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Tous les autres exemplair'w originaux sent filmte en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impreesion ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernlAre imege de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -^ signlfie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signlfie "FIN". Les csrtes, plenches, tsbleeux, etc., peuvent Atre filmto A des tsux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul ciichA, il eet film* * pertir de I'angle sup*rleur geuche. de gauche * droite, et de haut en baa, en prenent le nombre d'images n*cessaire. Les diegrammes suivants iilustrent la m*thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ] n THE CHUECMM'S PROTEST; . f . 'Ory;-j, J ';illU . ' , :: ; 1 ■ A < I ■ 'H' _; -\ \ ;» ;;';; :\{yi'^ ■m Jr. t t I PREFACE. So small has been the part taken hitherto by the Laity in general in the affairs of the Church of England, in this Diocese, and so imperfect has been the knowledge of her distinctive principles, that many well-meaning Churchmen arvi perhaps disposed at first sight to welcome, with all their heart, a Society whose professed object it is to awaken the Laity to a sense of their duties and responsibilities, and to promote the " interchange of sentiment and experience in matters falling within the range of Synodical legislation." Convinced in his own mind that the Church of England Laj Association, though it may seem to supply a deficiency now beginning to be strongly felt, is nevertheless under its pre- sent constitution and with its present objects, unsound, dangerous and revolutionary, the writer ventures to offer the following " Plain Reasons" to the unprejudiced considera- tion of the members of the Chu;";h at large in the Diocese of Quebec, in the hope that they may be deterred from com- mitting themselves, under the idea that they are doing God and the Church service, to a party with whose real designs he believes that they have little or no sympathy. l\ THE CHURCHMAN'S PROTEST. I protest against the objects and proceedings of the Lay Association, — I. Because its whole constitution and character is inconsistent with the principles of the Church of Engt land as hitherto understood, and indeed of the Church of Christ in all ages : especially with the lawful and inherent authority of Bishops, as set forth in Holy Scripture, and in the Canons and practice of our Mother Church, and of those branches which have been already organized in the Colonies. . II. Because the Bishop is the centre of unity to every diocese ; and every course of action which tends to. undermine the legitimate influence of the Bishop, and to spread abroad suspicion and distrust of his acts and> motives is an assault upon the best interests of the Church, and repugnant to the feelings of all sincere Churchmen. III. Because, even setting aside the question of the Bishop's rights, I totally disapprove of a league formed^ within the communion to which I belong, apart from a2 I the Clergy who are set over us in the Lord ; and much more when its object is to make a breach between the people of the Church and their pastors. IV. Because the persons who take the lead in this Association, and who put themselves forward as the Champions of the Laity throughout the Diocese, are the game men who strained every nerve and used every art to prevent the passage of the Bill for equalizing the rights of the different congregations in the Diocese; which rights would otherwise have been wholly swallow- ed up by a promiscuous assembly of citizens in Quebec, whose real claims to Churchmemborship no steps had been taken to ascertain. V. Because the sense of the country has spoken out clearly and strongly against the manifest injustice of this effort on the part of the leaders of the Lay Associa- tion — the whole of the Legislative Council, and a majority of 72 to 7 in the Legislative Assembly, having pronounced in favour of the above-mentioned Bill for equalizing the rights of the Diocese, and not one Church- man in either house having voted against it; and that notwithstanding the public meeting and numerously signed petition of the Association, and the efforts of their paid delegate to the Seat of Government, an eminent atid influential lawyer. VI. Because the proceedings of the opposition party at the Synodical meeting of the 24th of June last, and their subsequent attempts to promote and carry out their views by the formation of the Lay Association, by letters .and leading articles in the newspapers, and by industriously spreading about unfounded and mischiev- 1 % sv. dmuch ien the in this as the are the 'ery art ng the iocese; allow- luebec, ps had en out tice of ssocia- and a having ^ill for 'hurch- d that Jrously if their ainent ■ party it, and ry out on, by nd by chiev- ous reports, must make it clear to all thinking men, that a safeguard is needed against irregular and ill-considered movements in the Church ; and this safeguard can in no way be better provided than by requiring the con- sent of each of the three orders composing the Synod to any proposed course of action ; the necessity for which joint concurrence it is one of the objects of the Lay As- sociation to do away with. VII. Because if there were anything that could justify the proceedings of the Lay Association, there is no pre- tence for it whatever in the circumstances of the present case. VIII. Because it was from the Bishops in the first instance that the whole movement for procuring Synod- ical action prof^eeded, so that the Laity owe to them their right of sitting in Synod at all ; and therefore to accuse the Bishops of attempting to take away the rights of the Laity is a charge too absurd to be believed c IX. Because to say the least, it is a very ungracious return for the Laity to make to the Bishops, who have procured for them a controlling voice in the government of the Church, that they should endeavour to deprive them of that limited portion of power which they have retained, and thus in point of fact to effect a complete revolution in the Church. X. Because it is a main aim and purpose of the Lay Association, to shut out from the proposed constitution of the Synod several right principles of great importance to the unity and stability of the Church, and in their room to introduce what is unsound and objectionable ; and in particular to prevent the recognition of the prin- 8 h ' ! ciple that nothing should become a law of the Synocl without the consent as well of the Bishop (which they call " the Episcopal veto") as of the Clergy and Laity; whereas there is not a single example of the constitu- tion of a Synod without this fundamental principle^ either in the North American Dioceses, or in the whole extent of the British Empire, where Synods have been multiplying from year to year, nor under the like cir- cumstances in the whole history of the world since the foundation of the Christian Church. XI. Because the principles which the Lay Associar tion arc striving to establish, viz : that any and every proposed measure may become a law of the Synod with- out the consent of the Bishop, appears to me irreconcile- able with the principles of Episcopal Church govern- ment, inasmuch as it reduces the Bishop from his posi- tion of lawful authority to that of a mere instrument to carry out the decisions of a body of Clergy and Laity, XII. Because the word "veto," which it has been industriously endeavoured to fasten upon the exercise of the Bishop's co-ordinate authority is an unfair one, and calculated to convey ideas very wide of the mark ; inasmuch as the Synod consists of three orders, any one of which would have the same veto upon either or both of the other, the concurrence of all three being necessary to every act of legislation within the body ; 80 that the Lay Representatives have the same veto upon the Bishop and Clergy that either the Bishop and Clergy or both together have upon the Lay Kepresen- tatives. S) >\ I i 9 XIII. Because the examples of our own Churcli are rather to be followed by us than those of the same communion in the United States, especially when the extraordinary circumstances of disadvantage are consi- dered, under which the Episcopate was introduced into that country. XIV. Because the permissive Act (19 and 20 Vict, c. 141,) which relieves the Church of England within this Province of any doubts respecting the legality of Sy nodical assemblies of her Communion, as it cannot have been intended to disturb the original constitution and standing principles of the Episcopal Church of England, so does not fail to recognize by formal and separate enumeration the three distinct orders of Bishop, Clergy and Laity, as the parties for whom the provi- sions of the Act arc framed. XV. Because it was under our Bishop while he had the whole government of the Church exclusively in his hands, and mainly through his instrumentality (with God's blessing ) that Upper Canada first, and afterwards the District of Montreal were erected into separate Dioceses, that the Missions of the Church have been largely extended, that the Church Society has been formed and incorporated, tliat the Church Temporali- ties' Act has been passed, that a College has been founded and raised to the rank of an University ; and that notwithstanding many hard struggles and discou- ragements, these institutions and provisions havv, been undeniably blessed for the spiritual improvement of a people left otherwise unprovided. 10 i XVI. Because the government of the Church of England in this Diocese ever since the Ta. ^ estabHsh- ment of the See of Quebec in 1793, during which period all the power and authority were exclusively in the hands of the successive Bishops, has been adminis^ tered in a manner to deserve the confidence of het people, and the Church has been kept true to her call- ing as a witness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and clear of all extremes and dangerous tendencies in religion ; and there can therefore be no pretence of reason for depriving the Bishop at this time of all share in the act and decisions of the Synod. XVIT. And, finally. Because the Lay Association in stirring up the Laity against the Bishop and Clergy are employing the most elFectuai means of causing divi- sions and offences amongst us ; and the Word of Qod not only requires mo to " obey them that have the rule over me and watch for my soul," (Hob. xiii. 17,) but ulso bids me ''mark them which cause divisions and oflFcnces, and avoid them." (Rom. xvi. 17.) Church of establish- ng which usively in 1 adminis' ce of hvt ) her call- us Christ, Itjficies in etence of i* all share 3sociatiott id Clergy sing divi- 1 of God I the rule 17,) but ions and