two years ago, which has now nearly (!00 members. There are Diocesan Organizations 'n three of the Dioceses, of which Toronto is central, and there are several Parochial Branches in Nova Scotia and Prince ]*]dward Island, which ought to be combined in a Diocesan Association. I purpose very soon taking the steps neces- sary to complete this combination, the utility of the Society having been olready sulficiently proved. At the date of my last Charge we were dreading the passage of an Act, injuriously affecting, as we believed, and still believe, the standard of morality. The deprecated Act has now been passed, although in a modified form, (not novr professing to make valid marriage with a deceased wife's sister, but merely repealing prohibitory enactments) so as to leave the question of the validity of the marriage to be fletermined by the law or usage of each religious community. You ha' e been instructed, by an official document issued by the House of Bishops, that this action of the Legislatitre does not in any way affect your obligations, as Ministers of a Branch of the Church of England, and that you are still bound to refuse to solemnize marriage between any persons within the ^anently to check, «, is the Jovo of the ' make the iiicarna- ^oalize the personal uld make them see ' ill humanity, this !•" Still it is our edjje that many of ti right course, will iterbalance the too valence of the sin. fiivor, and many e heartily plcdn-ed *t«. And ifthase with the moral I can be, consider il and beneiicial, rmation. of young women the name of the la a Branch was now nearly (IQO 'ions -11 three of il, and there are otia and Prince ed in a Diocesan the steps neces- ty of the Society >i'e dreading the ve believed, and 3 deprecated Act tied form, (not nth a deceased >iT enactments) >t the marriage each religious by an oificial that this action ay affect your t' the Church md to refuse MS within the 26 degrees of consanguinity or affinity enumerated in the table of prohibited degrees. A similar Bill will probably soon be passed by the Imperial Parliament, bat this will not in any respect alter our position with respect to this matter. There are a few suggestions, which I desire to offer respecting the conduct of the services in your several Cures, some of them referring to minor matters, but nothing connected with the worship of our God can be unimpor- tant. The most important of all sacred ordinances is the Holy Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and although we are still far from the general adoption of the primitive apostolic practice of celebrating on (at the least) the Krst day of every week. I am thankful that there has been a marked improvement in a large proportion of our Parishes. There is indeed one Parish where there are only four celebrations in the one Church, and another where there have been only seven in three Churches in the course of the past year ; but these are entirely exceptional, and as might be expected the congregations thus starved have almost ceased to exist. But there are several Parishes where the total for the year averages more than one for each week, divided in some cases among two or three Churches, and a fortnightly celebration is common. Where there is only one in each month, there must always be Parishioners unable to enjoy their rightful privilege more than once in two months, and for any spiritual loss thus incurred their ministers must be responsible. In the rubric after the Nicene Creed, directing notice to bo given of the Communion, no form is provided, and any words may be used at your discretion ; but there arc two exhortations, of which one or the other is appointed to be read after the sermon, one containing the important Invitation to persons troubled in conscience. The English Convocations of the two Provinces, in proposed amend- ments to the rubrics, directed that one of these exhortations should be used in giving notice of Holy Communion three times in the year at least, and that in Churches where there is frequent Communion, the exhortation in the service should be read on one Sunday at the least, in each month. It has become customary, where the celebrations are frequent, ordinarily to omit all these exhortations; but I would have you certainly not to fall short of these 26 I ii I amended directions. The exhortation " Dearly Beloved ii the Lord," contains such sound instruction and such vain able expositions of doctrine, that you have no right t( deprive your people of the henelit of a formal officia enunciation of them ; and I fear that there has sometimes been unjustifiable neglect in this respect. There has been also an increasing irregularity, with respect to the prayers for the Grovcrnor-General and tht Dominion Parliament, and wo cannot expect that th( divine blessing will be vouchsafed to our rulers, and to ourselves through their wise counsels, if w^e neglect to olfer our supplications on their behalf, in compliance with the apostolic injunction, (1 Tim. ii. 1-2.) I hope that th( appointed prayers are used by you all in the Embc. weeks, as there are always ordinations at those seasons in some part of the world if not in this Diocese, and that duo notice is given of the days, and also of all holidays, in accordance with the rubric ; for even if you are anabh; to have any special services on those days, the congregations ought to be reminded of their occurrence, and thus of the particular instruction connected with each commemor- ation. In all your ministrations cultivate a habit, and still more a spirit, of reverence, and this without introducing any new practices or ceremonies. There is one praclice specifically ordered by the Church, which is not observed as it ought to be, I refer to bowing at the name of Jesus. It is enjoined by Canon XYIII. thus: "When in time of divine service the Lord Jesus shall be mentioned, due and lowly rcA'erenee shall be done by all persons i^resent,'' the reason for the practice being set ibrth. At all events there can be no excuse for the omission of this customary practice, when the congregation standing up are in the Creed formally declaring their belief and acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. A want in our Prayer Book, felt in this Province, where so many persons connected wuth us ;ire constantly upon the sea, is a prayer for fishermen and Siiilors. An application has been made by the Provincial Synod to the House of Bishops, aslving that the needful prayers may be supplied. Until this is done I recommend you to use, with suitable alterations, one of the '' forms of in-ayer to be used at sea," in the cud of your Prayer Books. This is particularly Dearly Beloved in ion and such valu- ta ve no right to a formal official lere has sometimes irregularity, witli r-General and th.' expect that t\u^ our rulers, and to if we neglect to 11 compliance witli I hope that the the Kmbc. weeks, B seasons in some ese, and tliat duo >f all holidays, in you are unabh; to the congregations e, and thus of the each commeinor- a habit, and still thout introducing re is one praclice 1 is not observed IB name of Jesus. When ill time of Jiitioned, due and ons present," the L^ all events there f this customary g" np are m the acknowledgment Provijice, where stantly upoji the An application to the House of lay be supplied. 2, with suitable 3e used at sea," is particularly 27 needed on the coast, in settlements where a large propor- tion of the men are engaged in fishing, and such a prayer may most appropriately be used during the fishing season, and particularly in stormy weather, to the great comfort of their families assembled in the churches. I have spokeii to you of the difficulty of securing a snliii'ient supply of teachers, and I have now to speak of the qualifications to be required, and consequently of the preparation to be enjoined. At its last Session the Synod enacted a Canon obliging all Divinity Students to take a full " Arts Course," except when an exemption is allowed by the Visitor. This is theoretically good, and, if it could be enforced, would be beneficial, although perhaps not so much so as some suppose. But practically the attempt to enforce it would deprive us of the services of some very valuable men, who come to college too late in life to enter ui^on classical and other studies of which they have not previously had any knowledge ; and in my opinion they would be much more profitably employed in deep, careful study of the Scriptures and theological works and evidences. The school-master is a])road aiid, under the free school system, education must be more widely diffused than in former years, and with an educated people we require a well-educated Ministry ; but while we grasj) at a shadow we may lose the substance, and too stringent regulations may so far affect the supply of candidates tor Holy Orders that Pari.'bhes and Missions may be left without any Incum- bents owing to the lack of candidates. We should gener- ally suy that the portion of an Arts Course especially useful for a minister is the study of C reek, the language of the New Testament, but Greek is being actually abandoned as n(?cessary for a degree in Ari;s by some Colleges and Universities. In England it hns been found imjiossible to insist upon a University education as a preliminary, and it is admitted that the training of the better class of theo- logical Colleges must sulfice. I need hardly, however, say to you, my brethren, that we value a University education, not so much for the actual knowledge acquired as for the habit of mind and the exercise of the intellectual faculties, whereby the acquirement of professional knowledge of all kinds in after life is greatly facilitated. In this country, wherein the sparsenessof the population necessitates constant travelling over extensive districts for M. ■f- ll*''i» 28 each country Eector or Missionary, it is very difficult to fine time for study after entering upon the active work of th^ Ministry. And yet unless you do so study you will find yourl selves frequently at a loss, and at a great disadvantage] when you meet with gainsayers whom you will b( unable to answer. "Whether infidelity, and soepticisi in various forms, are actually more rampant than the^i have been at other times in the history of the Church,! w^e do not venture to determine, but they are painfullyl prevalent, and we have reason to expect them to wax! w^orse and worse as the end approaches. The pro-l valence of scepticism was Bishop Butler's reason forf publishing his Analogy a hundred and filty years a And he thus described the condition of things, in words which may be used of our own times : — " It is come, 1 know not how, to be taken for granted by mony persons that Christianity is not so much as a subject of enquiry, but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious. And accordingly they treat it as if, in the present age, this were an agreed point among all people of discern- ment, and nothing remained but to set it up as a prin- cipal subject of mirth and ridicule, as it were, by way of reprisal, for its having so long interrupted the pleasures of the world." The infidelity prevailing in France at the time of the revolution infected the rest of the civilized world, and it appears probable that we shall have again the monstrous prodigy of a nation avowing its rejection of the claims of the Supreme Being, and (untaught by the awful lessons of the consequences of their former vain attempt to dethrone the Almighty and of their refusal to recognize His exist- ence) setting up the Goddess of reason, or some other creature of their own imagination, as the object of wor- ship. That a spirit of resistence to authority prevails throughout the world is but too evident ; it is the same spirit which rejects the dogmatic teaching of the Church and the authority of rulers, leading to a general adoption of merely secular in the ])lace of religious instruction, and manifesting itself in nihilism, socialism and other kindred forms oi anoriiia. The elimination of the religious element, from our educational system, must injuriously affect the principles inculcated, and the children not being taught the duty of submission to authority as of Divine obligation become at an early age self-willed, disobedient to parents, c:sT^ri-.-»i':«*ri ■ery difficult to find ctire work of the you will find vour- reat disadvantag-e 'om you will bo' y. and scepticism .mpant than thev 7 of the Church \i^oy are painfully lect them to wax ^;hes. The pro- tiers reason for t thing's, in words •"-■" It is come, I by many persons 5;i»ject of enquiry 1 to be fictitious.' the present ao-e t?op]e of disce?n- .it up as a prin- Jt were, by way pted the pleasures ■ the time of the 'eel world, and it » the monstrous ol the claims of awful lessons of n^pt to dethrone S"iiize His exist- ' 01' some other 3 object of wor- thority prevails ; It is the same ■ of the Church eral adoption of Jistruction, and .other kindred iS"ious element >usly affect the t being taught vine obligation mi to parents, 29 and, as they advance in years, prepared to reject and resist all control, and to disregard all laws, human and Divine. On this account it becomes your duty to endeavour, as far as possible, to counteract this evil tendency by sound, care- ful teaching in your Sunday Schools, based upon the Church Catechism, instilling an early reverence for God's Word and setting forth His great love in adopting the infants as His children, who ouf^ht thereibre to render a loving obedience to their Heavenly Father, and, for His sake, to all who are the representatives of authority, paren- tal or otherwise. The peculiar feature of this age is the diffusion of know- lodge, whether good or bad, through cheap literature ; and thus, a little knowledge being proverbially a dangerous thing, much harm is done by the dissemination of crude opinions, and of suggestions of doubts and difficulties, unsettling the minds of very many who are quite unable to investigate the truth or falsehood of the statements. There appears to be something very gratifying to man's natural pride in the feeling of superiority engendered by the ability to suggest doubts with respect to what has been commonly acce{)ted as truth. And young men talk Huently of what they have picked up, as though they had them- selves made some startling discoveries, wholly ignorant of the fact that the greater part of the objections now adduced against the Holy Scriptures are virtually repetitions, and sometimes the identical language, of objections made and refuted in past ages. You should make yourselves well acquainted with what has been published in the department of Christian Apologetics, and you will often be able to satisfy the mind of one who has been disturbed by hearing what are to him entirely now difficulties, when vou can shew him that they have been well known and yet have not affected the faith of learned and devout men, who have applied to their investigation, ability and research, such as ho could not himself bestow upon them. In addition to the old oft-repeated objections there are also others alleged to be due to the advancement of s(;ionce ; and many, more especially young men, are influenced by the taunt expressed or implied that adherence to the old belief is a sign of ignorance. Hence it has become the fashion to assume that Christianity is elfete, and that having done some good ser- vice in its day, notwithstanding its alleged fallacies, it must now give place to newly discovered truths. It will fre- 30 £;at ?;-s ■:•{ * s- si^-;. .-„,. process of reason v ^^•*"'^« " aoes not deiionri ^*^"^^"} these cepdc, tiv k' ^''""' ">»>. o } h m "^'irr, ''°"'"-'" ^ «''?ht .sm'atte C„*^o/'^h''/^>'?»"'ed a« amateur withT "^ "^ '""•'"i". and aulnii, kL'^ '°": -^dge of which i^,''' .^J?'^- ^ We do not deny ihnt f v. Particular objection rocovdv K^ '■'^oa s dea iiur,s wi'fh , "^V'^'' ^md to th > S'-;-''-ted:'lt-l,'?/»„-U people who a. „ot roco' .d ,:tfi,:"'' J«» vviir; ^h "; " opportunity fo son. ™ ; ' be r ,';'''?' "''J^'^'ions ; m o„!!"',- , ,"'« ■"«>■« Hifidently impuirn 11 invGstigated tho. ot the arguments ' ffeniii lioness and New Testaments. I whiph thevhave >m with ji tenacity aepend upon any leases the truth of his own conceit ? In fact many of 'W^-s, with a very 'ich thoy make a force of a logical ^^ all times you that even if you are not prepared ' able to addu(^e ^ich will not be icular objection, es in the 8crip- a Divine revela- l^'<^ Vl-dui to the ^o be ; and in "ills' Himself, are your ways ^«y have been f purpose, by f many things I some of our 56 be ignored of, and to th < ^o«t, and the wlio are not >portunity for ^*^t the more of these per- II fs foun(l in ids or heard ill' ;i acted in and if there •ived from a er r th o o I 81 conviction of the truth of the revelation, from the effect uj>on the affections and upon the whole life produced by its hearty reception, this internal evidence will be to the individual incontrovertible. The practical answer to all cavils will be, " One thing I knotv, whereas I was blind now 1 see.' On the other hand, doubts are very readily enter- tained by some, because they wish to doubt. They shrink from tlie belief that they are responsible to an Almighty intelligent Ueing, w^ho " will render to every man arruiuiiig to his deeds,'' and like the foolish bird which by hiding its head tries to escape the ryes of its pursuers, they think that if they refuse to recognize their (rod they may escape His noiice and His judgments. The iirst thing is to make men understand that this is not a case merely for the exercise of the intellect, where it matters little which sid<' prevails, or where both have an equal a jrrinri (,'laim to their respectful consideration. For persons born in a Chritstian land, with whom you v.'ill have to deal, there is a prima facie obligation to accept what has been accepted by many generations of their fellow-country- men as the revelation of the will of the Creator of the Universe to His creatures. Every man is bound to render obedience to the governing body of the country in which he was born, so long as he remains in it, and the supreme authority recognized in every Christian country is Grod, A^hose claims it is treason to oppose or even to deny. Granted that there is a Oud, we must believe that He can make known His will to those who depend upon Him, and, since benevolence must be attributed to Him, that He does make it known. This being admitted, we cannot suppose that any one of His subjects is at liberty to accept or reject this revelation at his i^leasure. No one can do this with impunity, no rational being can really suppose himself to be Justilied in ignoring the claims of the Sacred Books until, after an honest, /Itoi-oug-Jt examination of all the evidence, he has become convinced that the claim is with- out foundation, and that the [Supreme Being has not sufficient care for His creatures to induce Him to let them know how they may please Him, and what is His will con- cerning them. Setting aside for the present occasion, as irrelevant, any notice of the revelations, or pretended reve- lations, to ])e found in other countries, in India, China or Japan, 1 presume that none in this land will x^retend that any written communication of His will is to be iound if it I S2 he not in the Bible. "Whoroforc all who believe in th existence of such a cominnnication must believe that it ; substantially recorded there, even if they hold that soni error has become intermingled with it. Again, it is to be observed that the Bible alone provide or professes to provide, for anything beyond this life. Thei is an instinctive belief in man that he is essentially distinc from and independent ot the earthly tabernacle wherein h resides, and that when the body shall be decomposed an moulder in the dust he will still exist, where or how h cannot tell ; and the most enlightened of the heathen ha\ deplored their ignorance with respect to that future lif Only by a Divine revelation can the future be unveile( and one great purpose of the preaching of the Gospc according to the historic record, was to instruct us wit reference to it, " bringing life and immortality to light In this respect e^ ery one of the philosophic and scientiii systems oHered as substitutes for the Grospel fails, and ever rational being may be expected to answer their advocates t this effect: "Before I can even listen to your argumeni you must satisfy me that your system provides in some wa for my w^elfare in thai future state towards which 1 ai conscious that I am hastening.' There are, indeed, some who deny the existence of God, or of any intelligent First Cause, but we can general) recognize the truth of the statement that it is the fool w " hath said in his heart there is no God," and the mo intelligent opponents of revelation have been compelled admit the existence of a power v/hich they cannot trace The most common form of unbelief, in our day, is probab the opinion that we cannot determine whether there is God or not, commonly known as Agnosticism, with reft ence to which 1 may recommend to you two lectures oft Bishop of Ontario, published in pamphlet form, and brie setting forth unanswerable objections to some of the s terns promiilgated or adopted by agnostics as more probab than the teaching of the Scriptures. It is to be observ that the existence of a Creator is not absolutely denied, b it is reckoned among things which are unknowable, ai therefore doubtful. "We readily admit that the Great Fi *By coiitiiiually scekiii,' lo know and lieiiig tontimially tlirown back will deepened conviction of the iniposyibility of knowing, we may keep alive the ( Bcioiisness that it is alike our liij^'hest wisdom and onr higlicst dnty to regard t through which all things exist ius the l.'nkuowable.—^/jeHar'a Fimt Frincipka, Sect 38 ho believe in the believe that it is ey hold that some ible alone provides, Diid this lii'e. There essentially distinct ernaclo wherein ho ►e decomposed and whore or how he f the heathen have to that future lilV. 'uture be unveiled, ng of the Gospel, to°instruct us with mortality to light." )phic and scientiii«' )spel fails, and every er their advocates to to your arguments rovides in some way (Wards which I am the existence of a )ut we can generally it it is the fool who God," and the most c been compelled to they cannot trace. =^ our day, is probably whether there is a isticism, with refer- u two lectures of the let form, and brieily to some of the sys- tics as more probable It is to be observed )solutely denied, but re unknowable, and that the Great First tinuiilly tlirown back witli ;i we niiiy keep alive the <"•" higlicst duty to reyanl that mctr'a First Friitcipkts, /S'tct Ji. Cause is beyond the comprehension of man, since the finite cainiot coiiiitreliend tin; inlinitc! ; and one reason for our bt'liefi)! the lad of a Divine revelation is tliat man «annot o;her\vise obtain anv certain knowledj^e of tlie Creator and J\nle- of the I niverse ; that He must hv. unknowable, t^x'cei.t so far as lie nniy please to make Himself known. WhtMH'fore we reeognize an '( prion prol)ability that llv, having regard to the vvell'are and happiness of mankind, would reveal to them some knowledge of Himself otherwise unobtainable. As free thinkers are generally extremely dogmatic in their condemnation of dogma, and of any deiinite teaching resi)ecting those things with which it is most important to man that he should be acquainted, so these who profess that they know nothing of God assert that they hunv that nothing ccui be kin:)wn concerning Him, and in various ways endeavour to account for all phenomemi without admitting an intelligent designer aiul upholder. Among these methods ev( 'ution occupies the lirst place, and is pro])al)ly most familiar to you as connected w^ith the name of Darwin, through whose researches it has obtained a widespread acce[)tance. According to this hypothesis — for be it ever remembered that it is admitted to be; nothing- more, and that its truth cannot be proved — all living creatures originated from one common origin, a molecule or protoplasm. Darwin says : "I believe that animals have desceiided Irom at most only four or live progenitors, and plants from an ecjual or lesser number. Analogy would lead me one step further, namely, to the belief that all animals and plants have descended from o/ic proloty[)e ; but analogy may be a deceitful guide. '"^ He thus explains the princiide of "natural selection" and " the survival ol the litt(ist," of which mention is so frequently made: ''Nature in successive "-enerations u'ives varieties ; these in the strua'- gle lor existence have unequal fortunes — those most adapted to the circumstances of the time and place prosper and give origin to descendants, which run the same risks, and under the same princij^ie ol'natural selection acquire more and more the character of distinctness and of superiority" He adds, "as natural selection works solely by and for the good of each being, all corporeal and mental endowments will tend to progress towards perfection."! * Darwin's Oriijin of Species, ^ect, 81."). fib. 82U, 34 r>\ii let none be (locnivofl with tho ho]^o of prolilinu' l>y this pvo^TCss. lor it is iiothiui;' in which you or 1 can l)o iutorcstocl. Thoro is notliiiiq* in tho wliolo schoino oiicouv- jij^iii^' any particuhir person to hope lor i)erroction, or cvou liny remarkiihle advance ; tlie proi^'ross is to bo towards the port'ection of the world, somewhere in the future, which is to be as loni^" as the preeediiii,^ ideological ages. Moreover, it is to be observed, that this jM-ogressive improvement is contrary toprevah^nt tradition and observa- tioi). The original golden age of tradition, in whi«;h the (iods lield inter(;ourse with mo.u, degenerated until it could only be likened to iron ; and every school boy knows the complaint ol" Horace : — Piimuosii 4iiid nun iniminuit dies ? i'Etas piivoutiini, pojur avis, tulit Xos n(',i|uiui'i's, iiiox diituros I'rogi'uioni vitiosiorciii. —77/. O'lr.'^ vi. \r>. AVc have at the least as much reason for supiwsing that th(! most degraded races of mankind have become debased as that the higher have been improved from such a low condition, in fact our own experience contradicts this theory of continuous improvement. Ask your farmers what will bo the result of leaving their lields or their ilocks aiul herds to take care of themselves, and to im[)rove by "natural selection," with the addition, if they will, of "sexual selection." Their answer will uot be ln'sitating or doubtful. They know that the consequences of leaving all or anything to chance would be ruinous. They know also that liy care and cultivation and judicious selection they may bring about great improvements both in their cro])s and in their stock. Does not this teach us that evolution, to be successful or tending to improvemeni, requires the constant direction and interference of inteliig'.'uce, either of God, or, on a smaller scale, of man ? '^• Here again is, in my o]iinion, a proof of ihe fallacy of the whole system, of which a iirst principle is that evolu- re.sult Darwin speaks tluis nf the skill rt'qdinil in order to hriii-' iiliont a satisfactory Not one man 1 n a jecoine an eminent liieeiler. tliiiusand has accuracy of eye ami juil-;'nicnt s\itlicient b i'ew would readily believe in the nat\iral (•aiia<'ity and years of jiractiee requisite to lieeonie even a skilful [ligeon fancier." — (Jri'jitt nf >Spi.i-u iSai. i'.v. 'i'lie T)nkc of ArLcyll, in his " I'nity of Xature," argues that " a [)rocess of natural rejection is the inseparal lie correlative of the process of natural selection,"' and tliat there is a downward as well as an upward evolution. *^."; •>;> tioii works sololy for tho ofood of oa<^li individual. How can it be lor A'v;-*'/ tluit I am «!Vo1v(mI a hcinir with a yeanl- ing' ai'tor immortality, with iolty aspirations that aro never j^ratilied here on (?arth, and of which I am not permitted to induli'c^ a hope that tliey ran ever he o-vatilied .'' I am per- mitted to study liu' u-eoioii-ji-al lormation and the history of the earth ; or, if I i)lease, 1 may devote ytiars to the study of the habits of worms, l)iit I Van look for nothing- Ix'tte'r than to be ming'led with this dust and to bo food for some of those same worms hereafter. If 1 may look ui)on all these things as created by an all-wise (lod, with whom I am to exist olernally, 1 may then be deei)ly interested in the investigation on that account ; but what can T care for all these things if in a brief space 1 am to br annihilated ? How can it beiielit me to have a sense of Justice, a hatred of oppression and fraud, developed in me, if 1 am to be pained and harassed day by day by seeing thiiso princi[)les violated, witliout any hope o[ a state of retribution, where these inequalities shall be redressed, where the right shall prevail :* I am not assuming that these, my longings and sentiments, are in any respect well founded, but evolution, if I am the creature of evolution, has produced them, and has thus caused mo grief and pain and disappointment, without any compensation, if there be no Clod and no Heaven to satisfy my impulses and my longing aspirations. This theory has had remarkable success, and has been taken u^) by very many who have merely a general notion of the arguments in its favor and none at all of the objec- tions which apiK'ar to be fatal to it, if it, be taken as accounting for all organized being. The Ijishoj) of Ontario, to whose i>ami)hliMs 1 have referred you as being easily accessible, has sugg'.'sted probable reasons for this general acceptance, while he has plainly stated insuperable objec- tions. J']volutit)n may probably be a true explanation of several lacts with regard to the distribution oi plants and animals, and of other facts otherwise perplexing, Imt it does not by any means follow that it is a u'tie account of the origin of sp(M.'ies ; and still less is it to b(» assumed that tho process covdd be continued, with uniformly ])eneliciai results, without the intervention of an intelligent con- troller. Men of acknowledged ability and superior talents are often carried away by a hobby, and while Darwin, and others pursuing the same eiujuiries, may be credited with 36 •I an honest desire to discover the truth, we find them yield- ing to the inllrmity of human nature, deriving; f^-eneral conclusions from a limited number of particular cases, and arguing from mere hypotheses as though they were proved propositions. We can readily understand that the discovery of a theory which explains difficulties previously unsolved, must induce a desire to force into harmony with it what- ever is inconsistent, and must obstruct the view of all serious obstacles. Even Darwin, with all his honesty of purpose and clear-sightedness, was by no means free from this failing. Where his evidence is at fault he assumes the existence of the state required by his theory. Thus, taking the testimony of the rocks, irom which alone infor- mation can be obtained as to the forms of life existing in the far off ages, he admits that we cannot approach to a know- ledge of the or?7r/ianbrms, according to his theory, since the earliest known groups are distinct one from another. He then assumes that these are derived from progenitors of far earlier date, belonging to few types or to one, of which every trace has disappeared. And the Geological Professor Phillips, of the University of Oxibrd, shews that this foundation of the system has no existence, except in the imagination of its author, and observes : " As in all the known examples of the series of strata, wherever found, we have everywhere animals of the same general type, and nowhere the traces of earlier progenitors, it is clear that everywhere we are required by the hypothesis to look somewhere else, which may fairly be interpreted to signify that the hypothesis everywhere fails in the first and most important step. How is it conceivable that the serond stage should be everywhere preserved, but the first nowliere ?"=^ These remarks of the learned Professor of Geology may open the eyes of those who have naturally assunn^d that every one of the ear 'iest stages, upon which the doctrine of evolution rests, has been traced out Mid proved by those who speak so confidently of it^ truth. And even if they could trace back the evolutions to the supposed " original jn-otoplasm, the great problem would still remain, whence came this wonderful, mysterious molecule, with its indefinite marvellous potentialities ? Illustrations are adduced to prove, that by careful selec- ♦riiillips' "Life, its Urisin and Succesaion," j). 214. ?>7 tion, great changes may bo produced in some breeds of animals ; but these are, after all, only A'arieties, and there is not a shadow of evidence lor tho assumption that new spe- cies have been, or can possibly be, in this way produced. All experience tends to prove, that hvbrido cannot propa- gate their species, and that the teaching of the ancient record is true, that animal and vegetable are alike to multi- ply after Iheir kind. In his book, on "The Origin of hpecies," Darwin supported his theorv by an assumed hypothesis of " natural selection"; but after some years in his "Descent of Man." he added, " sexual selection." of which he says in his second edition, referring to cn-iticisms, " my conviction of the power of sexual selection remains unshaken, but it is probable or almoU certain that several of my conclusions v;ill hereafter be found erroneous. "=5^ This, he might, I think, have rightly said of his whole system, and rnon^ especially of his attempted deduction, bv evolution, of the mental and moral faculties, and of the moral sense or c onscience, which he admits to be " by far the most important of all the dilTerences between man "and the lower animals. "t But these views are most fully maintained and expound- ed by Herbert ^^pencer, who appears to bo accepted as the chief authority ui>on Agnosticism, and the process of evolu- tion, \vhich he would apply both to matter and to mind, framing a universal system of philosophy, which he deiine.'? to bo "completely uniiied knowledge," and endeavor- ing to shov.' how ethical ]>rinciples are gradually evolved in the s ime manner as jdiysical conditions. .A-ccording to one of his admirers, "tiu- only cora[)lete and methodi('al ex])osiuon of the theory of evolution is to be found in Her- bert tSpencer's system of philosophy." As some of you may be aware of the applause bestowed upon his writings, with- out havingaiiy op[)or!uiiity oipi'vusini;- them, I give you his own dciinition ofcvolution— that it is "an integration of mat- ter and concomitant dissipation of motion, during' w'noh the matter passes from an intlelinitv' incoherent homoj^ "'ity to a delinite coherent heterogeneity, and during whicli the retained motion undergoes a parallel translbrmation."4" From this dellnition, you will perceixe that his treatises *Prefuce, \t. •_'!, iDe^jtriil df .M:iii, [i. 07. [Herbert yijcuccr's Fir.'st rriuti[)les, .>:ect, 14^, p, 'i'Xu 38 It" |y - Hi arc not to bo easily understood ; and you may assume that any man of merely ordinary edrtcation, who i)rol'esses to be a disciple of Spen(?er, from his own study of those treatises, must have blindly a(;cepted what he cannot understand. 15ut after all that he has written, (>ontain(>d in some fifteen volumes, besides essays and articles in Periodicals, and not- withstandint^ an extraordinary profuseness of illustration, sug'g'eslive of very extensive research and di versified learning', while the reader is perplexed l)y scientilic words used in a novel sense assigned to them by the writer, a critic' in the Edinburg'h lieview is able to say of him, that " he has not ascerUiimHl a sing'le new fact, nor put old ones together in such a way as to justify any new inference as to their causes, either immediate or ultimate. "=«= His theory is, that in the beginning there were innumer- able atoms lloating in infinite space, but giving us no clue to IhiMr origin, which wore at some delinite moment put into motion, and were thus gradually combined by the elfect of some force of the nature whereof nothing can be known. Inert mattei' acted upon by " persistent force " is the begin- ning and end of his system, but as he explains " by the per- sistence of force, we really mean the persistence of some cause whicii transcends our knowledge and conception. Tu asserting it, we assert an unconditioned reality without lieginning or eiul."' t C)ne manifestation of this force is gravity, and to this acting upon matter, he appears at one tinn* to attribute the formation of the universe, for he asserts that " matter cannot be conceived except as manil'esting forces of attraction and repulsion," although in fact gravity was not known as a universal accompaniment of matter before Newton's discovery of its laws. At another time the active force is assumed to be th(^ solar ray which, impinging upon matter, may be supposed to have at length produced the lowest forms of life, whence by the process of evolution the highest are derived. But, as was demonstrated in an able paper read before tln^ Victoria Institute, he has unwarrantii.bly introduced mind without accounting for it. He has Jiot shown how lorc(^ can become mind, but, as it is there represented, " he steals some mind, and maintains underneath the surface of his reasoning an illicit channel of communication, by which l']ilinliurL;li Jic'vicw, Jauuiiry, ISSl. illorliL.'t .S[n.'iR'fi'"-j l''li>:t I'liudiilcs, iiano I'Jl*. d. 39 he can, all iinpeiveived, take feloniously as much more mind as his n<'cessitios may demand." " JUmiil;- eng'anod in devclopin*,^ sohir rays, he contrives to wind solar rays and mind together, until at length he reaehes moUuses, and he still continues the process until, lo and l)ehold I out oi" the hrst patch oi' star dust \ve have evolved the iiowers oi" a fShakes]-)eare."'^ Thus, even to a greater extent than Darwin, he assumes whatever he rcipiires !bi his system, stigmatising whai.e\-er is contrary to his assumptions as absurd or "unthinkable,"' a favorite word with him often ai)plied, but of wliich the application may in many cases be denied, and as he assumes or invents his premises he can have no dilliculty in arriving at his desired conclusion, whicli, of course, cannot be any more certain tluin the premises which he has boldly assumed. The extent to which mere hypotheses are assumed, us proved, by the upholders of this system of evolution as the iruo exposition oi the mode in Avhich man has reached his ]M-esent state, physical, intelleciual and moral, is almost incredible, and can only be explained by the supposition that, having made ui> their minds that this theory could account for the condition oi' all existing things, they have closed their eyes so as not to perceive the true character of their reasoning, and havi' ingeniously .suggested supposable methods of nullilying the force of the objections, AVe may admire the perseverance and the remarkable intellectual power displayed by tlie originators ot .such a system, noi- withstanding their too obvious assumptions and f.illacies ; aiid if we were lel't without any clue to the my.-^tery oi creation and the various matters most dceiilv interesliim" to man, o.'" A'liieh tliev have treated, we should owe them a debt oi'g "liUude for their arduous labours, notwithstanding their iaiiuie to i.roduee a system tliat will bear investiga- tion uri to its logical sequence. But /■'•(.' have already not morel} a clue, btit a cle;ir, delinite statement, requiring no assumption-,. The eternal existence ot matter is as unthink- able, to use their own word, as is its creation. I5ut it is an undoubt(Ml i'aetthat mat ter exists, and although the change from nothing lo something is inconceivable, we know that it must have })een effected, and the only solution ol'this j>rol)- lem is to be found in the recognition o'i mind, in other words of an intelligent Leing, as the I'ower, of which the tiroiiiid's j,a[ier(iii Siiriu/or, ]>. Is, 40 eternal existence is maintained oven by the opponents of revelation,^ and, this bein<^ admitted, all else is plain. " In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth." Here we have the origin, not of our globe only but also of the material universe; and \\'e can grant the geologists as many ages, or thousands of ages, as they require before the beginning of the present order of Nature. We have revealed to us unlimited force, controlled by infinite intelligence. A\ e have the origin of species and the descent of man, and the gift of reason, and the moral, intellectual and spiritual condition of man clearly accounted for. We have a definite response to the ({uestions which the evolutionist, after all his research, cannot answer, for, to quote Canon Liddon, " W^hether the creative activity of God is manifested through citastrophes or in progressive evolution it is still His cretn ve activity, and the great questions beyond remain unt- d. The evolutionary process must have had a beginuii.., W^ho began it ? It must have had material to work with. W^ho furnished it ? It is itself a law or system of laws, Who enacted them :" At three points the Creative W^ill must have intervened, otherwise than by evolution, to create mind, to create life, to create matter." f To whatever extent the theory of evolution may be practically true, it absolutely requires the superintendence and control of intelliu'ence. Believing in the existence and controlling providence of God, we can understand the adaptation of means to ends ; we admire the evidences of design with reference to final causes throughout creation ; but we cannot be deluded with the pretext that either " luitural selection," or any other agency directed by blind chance, acting even through millions of ages, could have produced the several species of organi'>:ed living creatures now upon the face of this globe with the perfect adapta- tion of all their i)arts to their respective condition;;;, to say nothing of the intellect, of the moral perceptions and the *■' W't; urt' iil)li4(Ml ti) i't'L,'aril t'vory iilicnuUR'Uoii as a uiaiiife.^tatioi) (if sdiuc Power 'ly whicli we art: atled ii|miii ; tliiiiij,'li ()iuiii|iie.seiiee is .iiitliii.kalile, yet a.s experience (liseliiseh no l)oiiU(ls to tlie ditf.inion of [Mienoinena we aie unable to tliink of limits to the i^resence of this Power, while the crilieisnis of Science teach us that this Power is incouiprehensihle." - 7''<>s/ J^riiiriptis, p'J'.i. " Tlie lonscionsuess of an insi'ruitalile Power manifested to us throuj,'li all phe- nomena has heeu v'i'<)winy; ever clearer and must t!\entually lie freed from its imper- fections, '['he t:ertainty on the (jne hand that such a I'ower exists, while on the other hand it.-' nature transcends intuition and is beyond imagination, is the certainty towards which intelli:j;ence has from the first been i)roj,'re»sint,'," — Ji>,,}), ^'l^. 1 Canon Liddon in St, Paul's ('jvthedral, April, 1S.S2. 41 spiritual aspirations of the highest order, man. "Would it not l)e incredible, if wo had not })ecn forewarned of the fact, that men of great intellect and of marvellous powers of research, can actually be induced to believe that this whole beautiful and skilfully ordered universe, this Cosmoi^, as the Greeks expressively termed it. can be merely a fortuitous concourse of atoms ? Ts there one of us who does not feel that, before he could accept such a theory. Clod must have sent him "a strong delusion that he should l)olieve a lie" ? The more heartily we accept the discoveries of these philosophers, and the more credit we give to their revela- tion of unknown and unsuspected facts of the material world, the less disposed must we be to admit the possibility of the existence of these marvellous organisms, w^ithout an intelligent designer. Tt is argued that, because there is a similarity, or, ii may be, a partial identity, in the structure of many species, therefore they must have been developed one from another, and much stress is laid upon the existence of rudimentary organs, useless in their present condition, but apparently either undeveloped, or the remains of appen- dages, which, not being used, have partly disappeared. But is it not much more simple to believe, that the (creator iVamed and fashioned the creature, after a type designed by inilnite wisdom, in wliich we may expect to find the germ or rudiments of all those parts which, with various modifi- cations, are developed and perfected in the several species ? Is it not much more rational to believe, that both similari- ties and diversities have l)een purposely produced bv intelligence, than by an inlinity of possible combinations, continued and repeated all in the same direction, without any final cause, vvithotit reference to any ultimate object ? For a final cause can liave no phice apart from intelligence, is in fact "unthinkable."' The development or natural selection can only in each instance have reference to an immediate object, or improvement, with a view to a present gain or plan. If the diificulties of revelation were a thousand times as great as they are, it would still commend itself for its simplicity, its reasonableness and its adaptation to our needs, as compared with the schemes devised by men even of the highest intellectual powers; and these specu- lators prove for us the truth of the statement, in those same IScri])tures, that "God hath made foolish the wisdom of this 42 world." Even without revelation they are unpardonable who do not recognize Him in His works, since " the invisi- ble thinj^s of Him from the creation of the world are clearly- seen, beinj^ understood by the thiiij^s that are made, even His eternal power and Ci-od-head, so that they arc without excuse." They who so loudly applaud the ability and the work of the evolutionists, and their perf^istent devotion to the labour of discovering some other tlian the Scriptural mode of accounting for, and dealing with, the existing earth and its inhabitants would be triumphant, if they could point to anything in Scripture like the breaks and Haws in the arguments and deductions of these same discoverers. While we give full credit to them for the effects of their labours, in the discovery r»f facts and the knowledge acquired through them, we cannot ignore their failures, which are the more conspicuous in consequence of their partial success, and of the arrogant claims advanced on their behalf. It will doubtless be est3emed very ])resumptuous in me, at a time when the evoiationists are prophesying the general adoption of their theory, instead of the teaching of the Scriptures, (and while Wf iilm'^ that it maybe a(;cei)ted as true to a limited extent, as a partial explanation of acknowledged facts,) to express my belief that a time will come when men will wonder how the}'" could have been induced to accept, as superior to the sacred records, a system depending so much upon bare assumptions. unsu})ported by even apparent evidence of their truth. T may refer you to the Bishop of Ontario's second lecture, for proofs that s' me of the men best qualified to form an opinion on this subject are opposed to the Theory, such as Dr. Dawson, Professor Agassiz, and the very distinguished, world- renowned Professor Yirehow, of Berlin, who is also quoted in your Church Paper as having said at the great centenary celebration of the ]^]dinburgh University last April, in the presence of a multitude of distinguished scientists, that " evolution had no scientific basis." You will perceive that I have not attempted either to describe fully or to treat of the details of the system, to which I have referred, for if I were otherwise qualified to do so, little could be accomplished in the time at our dis- posal, and you would not be edified by a further exposition ot a system without a foundation. My object has been merely to furnish au outline of the theories, and of the 43 rofiUatioii, to thoso who cannot study the subject more thoroughly ; thai you may at the hjast be i)roparecl to satisfy any of your people, who may be iuiluenced by the assur- ances that these theories are unassailable, that such asser- tions arc unwarranted. Again 1 repeat that you should insist upon iho positive evidenLH! for the truth of Christianity, in opposition to the notion that its claims have been generally abandoned, viz. : the old evidences from prophesy, from miracles, I'rom the character and teaching of Jesus Christ, as derived from the records, which must, in any case, be admitted to be of as much authority as Greek or Jvoman histories of the same or earlier date, ilis death and resurrection are as well attested as any event in the whole range of history, and the institution of the Lord's Supper, and the observance of the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, are contemporary memorials which cannot otherwise be accounted for. We have, 1 think, too much disregarded the necessity for dwelling upon these evidences, and we must return to the teaching which we who are now advanced in years received in our boyhood, when we were so well instructed in them, that so long as we can exercise our reason no power can shake or disttu'b oitr faith. I refer to these things chiellv for your benefit, mv younger l)rethren, that 1 may direct you in what I believe to be the course dictated by common sense, and the most likely to ])e profitable to your people. Never be afraid of any discoveries of Scienco, or of any new interpretations of Scripltire, necessitated by additional light thrown upon them ; but do not accept the dicta of even the most illus- trious authorities until they have been thoroughly tested, for many have been the positive assertions afterwards retracted by men of science, since they have been pttrsuing comparatively new paths of research. If for the moment any new theories or supposed facts api^ear to give occasion for doubts, we can calmly wait, in perfect confidence that the edifice which has withstood the assaults of so many ages is still, as it has ever been, impregnable. And it is a fair argttinent for ordinary people who cannot thoroughly examine, and do not perceive the full force of all the evidence, that they are bound to accept the testimony of those who have had greater opportitnities, and whose minds were, or are, unquestionably more y>owqv- 44 fill. Evidence thai has convinced the most intolloctual and earnest men of past ages, and of the present generation mnst be accepted by me, with the acknowledgment of some deficiency in my own constitution if 1 am unable to per- ceive its full force. Mathematicians, astronomers, lawyers of the highest reputation, statesmen, surgeons, anatomists, geologists, to say nothing of the vast multitude of theolo- gians devoted to the study of the disputed matters, these by steadfast adherence to Christianity have given testimony, to the evidence in its favor, which ought to be accepted as conclusive by ordinary men and women. And whereas the differences among Christians are sometimes pleaded as a reason for rejecting it, the fact that, notwithstanding many differences, they all agree with perfect unanimity upon certain great fundamental truths, is a strong testimony in favor of those truths. Moreover it is right to have regard to the consequences, and to be influenced by the consideration that, if the revela- lation of a living God and of Christianity be true, they who wilfully reject it, when presented to them, are bringing upon themselves a just retribution and certain destruction ; whereas, even if it were false, an honest acceptance of it could not possibly harm them either in time or in eternity, but, on the contrary, they would be elevated in their thoughts, would be better in all the relations of life, by acting in accordance with its sublime precepts, even if those precepts were utterly without authority and the pro- duction of men like ourselves On the other hand, nothing can be gained by admitting doubts, nothing can be gained by the acceptance of the proposed theory of evolution, or any other, since our knowledge would have no practical benefit, and there is nothing in evolution to affect the moral character ; so that even if it were true we lose nothing by rejecting it. Even then its acce})tance or rejection would be a matter of absolute indifference to any individual. »Some will affect to despise this appeal, and will treat it as though the consideration of benefit were either out of place or beneath their notice. But let such be reminded, that it is a principle of their nature, in all things to consider probable results, and to choose the course which will most certainly secure to them the greatest good, according to their conception of good, whether wealth, or rank, or ease, or pleasure, or moral 45 or spiritual snporiority ; so that oven ii" thero be in our opinion (?vi(ioiit uncertainty, and only a .slight balance of probability in iavour of one side rather than the other, we are naturally iniluenced by that slio acceptt'd l)y the Master. 1 trust that now, in the thirty- I'ourth year of my episcopate;, 1 need not assure you that I am ready to welcome as a I'ellow-worker every one who works diligently and zealously, wh(!ther his views coin- cide with mine or not, knowing that every man so work- ing will n(u;;essarily teach much truth, although his views may he somewhat erroneous. And 1 Ixjseech you, llre- thren, be at i)eace ani'Mg yourselves. Ve are brethren, all, 1 trust, animated by the same si)iril, anxious to I'urther the great work to which you have i)ledged the i)0wers and energies of your life. Is it not sad that through lack ol' hearty co-operation that work should be hindered ? AVe do not expect all to view everything in the same light, or to attach the same importance to the same i)arls ol'the truth ; but all may work together, and are bound to work together. St. Paul and St. James, and probably St. Taul and St. Peter, respccLively dill'ered in their views on sonie points, but, as men inspired of God, they could not be in error as to doc- trine. AVe cannot perhaps any ol'us grasj) the whole truth, but truth is many sided ; let those who see only one side believe, that they who see another Hide are e(pially sincere, and ecj^ually accepted by the Master, and let them not wiih- liold the right hand of fellowship. Many of you, my brethren, are still young and, I hope, animated with all the enthusiasm of youth and with the most inspiring motive, the love of C'hrist, in your hearts, and a longing to lead those to whom y(.)U minister, to the knowledge and enjoy- ment of the inestimable blessing so precious to yourselves ; and you may be sorely tried by the hardness of heart, tluj indiU'ereiice, and the immobility of your Jlock. Almost the only thing that can i)revent despondency, and fatal relaxa- tion of eilbrl, is the thought that it is the Master's work, not ours ; that lie, if W(; may so sjK'ak with reverence, is much more interested in its progress and success than any of us can possibly be ; and that, if only we are laithfiil, lie will giA'e the increase according to His own good pleasure — "Lei 1 I i 47 \i I ns not ho woary in Tvoll doing-, and in duo time wc shall reap il'wo faint not," Only this must ])e ol)S('rvod, that llu> njipoaranco ot I'ailurc in any respoct should load to vory carerul invcsiiijalion ol' tlu' jxjssihio caiiso thorool', and to (;xaminalion both ol" oursjn'os and oi" our modes of action. Avo wierces the joints of the harness, and reaches the heart : but too commonly they who most need the r(}))r()of, warning-, or instruction, I'ail to perceive the proper application to their own cases; aiul your work will have to be accomi)lishod through classes, or more commonly by personal communication, in pastoral visiting' from hous»^ to house. In these days of trouble and perplexity, it is moro than ever necessary for each of us, who has to teach and helj) others, to be able to say with the full assurance of faith, '• He loved me and gave Himself for me." Some of you, my ]veverend Ih-ethren. have, I know a hard life, with many trials and diilicuhies in your way, but the feeling that you are working in the Master's presence, that you are hel])ingto bring about the fuUilment of the i)roi)hecy, "He shall see of the travail of iiis soul, and shall be satislied." will sustain you. ^Vhen wearied and discouraged, remem^-'v that the timi^ is short, tlial r(>.st v.'ill I'ollov.' upon toil, tiiat a brief period of labor shall be fulbwod by an eternity of Lilorv. NoTK To I'Adi: •' 1. Tli(! I'oUuwin;,' ohsoi'Viitions by J'rol'cssor Agassiz, \i|iuii tlic uiiginal lyp'' ul' lliH \'(Mtci»riito.s, coiilinii tlio .sui^'gcstiuus on |)ii,t,'('- 1 1 :— ''ir we. iiuw pass to tlu! lii.Lj'lit'st typu ul' tlio Animal Kiiif^'doiii, llio \'(ul(!»iat(is. tlioro is no lack of cviilcncr tu show, tho idciiiily in their niuili! ul' (hsvt'lupnmnt, as well as the strikiii;^' ieseni1ilan(M^ ui' tlm vuiniu; in thoir earliest stages of growth. I'Ik; young fish, tlu^ yuiing reptile, tho young liird, the young inaiiiiMal, veseiiihle one another tu an aston- ishing (legr(M!, while they have not one I'eatui'e, in their luoih? ol' growth, which recalls either tlie Articulate, thti Mollusiv. or tho liadiatti. It is Iherei'oro iidf. Inir, tliough so ol'teu stated, tliat in their doveluiinuint the liiglier animals pass successiv(dy trhruugh tlie condition of all the lower ones ; while it is (inqdiatic.illy true tiiat, in i^aeh of the four great hranclies of tho Animal Kingdom, thee is a conmiun mode of development." "What do the.se re.suml)lan(',es luean, from some of which we shrink as unnatural, and even r(!volting ( If we put a material iut