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PAUL'8 CHUHCH YARD, AND WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL. 1839. H LONDON : GILBERT AND RIVINOTON, PRINTI''.RS, ST. John's square. An apology is due to my brethren of the Clergy for the tardiness of my compliance with their desire, most kindly expressed, that I should publish the foU lowing Charge : but I believe that they will them- selves know how to make my excuse. It may be proper to mention, that in consequence of my having been under the impression that the Charge was rather long, the whole of it was not de- livered at any one time ; but every part of it was delivered either in one or other of the places, where the Clergy were assembled for the visitation, and every essential part was delivered in all. Since the following sheets were first put to press, the Report of the late Governor General and High Commissioner has been received in this country. It is impossible that any thing can more strongly and more ominously exemplify the correctness of the remarks made in pp. 10 — 12 of the Charge. Let the Clergy stand prepared. Let them not be parties to any surrender of what they conscientiously believe to be the claims and interests of the Church, but let them judge what may be likely to follow in the end, if statements such as those in the following extracts from the document just mentioned, should really be A 2 IV taken as the basis of legislation, and the guide of government. Let them observe also the commend- ation bestowed in other quarters and withheld from themselves, upon points where I am thankful to say that He who sees all, and whose approbation is all in all, knows that they are, as a body, richly entitled to it. Let them be assured that, with the Divine blessing, I will not be wanting in any feeble endea- vours of mine to procure them justice, but let them discern, in the necessity for those endeavours, the signs of the times. No person at all acquainted with the facts of the case respecting the alleged powers of Rectors— the proceedings of the Church in the maintenance of its pretensions, the working of the voluntary principle on this side of the Atlantic, the proportion of the poorer classes who belong to the Church of England, and the exertions of the Church Clergy, not only in the field of Missionary labour, but in the Missionary character which very generally attaches to their ordi- nary duties, can fail to see at once how these facts are not simply at variance, but pointedly contrasted with the impressions which persons unfriendly to the Church appear to have made it their business to communicate to the mind of His Excellency, and which, through his Report, have been communicated to the British government, legis ture, and people. Morchmnntf near Queltec, /Ipr'd, 18;i9. EXTRACTS. * * * But the last public act of Sir John Colbome before quitting the government of the province, in 1835, which was the establishment of the fifty-seven Rectories, has completely changed the aspect of the question. It is understood that every Rector pos- sesses all the spiritual and other privileges enjoyed by an English Rector ; and that, though he may have no right to levy tithes (for even this has been mad? a question), he is, in all other respects, in precisely the same position as a Clergyman of the Established Church in England. ****** The Church of England in Upper Canada, by number- ing in its ranks all those who belong to no other sect, represents itself as being more numerous than any single denomination of Christians in the country. * * The superiority of what is called the voluntary principle^ is a question on which I may almost say that there is no difference of opinion in the United VI States^ and it cannot be denied that on this, as on other points, the tone of thought prevalent in the Union has exerted a very considerable influence over the neighbouring provinces. « « ♦ « Ik in m The Church, too, for which alone it is proposed that the State should provide, is the Church which, being that of the wealthy, can best provide for itself, and has the fewest poor to supply with gratuitmis reli- gious instruction. Another consideration which dis- tinguishes the grounds on which such a question must be decided in old and new countries is, that the state of society in the latter is not susceptible of such an organization as is necessary for the efficiency of any Church Establishment of which I know, more espe- ciailly of one so constituted as the Established Church of England; for the essence of the Establishment is its Parochial Clergy. The services of a Parochial Clergy are almost inapplicable to a colony, where a con- stantly varying population is widely scattered over the country. Ant/ Clergy there must be rather Mis- sionary than Parochial. CHARGE, Sfc, Reverend Brethren, At the time when I made my Visitation of the Lower Province', for the inspection of the Churches and the Confirmation of young persons who had been prepared for that rite, the late Bishop of Quebec was still living and I was acting simply as his delegate. This circumstance, to make no men- tion of some other considerations which conspired with it, appeared to me to dispense with the necessity, if not to forbid the propriety, of my calling together any portion of my brethren to receive the episcopal charge. The independent administration of the Diocese having since passed into my hands, (although no ap- pointment to the See of Quebec has taken place,) and the protraction of those negotiations which were long ago set on foot for the erection of a separate * In the beginning of 1837, and for the district of Gaspe, in the Gulph of St. Lawrence, in the summer of that year. 8 See at Toronto, and of which the speedier issue, if successful, would have withheld me from making the Visitation of Upper Canada, having now decided me to leave that Province no longer without the personal ministrations of the Bishop, I have judged that it might be of mutual advantage that when thus en- gaged in completing the Visitation, I should meet my brethren in a body at those different points in the enormous extent of this Diocese, of which their con- venience would indicate the choice K I have expressed the hope that our meeting may be of mutual advantage, and although I wish to say as little as possible, I must here say something which personally regards myself. If I do not despair, that, by the Divine blessing, the advice which I am now about to offer, or other more familiar suggestions made during your stay, may be of use to you in the exercise of your duties, I certainly no less anticipate that I may derive benefit from the opportunity thus afforded of our taking sweet counsel together, and walking in the house of God as friends. I see among you those to whom I might say, I put thee in remem- hrance that thou stir up thegifi of God which is in thee ' They were assembled accordingly, for the Lower Province, at Quebec and Montreal. It was in compliance with the desire of the Clergy themselves in Upper Canada, a desire founded upon the obvious inconvenience of deliberating in two distinct bodies at a distance from each other, upon some matters in which it was necessary to come to one conclusion, — that the Visitation of the whole Province was fixed at Toronto, instead of being held both at that place and at Kingston. 9 by the 'putting on of my hands, and who of course are young in the Ministry, but I pray you to believe that I am ready to receive help from all, and want all the help that I can receive. I scarcely need assure you that I am sensible how much I need your indulgence of judgment, and your prayers that I may be guided and prospered in the task which has devolved upon feeble and unworthy hands. You will not suspect that they are words of course which I use. I do not affect to deny that I have had some experience of ecclesiastical affairs, or that there are circumstances which give me an adaptation to certain local peculiar- ities in the charge ; and if I were not conscious, in addition to these considerations, of possessing such general qualifications as enable me in some small measure to sustain the respectability of the office, — above all, if I did not humbly trust that God has given me some concern for the grand objects of that as well as of other offices in the Christian Ministry, — I could not have been justified in accepting it, although if I had not done so, the Church in Canada, from circumstances with which you are acquainted, would have been seen for an indefinite time without a Bishop. But if I had reason to shrink beforehand from the charge, I do solemnly assure you, that in the occupation of it, I daily feel cause to tremble. Among the difficulties now attaching to the charge, is one circumstance which in another point of view would seem to be an eminent advantage — namely, that I have to take up and carry on the labours left to me 10 I' 9. < by such a man as the Bishop of Quebec. It is not my purpose to enlarge upon the character of that devoted servant of the Lord, whose race, in our weak apprehension, seems to have run out too soon. Up- wards of a year has now elapsed since his decease, and in accordance with the voice which was lifted to lament him in every quarter where his name had been known, we have rendered our testimony, in different ways, to his zeal in the cause of that Master for whom it was his glory to spend and to be spent* We all personally loved him : many of us were spe- cially obliged to him, and for myself I can truly say, that his long and unvarying friendship for me is among the most treasured recollections of my life. But with such a name as he had and so nobly earned, and with some advantages at his command which I do not possess, he has bequeathed to me a task in the execu- tion of which you will feel that I can ask no fitter prayer from you than that a portion of that spirit by which he was animated may be shed down upon me from the Father of lights. Upon this occasion of our first meeting as we now meet, it appears natural and proper that I should call upon you to contemplate with me for our own profit, the actual state both of the Church of England at large, and of that portion of it in particular, which has been planted in the Diocese of Quebec. The position of the Church, whether general or local, is in some points of view, critical, and oven alanning ; and a very exact application may bo made to the existing 18 n circumstances in which she is placed, of the language used by an ancient father, with reference to his owii day upon the earth : " The times are difficult : those who conspire against us are many ;" with the addition, as it respects too many of her professed adherents, of the words which follow, — " the genuine spirit of love has become extinct '." Parties in the mother country very widely at variance with each other upon the subject of Religion, appear to have cast their heads together with one consent, and to be confederate against her ; and from the character of the times, these parties are rendered formidable in a way which the merits of their cause could never make them. The ruling powers at home, perhaps in many in- stances feeling or conceiving their position to be one in which they can only say, non est ista nostra culpa sed temporuniy are found scarcely to afford justice to interests which are identified with the cause of esta- blished authority and order, and the maintenance of what is venerable in human institutions; and the ungenerous cry of those who have found their own opportunities of advancement or distinction in ex- citing odium against the Church, aided by the un- considered statements of others whose war against old prejudices is in fact the great prejudice of their own minds, has been allowed to prevail too far against claims which are at once legitimate in themselves and connected with the highest interests of man. ' XuXeiruc 6 katpoc* o« iin^uvKivovri^ woWoi' to rrji; uyairrii; yi'»;«Tt«»' aVoXwXtv. Chryaoatom dv Sacerdutio. 12 In this Diocese we have experienced our full share of the effect of these principles upon the prosperity and efficiency of the Church. We have risen, indeed, by the Divine blessing, since the Church first assumed a consistent form under the auspices of one whom I forbear to name *, — we have risen from very feeble beginnings, to a state in which we now number con- siderably above a hundred Clergymen, with many orderly and devout congregations. Yet constituted as we are an integral portion of the Established Church of England, we have, from unpropitious cir- cumstances, been left to occupy in the eye of the world a dubious position, and to appear in an equivo- cal character; our claims still unsettled, and the support of our Clergy partial, meagre, and precarious, to the infinite detriment of religion, and the manifest perpetuation of those very jealousies and contentions of which the apprehension has dictated this tempo- rizing policy, but of which the existence is to be traced to the want of an avowed and decided main- tenance of the Church-Establishment as it was origi- nally planned. With you, however, my Reverend Brethren, I need not enter into particulars upon this topic. We have done, and, by God's help, shall con- tinue to do our part, T trust in all charity and meekness, to urge and to uphold what we believe to be our own right, the glory of a Christian Govern- ment and the blessing of a land : the issue wo must ' Sec note A. ' ' m 13 confide to the hand'' of God. What I am anxious to bring under youi otice is, first, the great comfort and ground of thankfulness which we enjoy in all the difficulties and struggles of the Church ; and se- condly, the peculiar responsibility which we contract under the circumstances of the time. With reference to the first point, I do believe that there never was a period in which the Church of England, considered as a whole, presented an aspect so satisfactory as at this day. I do not mean to say that the Church-Establishment is faultless, or that any branch of the Church on earth will ever be totally and literally without spot^ or wrinkle, or any such thing. We shall always have reason, if perfec- tion be insisted upon, to say, as was said in a Latin distich by one who was a burning and shining light in the Church of England, — They want that the Church should be free from every speck : This the present life denies ; the future life will afford it *. But when we see what a spirit, within the memory of living man, it has pleased God to shed down upon the Church ; how many evils have been corrected and what hew life has been infused into the whole system ; when we witness the sincerity and the fervour with which Christ crucified is proclaimed by the Clergy ; when we behold with what true fidelity and zeal a great and still increasing portion of that ' Optnnt ut cftrnit maculis Ecclesia cunctis : Praesrns vitn negat ; vita futura dabit.— ilfrnnrd Ciiftin. 14 m m Iff })ody devote themselves to the labours of the pastoral charge, and what care is taken by the rulers of the Church to preserve a high standard of character and qualifications among her Ministers ; when we con- template the variety and the magnitude of efforts made within the Church for the diffusion of spiritual blessings at home and abroad ; when we look at the prodigious multiplication of our places of worship in England ', and the progressive enlargement of Asso- ciations for the promotion of education and the com- munication of religious light, and then turn our regards to what is done, with little aid from the State, for distant dependencies of the Empire, and darkened corners of the earth, — for Colonist, for Gentile, and for Jew ; when we see what an energetic piety, what a noble munificence in religious works ', what a love for the National Establishment, what a growing attachment to Church principles, is mani- fested among the laity as well as the Clergy, and is found often in the highest orders of the realm ; when we consider that although the establishment of Colo- nial Bishoprics is still lamentably insufficient and most unworthy of the Empire, yet the formation of two Sees in the West Indies, and four, including Australia, in the East, has taken place within the re- collection of all here present, — we have surely ground to bless the name of our God, in the synoptical survey of these interesting facts, for the mercy which See Note H. * See Note C. 15 He has granted to us, with all our sins, that our Church should not fall behind in the race ; and we should be encouraged to believe that He has not cast her off, but that a distinguished part is reserved for her in forwarding the blessed consummation, when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea. While we are permitted, however, to exult in these thoughts, we must remember, with a heightened sense of responsibility, what interest we have in charge — THE INTEREST OF Christ ON EARTH, to the promotion of which " one thing" we have vowed " as much as in us lies, wholly to apply ourselves, laying aside the study of the world and of the flesh \" If the times are difficult and there are many adversaries ; if, at the same time, a great spirit of religion has been awak- ened in the world, and different parties are seen emulous of each other in seeking to advance the kingdom of God ; if the Clergy of the Church of England are posted in a conspicuous station, and are eminently as a city set upon a hill, which cannot be hid ; — if our brethren in other quarters, strong in the power of faith, are doing great things in the cause, — striving successfully against the tide of worldly oppo- sition, and surmounting, in some instances, the threat- ening waves of trouble ; if the present conjuncture is highly critical with reference to the ecclesiastical affairs of these provinces, and consequences of vast Onlination of Priests. 16 importance to future generations in this rising country may depend upon the foundation now laid for the Church, — then, amidst all these incitements to vigi- lance and zeal, it will he required of us that we he found toith our loins girded and our lights burning, and like unio men that wait for their Lord. And if the signs of the times appear pregnant with great events, and the astonishing advances of science, more espe- cially in its practical application to the purposes of international communication, seem destined, in the hands of Providence, to open the way for a new and marked era of the Gospel, which, according to the anticipations of many religious persons, may be pre- ceded and introduced by scenes of trial and sore tri- bulation in the Church, — then we are solemnly called upon, not simply as the soldiers of the Cross, but as the leaders of the battle, to take unto us the whole ar- mour of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evU dat/y and having done all to stand. Having touched, however, upon the signs of the times, and the prospects of the universal Church of Christ, I feel it necessary to advert to the extreme diffidence and reverent caution with which we should pronounce upon yet unaccomplished prophecy, and indulge our speculations, too apt to lead to presump- tuous error, upon the magnificent future of the Gospel victorious in the world, ft is not far us to know t/ie times or seasons which t/ie Father hath put in his own pouter. And hence I take occasion — looking at cer- tain incidental effects which are connected with great 17 efforts in religion, in modern, as they have been in earlier times, to recommend the Christian grace of moderation : a holy moderation and sobriety in all the varied exercise of ministerial duty ; in the methods adopted for the propagation of the truth of God — yes, and in the very preaching of the blessed doctrines of grace. If what I recommend seem to be the cow- ardly accommodation to the world for which the fervent Paul would have tvithstood m to the face, or the lukewarmness of spirit which Christ will indig- nantly reject, then, my brethren, stop your ears against my words. But in that combination which is charged upon Christian teachers of the qualities of the serpent with those of the dove, great discretion and great gentleness appear to be implied : and it is known to have been a distinguishing characteristic of our own reformers that they shunned some extremes to which others in the heat of the struggle were car- ried away. The mild aud moderate Melanchthon, among foreign reformers, was not found to turn his back in the hour of danger. In the religion of the Gospel, as well as in other things which engage the mind of mar, there are certain bounds within or without which, that which is right cannot stand '. Although it is most certainly true, that we can never be too religious or too devoted, yet it is equally cer- tain that in the developement and the exercise of the sunt certi deiiique fines Qiios intra citraque nequit consistcre rectum. B 18 religious affections, there is often, through the infir- mity of nature, a tendency to religious irregularity and to what may properly be called religious excess. In those points especially which create parties and party names within the bosom of the Church itself, the most vehement and eager spirits on either side will not be found, I believe, to be the nearest to the truth; and the approximation of parties to each other, each losing something of its own and borrowing from its opposite, is, according to my own convic- tions, the issue for which we should devoutly pray and for every manifestation of which (and these are not few) we should render thanks to our God. I apprehend that there is no ore doctrine of the Gospel which does not receive the tincture of error, when pushed to an extreme ; and we are sometimes accused of not going far enough, when the very fact of our stopping where we do, is the evidence of our keeping step, if I may use so familiar an illustration, with the Gospel itself. Truth exaggerated is not higher truth : it is rather truth deteriorated by some alloy. Instances might be given, without number, to support the justice of this remark ; and we see it very plainly exemplified, if we have recourse to the stronger shades of difference among believers in Re- velation upon certain points of their faith. Because one party will lower and dilute to nothing the vital doctrine of the work of the Spirit in the heart and understanding, another deals in sensible revelations and impulses, or proceeds to the extravagance of 19 claiming the miraculous gifts of Apostolic times : — because one party preaches the law rather than the Gospel, another seeking to magnify the covenant of grace, will tread upon the verge of Antinomian error : because one party makes religion consist in forms and ritual observances, another makes it an evidence of spirituality to depreciate, or even to dispense with, the very Sacraments themselves. Upon similar principles, I cannot forbear from stating my opinion that we ought to manifest a wise spirit of allowance and charitable construction in some lesser matters relating to particular habits, usages, observances, or religious phraseology. Things which are often found among the accidental character- istics are thence liable to be regarded as the necessary evidences of a devoted piety and a genuine faith in Christ. There are many things in human life, many more than some religious persons are willing to allow, which must be left to the province of Christian liberty and discretion, — and of which it must be said that neither if we do them are we the better, nor if we do them not, the worse, and vice versa ; what may be inexpedient for one man, may be conceded to another — nothing being insisted upon as of universal obli- gation, which does not carry the distinct warrant of the word of God — no burthen imposed which would not have been imposed by the Apostolic Council at Jerusalem. Upon this subject of moderation, I am not ashamed to have recourse to the support of a female writer — b2 20 the late Mrs. Hannah More, — the preface to whose work on Practical Piety contains the following per- tinent remarks :— " Would it could not be said that religion has her parties as well as politics. Those who endeavour to steer clear of all extremes in either, are in danger of being reprobated by both. It is rather a hardship for persons who have considered it as a Christian duty to cultivate a spirit of moderation in thinking, and of candour in judging, that when these dispositions are brought into action they frequently incur a harsher censure than the errors which it was their chief aim to avoid. " Perhaps, therefore," she continues, ** to that human wisdom whose leading object is human ap- plause, it might answer best to be exclusively attached to some one party. On the protection of that party at least, it might in that case reckon ; and it would then have the dislike of the opposite class alone to contend against ; while those who cannot go all lengths with either, can hardly escape the disappro- bation of both." These remarks, as it appears to me, are very ap- plicable not only to the judgments which we pro- nounce, but to the part which we feel called upon to take with reference to the professors of the Roman Catholic religion '. I would willingly avoid this topic ; but duty forbids my passing it without notice. 1 c See Note D. 21 I conceive that it is our manifest duty, as, if we have any love to the souls of men, it must be our earnest desire, wherever a door seems opened to us by the hand of Providence, to propagate the simple truth of God, and to declare Jesus Christ to sinners as their Saviour, in a manner in which he cannot be presented to them by a system encumbered with human de- vices, and, according to the language of our own Articles, plainly repugnant, in many points, to the word of God. And so far, I think, we shall be all agreed. But with respect to the most eligible and judicious mode in which we can prosecute the object of advancing the cause of Scriptural truth, a great diversity of opinion may exist among persons equally concerned for the honour of God ; and it is at least a question whether more is not likely to be ultimately done towards the attainment of this object, by a prudent and moderate course of proceeding, and very often by the unobserved working of a holy leaven in the mass of society, — the indirect influence of a purer faith, as recommending itself by its fruits, and win- ning friends by its deportment, than by the provo- cation of a public challenge, or the disturbance of an impetuous assault apon the host encamped around us under the banner of Rome '. One thing is plain : — that OMY first duty is to our own followers ; our care of them, with the limited resources which we have at ' This applies to a particular portion of the Diocese — namely, that portion of Lower Canada which is inhabited by the old French population. comniand, seems likely for a long time to be more than sufficient to fill our hands, and our incursions in other quarters may be reserved till we have means and energies to spare, after supplying our own ill- provided people; at least we must take care that nothing is left undone for their direct benefit, because we are engaged in a different employment of our zeal. The Apostles, in the execution of their com- nussion, and the choice of their field of labour, were directed by the revelations of the Spirit of God : we can only gather from circumstances what it is the will of God that we should attempt and make our experiments, seeking such light as is now vouchsafed in answer to the prayer of faith, according to the i-esult which appearances may promise. I desire, however, my reverend brethren, to have it well understood, that whatever charity of judg- ment, whatever Christian courtesy of language, what- ever prudent caution of proceeding for the very sake of advancing the interests of truth, it may be proper to manifest in this behalf, I am most fully alive to the necessity of our making a resolute stand against that spirit which walks abroad, and to which, by a mere perversion of language, the name of liberality is often conceded; a spirit which confounds all distinction between truth and error, and absolutely tends to nullify the effect of revelation. Certain wonderful truths are made known to us from heaven : the correct application of those truths furnishes the remedy for our moral and sj>iritual disorders, and 23 conveys to the soul of man t!ie principle of everlast- ing lifo The preservation of those truths, therefore, in their purity as well as their integrity, liable as they are, through the corruption of nature, to be obscured and debased, is among the foremost duties of the Church, and the most solemnly important concerns of human society. Any compromise of Scriptural principles of religion becomes, in this point of view, alike dangerous and sinful ; and we should warn those who are spiritually under our charge, that they do not suffer themselves to be led into any such compromise from motives either of domestic ease, of social good understanding, of commercial interest, or of political expediency. In all these points the world will often be found at issue with the Gospel of God, and we must only say to them, Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. And if we encounter odium in this discharge of our duty, we must call to mind the words of an Apostle, Marvel not, my brethren, if the wmM hate you, and those of our blessed Lord himself, Ye know thai it hated me before it hated ymt. We should warn our people also, when we are upon the subject of political diiferences and agitations, of the awftil responsibility which they will incur, if they are forgetful of the scenes through which we have all recently passed. The right hand of God was so conspicuously stretched forth, and in so many different ways, in the protection of the cause of loyalty, when the insurrection broke out in these 24 provinces \ as to extort, even from the unthinking, a devout acknowledgment of Providential interposi- tion. And we had public fasts, and proclaimed thanksgivings. All must not end there. We must, as a community, rejoice with trembling in our deliver- ance ; and remember that fresh scourges are ready in the hand of God. We must be humbled under a sense of our sins, — thankful for the mercy which we have experienced, watchful against forgetfulness of Divine judgment, fruitful in those Christian works which are prompted by all these combined consider- ations. And it will be happy if the Clergy can be instrumental, not only in cherishing that spirit of loyalty which must characterize the true followers of the Church, but in convincing any unthinking part of the population of the great wickedness, as well as folly, of seditious agitations in a country where, if there has been a fault chargeable upon the govern- ment, it is that of an unwise relaxation of the autho- rity reposed in its hands for the common good. Never can, — T will not say rebellion, — but never can those proceedings which tend to rebellion be suffered to pass under the colour of the mere maintenance of a different side in politics. Where can there be worse authors of mischief than those who, not to speak of bh^odshed and devastation of property, disturb and distract a peaceful country, and blast the ' In the end of 1837 und coinnu'ucoincnt of IKJH. / '25 rising prosperity of a people, to serve the purposes of faction ? — or, if men acknowledge the authority of the word of God, what sin is there more broadlv stamped with the brand of the Divine displeasure, than the sin of those who resist and despise power and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities f Warn, therefore, all who are in danger, as the messengers of God. Put them in mind to be stibject to principalities and powers ; to obey magistrates ; to be ready to every good work ; to submit themselves to every ordinance of man fw the Lord's sake. Charge them in the words of wisdom. My son^fear thou the Lord and the King^ and meddle not with them that are given to change. Before dismissing the subject of the uncompromi- sing maintenance of principle in opposition to that which passes in the world for liberality, I must offer a very few observations relating to what are some- times called the peculiarities of the Established Church. I shall not occupy your time by an endea- vour to refute the shallow and unscriptural notion that Christian unity and charity consist in the esta- blishment of a commodious sort of understanding among parties divided in religious communion, that they agree to differ. Certainly they ought to endeavour to live in peace, and in the interchange of all christian good offices; and it is equally certain that each ought to rejoice in every instance in which another may promote the cause of Christ, and be ready to put the most liberal construction, (I do not avoid the use of the word, for true liberality is a beautiful 26 feature of the Gospel) upon all the proceedings of separate bodies, or individuals belonging to them. We ought to honour and to imitate all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, although they walk not with m. And it would be as difficult to deny, as it would be criminal to wish to deny, that the blessing and grace of God is often with those whose ministry we regard as irregularly constituted. But with all this, I conceive that we place ourselves in a very false position, and fail to act, in one point, the part which God has assigned to us in the world, if ever we adopt that language or lend ourselves to those proceedings in which the Church is regarded as a Sect among Sects. It is quite foreign to my purpose to argue here the question of Epipcopacy : but if we believe that the Apostles founded and framed an Episcopal Church ; if we trace the j)lan of such a Church in the Scriptures ; if following up our en- quiries to throw light on the question by comparison of Scripture with early ecclesiastical records, we arrive at that conclusion which enables us with the in- comparable Hooker to challenge the opponents of our system, that they show hut one Church upon the face of (he whole earth, from the Apostolic times to the Reformation, that was not episcopal ' ; if all the remnants of ancient Churches now existing in the East have preserved this constitution from their bo- ginning, and our own Church has opened interesting ' Sfo Nolo K. 27 communications with them which may be designed to lead the way to their renovation in holy communion with ourselves ' ; if the real strength of Rome con- sists only in the multiplied divisions and unseemly disarray of the Protestant Churches ; if this can never be cured, so long as the vicious principle is admitted that Christians may lawfully form new societies, and create new Ministries at will ; if it was the singular blessing of our own, among other Churches, at the Reformation, to preserve the ancient order and the uninterrupted succession of her hierarchy ; if, lastly, these principles are so pointedly recognized, so fully received and acted upon in her practice, that we accept the orders as valid, of a Romish priest who recants, although we re-ordain all Protestant Minis- ters who pass over to us from non-episcopal Churches, then, with this chain of facts before our eyes, I do conceive that we are wanting alike in our consistency as Churchmen, and our duty in the Church universal, if, swayed by the stream of prevailing opinion, study- ing an ill-understood popularity, or even prompted by an amiable spirit of conciliation, we consent to pre- judice the exclusive character of our Ministry, and voluntarily descend from the ground which we occupy with our people and other Protestant Episcopalians, as a distinct and peculiar body among the Churches. And is this to exalt ourselves, and to preach our- selves instead of Christ Jesus our Lord ? Far other- i Sec Note V. 28 wise than this if rightly considered, our claims to Apostolic order and succession, as is well pointed out by a late excellent Colonial prelate \ should humble us in the dust under a sense of the greatness of our calling so far above our worthiness and strength. Whatever affords a heightened view of the office which we hold, and the part which we have to sus- tain in the Church of God, can only — or should only, — prompt us to deeper earnestness in seeking that sufficiency which is of Him alone. I bless God that there is not wanting good evidence among us of our having recourse to that sufficiency — but what a field is before us ! how ought we each to labour that we may gather with our Lord, and how importunately to pray that more labourers may be sent forth into the ripening harvest which spreads itself around us ; that larger blessing may descend upon those institutions at home, (foremost among which we must mention the venerable and munificent Societies for the Propagation of the Gospel and Pro- moting Christian Knowledge) and those endeavours upon the spot, of which it is the object to supply our destitute settlements. I am disposed also to think, and I shall take occasion, from our meeting, to follow up the suggestion, that we might, with much advan- tage, establish in this Diocese, a Church Society, similar to that which has been framed under the auspices of an able and zealo js Bishop, in the neigh- bouring Diocese of Nova Scotia. ' llebcr. 29 In seeking to recommend the Church, according to our bounden duty, in the eyes of our own people or of others, and to give the fullest effect to the beautiful offices of her Liturgy, there is a principle to be ob- served of which I have taken notice upon former occasions in addressing my brethren in a different capacity, but which I am prompted briefly to touch upon, because it is in danger from local circumstances, of partially falling into disregard — I mean the prin- ciple of rendering the services of the Church more impressive by the manner of performing them, and by the exterior reverence and decorum with which they are clothed. The preface to the Common Prayer Book, the Canons and the Rubrics, more particularly in the Communion office *, afford sufficient evidence of the care which was wisely taken by our holy Re- formers, while they purged away from our worship the cumbrous pageantry of superstition, to preserve the utmost gravity, solemnity, and order in the public ministrations of the Church ; and to shed ovor them a venerable air fitted to remind men of the awe with which they should approach the things of God. The forms and ceremonies of the Church, the prescribed ])08tures of worship, the habits of those who officiate, the vessels of the Sanctuary, the several appendages and distinctions of our National Churches, are all designed to aid in this effect ; and, as servants of the Church, we ought to act in the spirit, and, wherever we can, according to the letter of her regulations. ' See Note G. |1 t: 30 The disuse upon the ordinary occasions of life, of a distinguishing ecclesiastical dress, is a departure from wise and venerable rules \ from which our Clergy ought never to take licence to depart farther than, according to the now received usage, they are obliged to do. They should never betray a disposition to secu- larize the character and office which they hold. And in the actual performance of any ecclesiastical function, no deviation can be justified for which the plea of necessity cannot be advanced. No needless irregu- larity should be suffered to creep into our perform- ance of official duty which may settle by degrees into a precedent. To pass, however, to considerations of a higher nature, — I would observe that among very many dis- advantages attaching to our situation as a Colonial branch of the Church, we have our advantages too ; and it is not the least of these that in many parts of the Diocese, we are less trammelled by circumstances ill making an approach to that holy discipline, the restoration of which, according to the language of the Church herself, is " much to be wished ^" The existence of any such advantage ought to be turned to the utmost account. Instances have not been wanting in this Diocese in which communicants who have given scandal by some irregularity, have made public reparation to the assembled company of wor- shippers ; and I cannot but commend the endeavour, which has been used with S'lccess by some of our See Note H. Comminution Office. 31 Clergy, to revive the practice enjoined in the prayer- book, that persons desirous of presenting themselves at the Lord's Supper, at least unless they are accepted and constant communicants, should intimate their purpose beforehand to their pastor. I could enlarge upon this topic, and there are others which I could wish to notice, particularly the encou- ragement and the direction of Sunday Schools, were it not time that (if I may borrow the allusion,) I should draw in my sails and make for the shore ^ I will only say, then, in conclusion, that if, as I have intimated in the course of these observations, we stand as a distinct and peculiar body, in virtue of our being a branch of the Episcopal Church, this is not the highest or the most \m^0Tt9Xii peculiarity by which we should be marked. Our distinction as Episcopa- lians will very little avail us, unless we take heed that we are not behind others in the genuine cha- racteristics of the people of God ; a peculiar people, in the lap*i^uage of one Apostle, zealous of good works — a chosen generation ; according to the description of another, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a pecu- liar people, who show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. This is the mark which we should set before our followers, and to the attainment of which we should seek to lead them on. We should keep clear and conspicuously bright the lamp of Holy Truth, which, ' extremo ni jam sub fine laborum Vela traham, et terris feslinem advertere proram. — yirg. 1 i 11 32 as the Priests of the Temple, we are ap[)oiiited to watcli ; holding forth constantly to view (for this is the life and light of the Church, and in exact pro- portion as it is obscured, our Ministry fails of its purpose,) the salvation of sinners through the free Grace of God in Christ Jesus. We should magnify the love which was displayed in the rescue of a guilty race, and in the gift of the Spirit of Holiness : we should press these things home to the bosoms of our hearers, and teach men to make them their own : — we should labour night and day to awaken those who are plunged in the sleep of sin, and to dissipate the dreams of those who smooth over the Doctrines of the Cross, and are satisfied in conscience, because they satisfy the nominally Christian world : we should regard it as the business of our lives to be in- strumental in turning men from darkness to lighty and from the power of Satan unto God. And even if it were to please God that we could turn but one, shall we not think the labour of our lives to have been better spent tlian in the pursuit, however successful, of any worldly object, when we remember, for our encouragement, the value of one immortal soul, as set forth in the declaration of Him who paid its ransom — that there is joy in the tresknce of the ANGELS OF GOD OVER ONE SINNER THAT REPENTETH ? NOTE S. ■S !'■' ". •, -.". ^ Note A. p. 12. — I see no reason, however, why I should be withheld from giving renewed publicity to the testimony rendered by the late Bishop Stewart to his predecessor. Bishop Mountain, the first Protestant Bishop of Quebec (the person to whom the allusion is here made). It will be seen that I have followed his own example in the tribute which I have paid to him, it being from his first Charge to the Clergy that this passage is extracted. His own humility of spirit, considering the character which at the time he had already established for sanctity and devotedness, and the value of his previous services in the Canadas, are strikingly exhibited in the close of the extract. *' The subject," he says, " which first presses itself on your feelings and mine, is that of mutual condolence on the loss we have all sustained in the death of our dear and excellent friend and counsellor, the late Bishop of this diocese. We all recollect with lively remembrance, the virtues and piety of his character, and the learning and abilities which distinguished him ; and with sorrow and sympathy we reflect on our being deprived of his example and guidance. This affectionate remembrance, and these just reflections, will always stimulate us, I trust, to greater watch- fulness, diligence, and exertions in the performance of our re- spective duties ; but they {idd to my concern on your account, and It) my anxiety on my own. They make me more sensible I 34 of my inferiority in many respects, and my comparative unfitness for so great a charge and so responsible an office. The plainness of this call to humility on my part, and my improvement of it, may be of advantage to me, but cannot be beneficial to you, except in the occasion it affords, and >vhich I beg you will use, of exercising greater charity and candour towards me." Again, in the close of the Charge, he says, " We cannot sepa- rate on this solemn occasion, without looking back to the loss this Diocese has sustained in the death of the late Bishop. We have condoled with you on the death of our excellent friend and coun- sellor ; we have reflected on the greatness of my responsibility and charge, and the increased measure of patience, brotherly kindness, and charity, desired by me from you, on my succession to such a predecessor. * • ♦ » » * * * By the memory of him over whom we have mourned — though dead, may he live in our hearts ! — by the value of souls, immortal souls, committed to our care ; by our love of the Church, the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood, I beseech your aid and counsel, I beg your prayers," &c. &c. Note B. p. 14. — As it is possible that many of the individuals into whose hands this Charge may fall, may be little aware of the facts to which reference is here made, it may be encouraging to them to state some particular examples : — '• London. — The Bishop of London has consecrated in this Diocese since 1828, sixty new Churches. His Lordship, as Bishop of Chester, to which Diocese he was appointed in 1824, had consecrated twenty-seven, in all eighty- seven Churches. " Winchester. — The number of Churches consecrated in this Diocese within the last ten years, is fifty-nine, and between two and three hundred more have been enlarged and improved. *• Chester. — The number of Churches consecrated in this Diocese by the present Bishop during ten years is one hundred and three : Churches now building in the Diocese, thirty-five : Chapels not ot 35 consecrated, but having their own Ministers, twenty." — Eccles. Gazette, for February, 1839. If my recollection does not deceive rae, there are now thirteen places of worship of the Established Church, of which two were originally dissenting meeting-houses, in the single parish of Lam- beth, where, when the present Rector took possession, there was only the parish Church (the private Chapel of the Archbishop not being reckoned). All over England, additional Churches and Chapels of the Establishment are springing up ; and other in- stances are not wanting of the same transfer of meeting-houses to the Church, which has been just mentioned as having taken place at Lambeth. The augmentation and renovation of Churches is also proceeding every where with the same spirit ; and it is a gratifying feature in all these undertakings, that one grand object kept in view is to provide free sittings for the poor. Three new Churches have recently been consecrated in the parish of Stepney, which now contains five spacious Churches, with three thousand free sittings. We hear a great deal of the alarm conceived, and not without reason, at the multiplication of places of worship and religious institutions at home, in connexion with the Church of Rome, and of the towering anticipations of that Church respecting the re- covery of her dominion in the country. But let us thankfully bear in mind the far greater multiplication of our own Churches ; and through whatever struggles we may have to pass, let us not despair of our cause,— the cause of Scripture and of truth. The cause of our true Protestantism is the cause of God himself ; and it will be seen in the end, what will become of all human devices in religion : — ' tea Romana perituraque regna. Note C. p. 14. — Although in proportion to the wealth of the English people, if it could be hoped that all who conform to the Church would have a sense of their duty in this point, it is still little that is done, yet every day affords some examples which ft M i' 1^ I ii 36 remind us of the exclamation of David, Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort ? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Many have nobly responded to the call of the present Bishop of London for the erection of additional Churches in the metropolis. Many have given their hundreds, and not a few their thousands. The example has been followed in other Dioceses ; associations for the extension of Church accommodation have received the- most liberal support, and individuals have come for- ward ill the same spirit. The following specimens are taken almost at random from a single number of the Ecclesiastical Gazette : — " The Bishop of Ripon has recently consecrated three new Churches in the Archdeaconry of Craven, Lothersdale, Stoney- hurst Green, and Settle. * ♦ • We cannot omit to notice the munificent gift of 1,000/. from the Reverend Walter I^evitt, the Vicar of Carlton, towards the endowment of the Church [at Lothersdale]. • * « • • ^, " A public meeting was held at Chelmsford, October 23rd, for the purpose of forming an Essex Association, in aid of the Incor- porated Society for building and enlarging Churches and Chapels. It was originally suggested by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. The subscription is already a munificent one, amounting to nearly 2,000/. * * * * * • , i " On the 1st of November, in the township of Clayton-le- Moors, was laid the foundation-stone of a new Church. * • « The site was the gift of John Fort, Esq. of Read Hall, M. P., who has also granted a site for a Parsonage-house and a National School. The estimated expense of erection is 1,700/. ; endow- ment, 2,000/. ; total, 3,700/. ; of which sum 500/. were sub- scribed by John Fort, Esq. ; 1,000/. towards the building, and 1,000/. towards the endowment, were the munificent donations of his sister, Ann Fort. * • •:«.♦• " Lord Braybrooke has given the sum of 100/. towards building and endowing a Church at Knowle Hill, Berks. * * " Mr. Gladstone, a Liverpool merchant, has contributru the 37 sum of 4,000/. towards the erection of a Church, besides endow- ing it with a perpetual annuity of 50/. towards the maintenance of a Minister. * • • • • " Earl Fitz William has given the sum of 1,000/. towards afford- ing additional Church accommodation at Malton. * * " Lord Ward has subscribed 200/. to the Worcestershire Dio- cesan Church Building Society, and 300/. to that of Lichfield. His Lordship will also erect parsonage-houses at Netherton and at Cosely, at his own expense. « » • * " At a public meeting at Birmingham, November 27th, the Bishop of Worcester in the chair, a Society was formed, called the Birmingham Church-building Societyt to supply the appalling de- ficiency of Church accommodation in that town. * « * The Society proposes to provide, within five years, ten additional Churches. * ♦ • • # " On the 28th November, the new Church of St. George's* Egbaston, was consecrated by the Bishop of Worcester. The ground on which it stands is the liberal gift of Lord Calthorpe, who has endowed the Church, and contributed the greater portion of the funds (between 5,000/. and 6,000/.) required for its erec- tion. • ««#** " The Countess of Brid'^'^water has given 500/. towards the fund for erecting additional Churches and Parsonage-houses in the Diocese of Lichfield. * * « * " On Sunday last, a new Church, erected by Mr. James Brook, of Thornton Lodge, near Huddersfield, for the accommodation of the inhabitants of Meltham Mills in the employ of Messrs. Jonas Brook and Brothers, was opened by licence from the Bishop of the Diocese. * * * It will seat about two hundred and fifty persons ; and adjoining it is a School, which, by means of sliding shutters, may be thrown open and form part of the Church. The School-room is calculated to hold about six hundred children • At the other end of the School there are two dwelling-houses, one for the Clergyman, and the other for the School-master. The whole of the edifice, we are told, is erected at an expense of not less tlmn 4,000/. A truly Christian example is here set for the I 1 1' 38 opulent manufacturers in the country to provide for the spiritual wants of those who are in their daily employ." — Ecclesiastical Gazette for December, 1838. The Dowager Queen Adelaide is building a Church at Malta» for the English residents, estimated at 7,000/. or 8,000/., at her own expense. The Bishop of Lincoln gave 800/. the other day towards the erection of a Church at Holbeach. It has been ascertained that the late Bishop of Durham (Van Mildert) spent 10,000/. a year upon charitable and religious objects, being one half of his income. This was not suspected during his life. His predecessor (Barrington) is known to have passed, 1 think, 100,000/. for such purposes, during his occu- pation of the See, through the hands of Mr. Butler, his London agent. Other Bishops of Durham have been great public bene- factors : witness the institution founded by Lord Crewe, in Bam- borough Castle, for the relief of shipwrecked persons, and other charitable ends. Durham was (till the late division of its revenues) the richest See in England, and has been set up as a target upon which the enemies of the Church have emptied their quivers ; but in the party cry which is raised in this country, as well as at home, against the incomes of the English Bishops, it is forgotten what use they make of their incomes • it is forgotten to what expenses they are unavoidably subjected in the maintenance of their sta- tions, as heads of the Church Establishment of a mighty empire and members (as is fitting in a Christian country) of the high council of the realm ; it is forgotten that, these circumstances con- sidered, many of the Bishoprics are exceedingly poor : it is for- gotten to form a comparative estimate of their wealth with refer- ence to the scale of English opulence in the higher classes of society; it is forgotte- that there are single individuals in Eng- land whose incomes exceed the whole aggregate amount of those of the Archbithops, and all the Bishops together. dB Note D. p. 20. — In reflecting upon what I have here said, I have partaken of that anxiety which was felt by the great Hooker, when he had declared, and having been attacked for the decla- ration, was defending his confident and comfortable belief, " that God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers, living in Popish superstitions, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly." He appears to have been afraid that some persons might pervert this charitable hope to their own damage and that of the Church ; so interpreting it as to lower the necessity of a discerning faith in Christ, to think much too lightly of the risk of conformity to a system which is not simply marked by deviations from the word of God, but is prophetically denounced in that word, and to accommodate the way of salvation by a perilous easiness, to human expectations. Having habitually regarded the case of the Roman Catholics in this country, in the mass, as very nearly approaching to that of *' our fathers" before the Reformation as viewed by Hooker, be- cause it has not pleased God that any effectual means should yet exist to carry on the work of reformation among them ; having seen how utterly abortive some attempts of this nature have proved, and being strongly inclined to believe that their day is not yet come, I have been apprehensive that in giving utterance to these sentiments, however I may have sought to guard against such an effect, 1 may have opened a door to such prejudicial inferences, in certain minds, as I have stated above. As far therefore as concerns persons so minded, I would avail myself of the language of Hooker, to warn them of their danger : in handling the salvability of the Romanist and maintaining the affirmative of the question, he says that he has therein " walked, as with reverence, so with fear ; with reverence, in regard to our fathers, which lived in former titties ; not without fear, considering them that are alive. " I wish from mine heart," he continues, " their conversion, whosoever are thus perversely affected. For I must needs say, their case is fearful, their estate dangerous, which harden them- 40 I selves, presuming on the mercy of God towards others. It is true that God is merciful, but let us beware of presumptuous sins. God delivered Jonah from the bottom of the sea ; will you there- fore cast yourselves headlong from the tops of rocks, and say in your heart, God shall deliver us? He pitieth the blind that would gladly see ; but will He pity him that may see, and hard- eneth himself in blindness ? No. Christ hath spoken too much unto you, to claim the privilege of your fathers." But as far as concerns the hope indulged for those who are in error, by that holy and heavenly-minded man and thoroughly- enlightened Protestant, I can form no better wish than that all Protestants should have the same charitable temper coupled with the same clearness of judgment ; and I cannot forbear from a few extracts which afford specimens of both. Desirous of affording to '* our fathers " the benefit of an am- biguity in the word meriting^ which is used by the ancients and by some foreign reformers, in the sense of obtaining, he says, '* For- asmuch as their meaning is doubtful, and charity doth always interpret doubtful things favourably, what should induce us to think that rather the damage of the worst construction did light upon them all, than that the blessing of the better was granted to thousands ?" He proves by quotations from some eminent Reformers and sufficiently severe antagonists of the Papal system, that it was not the principle of the Reformation to deny the Church of Rome to be a part, however diseased, of the Church of Christ, or to impute to her the rejection of the fundamentals af Christianity. His (flotations are, in part, as follows : — " I suppose," saith one, •' that in tlie Papacy some Church re- maineth : Church crazed, or if you will, quite broken to pieces, yet some Church." " I deny her not the name of a Church," saith another, " no more than to a man the name of a man, so long as he liveth, what sickness soever he hath." A third hath these words, after some expressions of strong reprobation, *' Every man seeth, except he willingly hood-wink himself, that Hf, always, so now, the ('hurch of Rome holdeth firmlv and sledfastlv the doc- 41 trine of Truth concerning Christ ; and baptizeth in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; confesseth and avoucheth Christ to be the only Redeemer of the world, and the Judge that shall sit upon quick and dead, receiving true believers into endless joy, faithless and godless men being cast with Satan and his angels into flames unquenchable." Some objections, relating to the Doctrine of Works, he discusses at length, touching particularly on Gal. v. 2. and in the course of his argument speaks thus : — " Works are an addition : be it so, what then ? The foundation is not subverted by every kind of addition. Simply to add unto those fundamental words is not to mingle wine with water, heaven and earth, things polluted with the sanctified blood of Christ. Of which crime indict them which attribute those operations, in whole or in part, to any creature, which in the work of our salvation wholly are peculiar unto Christ ; and if I open my mouth to speak in their defence ; if I hold my peace, and plead not against them as long as breath is within my body, let me be guilty of all the dishonour that ever hath been done to the Son of God. But the more dreadful a thing it is to deny salvation by Christ alone, the more slow and fearful I am, except it be too manifest, to lay a thing so grievous to any man's charge. Let us beware, lest, if we make too many ways of denying Christ, we scarce leave any way for ourselves truly and soundly to confess Him. Salvation only by Christ is the true foundation whereupon indeed Christianity standeth. But what if I say, you cannot be saved onl^ by Christ, without this addition, Christ believed in heart, confessed with mouth, obeyed ill life and conversation ? Because 1 add, do I therefore deny that which I did directly afiirm ? There may be an additament of explication, which overthroweth not, but proveth and con- cludeth the proposition, whereunto it is annexed." * * * " Offer them the very fundamental words, and what man is there that will refuse to subscribe unto them ? Can they directly grant, and directly deny, one and the very selfsame thing ? Our own proceedings in disputing against their works satisfactory and mcriloriuUK, do show, not only that they hold, but that we £a m acknowledge them to hold the foundation, notwithstanding their opinion. For are not these our arguments against them ? Christ alone hath satisfied and appeased his Father's wrath ; Christ hath merited salvation alone. We should do fondly to use such disputes, neither could we think to prevail by them, if that whereupon we ground, were a thing which we know they do not hold, which we are assured they will not grant. Their very answers to all such reasons, as are in this controversy brought against them, will not permit us to doubt, whether they hold the foundation or no. Can any man, that has read their books con- cerning this matter, be ignorant, how they draw all their answers unto these heads, — that the remission of all our sins, the pardon of all whatsoever punishments thereby deserved, the rewards which God hath laid up in Heaven, are by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ purchased, and obtained sufficiently for all men ; but for no man effectually for his benefit in particular, except the blood of Christ be applied particularly to him by such means as God hath appointed that to work by ? That those means of themselves, being but dead things, only the blood of Christ is that which putteth life, force, and efficacy in them to work, and to be available, each in his kind, to our salvation ? Finally, that grace being purchased for us by the blood of Christ, and freely without any merit or desert at the first bestowed upon us, the good things which we do, after grace received, be thereby not made satisfactory and meritorious ? Some of their sentences to this effect I must allege for mine own warrant. He then gives some extracts from the writers of the Romish Church, pointedly to the effect of what he had just attributed to them. * * • • * Howbeit," he says farther on, " considering how many virtuous and just men, how many Saints, how many Martyrs, how many of the Ancient Fathers of the Church, have had their sundry perilous opinions ; and amongst sundry of their opinions this, — that they hoped to make God some part of amends for their sins by the voluntary punishment which they laid upon themselves, — because by a consequent it may follow hereupon that they were injurious unto Christ, shall wc therefore make 43 such deadly epitaphs, and set them upon their graves, they de- nied the foundation of Faith directly, they are damned, there is no salvation for them ? Saint Austin saith of himself, Errare possum, Hareticus esse nolo. And, except we put a difference between them that err, and them that obstinately persist in error, how is it possible that ever any man should hope to be saved ? " And shall I think, because of this only error, that such a man toucheth not so much as the hem of Christ's garment ? If he do, wherefore should not I have hope, that virtue might pro- ceed from Christ to save him ? Because his error doth by con- sequent overthrow his faith, shall I therefore cast him off, as one that hath utterly cast off Christ ? One that holdeth not so much as by a single thread ? « ♦ » * ** Surely, I must confess unto you, if it be an error, that God may be merciful to save men even when they err, my greatest comfort is my error ; were it not for the love I bear unto this error, I would never wish to speak, nor to live. * * •• Wherefore to resume that mother sentence, whereof I little thought that so much trouble would have grown, * I doubt not but God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers, living in Popish superstitions, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly.' Alas ! what bloody matter is there contained in this sentence, that it should be an occasion of so many hard censures ? Did I say, that thousands of our fathers might be saved ? I have showed which way it cannot be denied. Did I say, I doubt not but that they were saved ? I see no impiety in this persuasion, though I had no reason for it. Did I say, their ignorance did make me hope they did find mercy and so were saved ? What hindereth salvation but sin ? Sins are not equal ; and ignorance, though it doth not make sin to be no sin, yet seeing it did make their sin the less, why should it not make our hope concerning their life the greater ? We pity the most, and doubt not but God hath most compassion over them that sin for want of understanding. * • ♦ If I have been deceived on this pointy ♦ ♦ ♦ # the blessed Apostle hath deceived me. What I suid of others, 13 44 the same he said of himself, * I obtained mercy, for I did it igno- rantly.' Construe his words, and you cannot misconstrue mine. I speak no otherwise, I mean no otherwise than he did." He winds up the whole argument by a salutary caution, that it is *' a great deal meeter for us to have regard to our own estate, than to sift over-curiously what is become of other men. And fearing, lest that such questions as these, if voluntarily they should be too far waded in, might seem worthy of that rebuke which our Saviour thought needful in a case not unlike, What is this unto thee'r If, however, there are any who go so far as to think that a hope entertained for the disciples of Rome is an evidence of danger- ously defective views in religion in the person himself who enter- tains it, the single case of Hooker is surely sufficient to disprove such a notion. Hope for other men may, I believe, be still farther extended without prejudice to sound Protestantism, or to those views of our Salvation, which give all the honour to the blessed Saviour of sinners. Will any man attribute a laxity upon those points to the author of the Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul ? Yet in his Family Expositor, (in a note upon 1 John ii. 2.) speaking of the Salvability of virtuous Heathens through Christ, he says, " I do not see that Christianity can receive any prejudic3 by our acknowledging that if there are those in whom a truly virtuous temper prevails, they may be accepted of God, in consideration of the atonement which Christ hath made." A truly virtuous temper must be an evidence of some measure of grace given. But to return to the case of the Romanist, can any man de- liberately think that there are not evidences of grace and of a saving faith in Christ implanted in the heart, in such men as the ' The foreiroing extrncts from Hooker are taken from hU Discourse on Jus- tification. I had made them larger, and have found it difRcult to retrench them, but I did not wish to load the^e notes to excess. Those who have access to his works, and to wlioin the Discourse above mentioned is new, will be well rrpuid by the perusal of it, although possibly they may not agree in all points with the views of the writer. 45 author of the Imitation of Christ', or as Fenelon, or as Pascal ? If these evidences are mixed with matter which seems by logical inference to contradict then, we must remember that it is never fair in Judging of men, although it may be perfectly proper in reasoning with them, to insist upon fastening consequences upon them, as flowing from their system, which consequences they reject and disclaim, and thus to deny to them the benefit of their inconsistency. I believe that the view which I have here taken, is agreeable to the word of God, and that those who are the sufferers by corrup- tions introduced into their Church, are not to be confounded with the authors or interested lovers of those corruptions, against whom the judgments of Scripture are denounced. The case of a devout and sincere Romanist appears to me to be provided for, if I may 80 express it, in 1 Cor. iii. 11 — 15. upon which text Archbishop Tillotson has a sermon " on the hazard of being saved in the Church of Rome." And now a few more words as to " the part which we feel called upon to take with reference to the processors of the Ro- man Catholic Religion **' in Lower Canada (a question which must be affected by " the judgment which we pronounce'" upon them). In my own view of the case, we are more likely to be called upon to suffer than to do, in testifying to that body, by any general or extensive proceeding, in the cause of spiritual truth. But some of our obligations having, as I apprehend, been mis- conceived in a manner calculated to embarrass the consciences of the Clergy, and this having spread I know not to what precise extent, I feel it incumbent upon me, (for now that I am embarked in the subjec;, 1 will go through with it,) very briefly to set them, as far as God shall enable me, in a correct light. 1. It has been supposed that the Ordination- vows of the Clergy distinctly oblige them to engage in perpetual controversy with the Romish Church in this country, and to labour in the work of proselytism among her disciples. I ' Con-.inoiily rrpntcii to be Thomas ii Kcinpiii. » Charge, p. 20. " Ibid. .1 It is certainly (as I have intimated) the duty of Clergy and Laity alike, to avail themselves of all well-chosen opportunities and all promising openings, for endeavouring to communicate to those who do not enjoy the blessing, a knowledge of pure and scriptural truth. And they should watch for such opportunities, and, if they are permitted, should make them. But with refe- rence to that particular and special cure of souls which is formally confided, in the solemnities of Ordination, to the Clergy, and to which their rows respecting pastoral instruction exclusively refer, it does not, in this country, comprehend the members of the Church of Rome. In England and Ireland, where the entire face of the country is divided into parishes of the established Church ; where the Churches formerly belonging to the Church of Rome have been transferred to our own, and where the pro- prietors of the population at large are subject to payments for the support of the latter, all the inhabitants of a parish are the Parishioners of a Clergyman. It is not so here. In Upper Canada, even the Rectors do not stand in the same relation to other religious bodies which the Rectors do at home. There is no official connection between them. In Lower Canada, where Parish Churches and tithes are in the hands of Roman Catholics, and secured to them by law, the appointments received by our Clergy do not impose any specific obligation, nor convey any kind of authority, with respect to the religious instruction of such persons. 2. It has been supposed that the 66th Canon, which relates to Popish Recusants, imposes a duty of the same kind. But that Canon refers to a state of society, and describes a class of persons, both of which have long ceased to exist. Recusanls were persons who refused conformity to the established Religion of the country, at a time when, the principles of the toleration not being under- stood, the whole population were by law compellable, under severe penalties, to conform. The Canons of 1603 are still binding, so far as they are now practicable and consistent with the subsequent sanctions of authority ; but it must be manifest, even upon a slight inspection of them, that in other points they are obsolete, and have been virtually revoked. 47 I shall not notice an argument which has been drawn from the commission given by Christ to his Church at large, to preach the Gospel to every creature ^ farthei than to point out that this direc- tion to propagate the faith throughr " the world, cannot be under- stood as if every Clergyman were charged with the direct religious instruction of every individual with whom he comes in contact in life. For in how many instances would this be casting pearls to swine ! and in how many more would it be obstructing, by ill- advised or premature interference, the cause which it would be designed to promote ! i. • *.v - Let me not be here thought to repress, or to do otherwise than honour and encourage that zeal which would be instant in season and out of season. But if we are to do any thing in this particular behalf, let the grounds upon which we are to do it, be first correctly stated. In musing upon the subject, I have been more moved to hope for our one day creating a favourable impression upon the Romanists of this country, (if we go wisely to work,) by the single consideration of Deut. vii. 17, 18, than by all the argu- ments which I have ever heard in recommendation of our taking the field. ' ( Whenever and wherever we do so, I hope it will be more in the spirit of Bishop Hopkins, of Vermont ', than of some other Protestant champions among our neighbours in the United States, who would do well to remember the saying of a very early Christ- ian father *: — . Qpaaog cai ahdaSeia Kai ro\/ua rolg KaTrjpaiiiyoic virb rov Geov, eirteiKeia icai Tairtivotjtpoavvri, Koi Trpavrijc Trapa rote cv\oy?}/ieVo(c bird Tov Qeov. -, ■ . In modern times, and with reference to intercourse with Roman Catholics, we have an admirable example in the interesting Me- moirs of Felix NeiF. .. " The broad distinctions and uncompromising truths of Pro- ' In liis work, The Church of Rome in her primitive purity, compared with the Church of Rome at the present day. I think, however, that he has made some unwarranted concessions. * Clemens Konianus, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians. 48 testantism were matters of awful sanctity with Neff; and yet though he was the Pastor of a flock opposed to Popery by all the strong prejudices of hereditary separation, 1 might almost say of deep-rooted aversion, with dogmatical and polemical Protest- antism he would have nothing to do. He made numberless con- verts from Romanism, not so much by argument and discussion as by widely inculcating the true spirit of the Gospel ; not by dwell- ing on topics of strife or points of difference, but on points of universal agreement and by exhibiting our common Christianity in its most persuasive form, until their hearts melted before the one Mediator and Intercessor, and they said, Your God shall be our God, and your creed shall be our creed." — Memoir of Felix Neff, Pastor of the High Alps, by the Rev. W. S. Gdly, D.D. " When Neff was in France, he accidentally found himself in the company of a Roman Catholic Cure, who did not know him. Their route lay towards the same place, and as they journeyed together, the conversation took a religious turn. Our pastor, with his usual good sense and right feeling, spoke fervently on the faith and duties of a Minister of the Gospel, but he did not drop a single word which could offend the prejudices or rouse the suspicion of his companion, who was gradually moved to take a deep interest in the new views of a spiritual life which were opened before him. They came to a Roman Catholic Church, and the Cure invited his unknown counsellor to enter the sanc- tuary and to implore God's blessing on their conversation. Neff readily complied, they breathed their silent prayers before the altar [the Protestant Minister here, however, went a great length], and they parted without the Cure being aware of any difference in their religious opinions. I perceived, said Neff, when he related this anecdote, that the Priest's heart was touched, and I did not disturb the pious feelings of the moment by avowing myself, or by attempting to square his religious sentiments with my own." — Ibid. 49 Note E. p. 26. — In the letters which passed between Pierre du Moulin, a very eminent foreign Protestant, and the admirable Bishop Andrews, there is a curious example of that infirmity (and we ought all to guard against it, on whatever side of a question), by which good men find a difi&culty in conceding what makes against their own party ; and if they have been drawn by the force of fair inference acting upon their minds, beyond the mark which suits them, will seek sometimes, although they are imposing upon their own judgments, to retire within it again. Dumoulin intreats the Bishop to intercede for him with King James of England, on account of his supposed want of respect for Episcopacy, which he disclaims in these words : — Non sum tarn fastidiose arrogans ut velim me opponere toti antiquitati ; et rem quae jam inde a seculo AfostoUs proximo recepta fuit in Ecclesia, ut vitiosam aut improbam aspernari. The Bishop re-assures him with respect to the royal displeasure, and then notices a circumstance which seemed to furnish evidence of his going yet further, in his secret judgment, in favour of Epis- copacy, than he was willing to allow: Ego vero libens agnosco sequiorem te in res nostras, plerisque vestrum ; quanto magis anti- quitatem versas, tanto aequiorem : addo et aequiorem adhuc multo futurum, si te sineret Ecclesia vestra ; utinam autem sineret ! — Ilia, ut videtur, personarum vitia ad res transtulit, rerumque aded legitimum usum, propter abusum sustulit paulatim hoc a vobis dedocenda. Cui dum tu morem gerere vis, morem ipse animo tuo non geris. Nam de animo tuo ex calamo conjecturam facio. Adeo enim in nos propensus calamus tuus, ut scripserit (crede autem te non itivito) nostrum Episcoporum ordinem rem esse receptam in Ecclesia inde a seculo Aposlolorum. Recte autem hoc scripserat calamus : id tu liturd scilicet induxisti {nempe to Apostolorum) ac vicem ejus Apostolis proximo reposuisti^. The Bishop adds, a little farther on, Totam antiquitatem a nobis esse, nee ipse negas : an vero Ecclesiae jam ulli plus deferendum Claroi'uni virorum Epistulo:, CoUectorc Paulo Colomcsiu. Loud. 1687> 50 quam antiquitati toti, ipse videris. This is the right way of stating the question ; and thus the other party, even after shifting a little from his original position (as taken by his pen), left the vantage-ground to the cause of Episcopacy. It is this ground which is taken by Chillingworth, in his Apostolical Institution of Episcopacy demonstrated, and he reduces the whole argument to a syllogism. That which ^xes the sense of Scripture in those passages which are favourable to our claims, and proves what was the proceeding of the Apostles, in the absence of positive insti- tution in the Word of God, is a comparison with the early, uni- versal, and continued practice of the Church. The case is' the same as that of the sanctification of the first day of the week. What an incalculable advantage would it be to the cause of Protestants, and what sacrifices ought all Protestant parties to be ready to make for the sake of gaining it, if a comprehension Qould be effected in which they would stand, as one body, pccupy- ing a ground respecting their Orders which could not be chal- lenged by the Romanist himself, if well-informed. With respect tp the Episcopal Churches, this is the fact. Witness the Defense de la validtte des Ordinations Anglicanes, by le Pere Courayer, whose grave* stone may be seen in the solemn cloisters of West- minster Abbey. Although the man was, in the end, persecuted, his proofs can never be shaken. . Note F. p. 27. — The following extracts from the corre- spondence of the late Bishop Heber, will be interesting to those to whom they may happen to be new : — " He too [Mar Simeon, Episcopal Commissaiy from the Arch? bishop of Shiranz], as well as Mar Abraham and the Archbishop Athanasius, expressed a desire to attend the English Church Service, and accordingly came the day on which I administered Confirmation. On the whole I cannot but hope that many good effects may arise from this approximation in courtesy of the East- em Churches to our own ; when they find that we desire no dominion over them, they may gradually be led to imitate us." 51 P Id Id It- "1 believe I mentioned to your Grace in my last letter, the sort of amicable intercourse which I had maintained with different sects of Oriental Christians, and particularly with some Bishops of the Armenian Church. One of these, whom T had previously met at Dacca, Mar Abraham, a Suffragan dependent on the Patriarch of Jerusalem, was much with me, and still more, I think, at Bishop's College, during my late residence at Calcutta. He, like the Syrian Metropolitan, attended service in the Cathe- dral, and I was happy to be able, on different occasions, to treat him with respect and hospitality. His sect (I need not inform your Grace) is Monophysite, and the Liturgy of his Church grievously crowded with superstitious observances, approaching to those of the Roman ritual. They disclaim, however, earnestly, the Pope and some of the distinguished tenets of Popery, and both my friend Mar Abraham, and some others of his nation, express a great admiration of our Liturgy, and a desire (which I think claims all the encouragement in our power) to draw near us, and learn from us. One of their nation, named George Avdal, has offered his services to Bishop's College, to translate our Liturgy into Armenian, to which may be prefixed, if God gives me health and leisure to finish it, a short account which I am drawing up of the foundation, reformation, and history of the English Church, which, I am led to believe, may do us great service among the Eastern Christians, and may be advantageously circulated not only in Armenian, but the other languages of Asia. And, if Mr. Avdal does his work well, I think of employing him still farther in rendering into that language some of the homilies of St. Chry- sostom, and of such other Fathers as the Eastern Church hold in most honour, but of whom, except by name, they know nothing. By such means, duly persevered in, and practised with meekness, and without the appearance of dictation or superiority, it may be hoped, under the Divine blessing, that some of the grosser ignorance may be removed, and some of the more crying abuses reformed, which have, for many centuries, overspread the most ancient and illustrious sects of Christianity," . • d2 52 " Bishop Abraham evinced, on leaving Calcutta, his confidence in myself, and Principal Mill, in a yet more remarkable manner, in committing to my care for education at Bishop* s College, a very pleasing young man, a Deacon of his church, and related to him- self, who had attended him from Palestine. He said that th^ Armenian Church felt the want of a more liberal education than \ they could usually obtain for their Clergy : that, in particular, a \, knowledge of the English language and litei-ature would be very \ valuable to them, and that this young man, who, having good talents and powerful interest, was likely to be called, eventually, to a conspicuous station in the church of Jerusalem, was exceed- ingly anxious to learn any thing which we might have to teach. He professed a willingness to pay, to the best of his power, to- wards the expense of his remaining with us, but, well knowing his poverty, / told him that mas needless. I have accordingly arranged with the Principal, and College Council, to receive * Mesrop David' on the same terms of inmate and guest on which Christian David, the Tamul Clergyman, was received on a former occasion. They agreed with me that it was an oppor- tunity not to be lost of improving and extending the influence of our Church among his countrymen, and should the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts object to his being supported at the College expense, / mill most cheerfully take it on myself," " Athanasius and Abraham, with the titles of Metropolitan and * Ramban,' or Archdeacon, arrived at Bombay whilst I was there, on their way to the Malayalim Churches, and with regular appointments from the Patriarch, ' sitting in the seat of Simon Cephas, which is at Antioch.' As it bus always been my endea- vour to conciliate and befriend the Eastern Christians who find their way into India, both I and Archdeacon Barnes showed them all the respect and kindness in our power, and wo were on as good terms as people could be, who had no common language, the strangers speaking only Arabic, and all our communication being filtered through an interpreter. s \ \ \ 53 " They attended Church, unasked, and received the Sacrament at my hands * ; on which occasion I placed the Metropolitan in my own chair, and we embraced in a most brotherly manner at the church-door after service." " To Mar Athanasius. (As translated into Syriac, by Messrs. Robinson and Mill.) " Calcutta, December, 1825. " To the excellent and learned father Mar Athanasius, Bishop and Metropolitan of all the Churches of Christ in India, which walk after the rule of the Syrians, Mar Reginald, by the grace of God, Bishop of Calcutta ; grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ." A correspondence headed in the same oriental style which appears in this last extract, took place in 1616, between Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria. It led to little or nothing ; and so our hopes may end v/ith reference to any approximation in our own day, of more remote Eastern Churches to ours ' : God knows his own time : but there is so remarkable a parallel in some of the circumstances of the two cases, that it cannot be otherwise than interesting to observe it. The parallel will appear by comparing the passages in Italics in the foregoing extracts from Heber, with the parts of those which follow printed in the same character. Speiiking of the persecutions suffered from the Turks, the Pa- triarch says, in a truly Christian spirit of faith and love, A quibus etiamsi variis exagitemur exerceamurque modis, nobis tamen pro Christi nomine quem spiramus, cuiusque stigmata in corpore circumferimus, ab istiusmodi hominibus perquam volupe est ' This, with the greatest deference be it spoken, may be considered a cir- cumstance of questionable propriety, when reference is had to the state of doctrine and worship in tlie Church to which the^e communicants belonged. * There is, however, this great diflbrence in the cases, that our own Ecclesi^ astical Establishment is planted ind spreading upon the spot where our Clergy lire brought into contact with those of tlic Syrian and Armenian Churches. 54 affligi, vexari, et, si necesse est, durissima atque ultima sustinere, ut h4c exploratione fides nostra magis magisque splendescat et Dei gloria illustretur. This, therefore, was simply to be endured : but remedy was to be found, if possible, for what his Churcb suffered, in another way, from the emissaries of Rome. Hi emis- sarii terrorem mirum in modum nobib iucutiunt, nostraique impo- nunt sitnplicitati, cui mancipandae varias admovent raachinas, maxime freti eruditionis succo et spinosartim disputationum acu- leis ', cum nos interea eruditorum penuria laboremus qui cum sciolis istis aequo Marte congrediantur. Etenim propter peccata nostra despicabiles facti sutnus prce omnibus gentibus, et, cum tm> perio, artes quoque liberates amisimus. Referring then to a pro-^ posal from the Archbishop, made under the royal sanction, that a Theological student should be sent by the Patriarch to an English University, thence to return to his own people, he describes thus the individual whom he had selected. En igitur hominem Grae- cum, gradu Presbyterum, Graecis literis non leviter tinctum, Ec- clesice nostrce Alex, alumnum, haud obscuro loco natum, ingenio ad reconditiorem eruditionem probe comparatn. The Archbishop informs him, in reply, giving a beautiful picture of the flourishing state of the Church of England at that time, that his letter had been read with interest by the king, and that the Greek youth (whose name was Metrophanes Critobulus, and who was afterwards himself Patriarch of Alexandria) had been entered of the University of Oxford, bibliothec4 instructis- sima et septendecim collegiis splendidissimis conspicuae ; and he gives him this assurance, qu£e illi necessaria trunt, aut opportunOf, omnia haud gravate impendam '. Note G. p. 29. — That part of the Preface to the Common Prayer book which is headed Of Ceremonies, why some Ite abo' ' This is barely glanced at in the foregoing extracts from Hcber, but it lias been notoriously the case with reference to the Churches mentioned in the last Note. ' Clarorum virorum Kpistolc, ut suprik. 55 lished and some retained^ ought to be familiar to all of the vnem- bers of the Church, and it is to be regretted that the Preface which contains it, is omitted in many modem editions of the Liturgy. The Rubric, to which I more particularly refer in this part of the Charge, are as follows : Whilst these sentences are in readings the DeactmSf Church- wardens, or other Jit person appointed for that purpose^ shall re- ceive the alms for the poor ^ and other devotions of the people, in a decent bason, to be provided by the parish for that purpose ; and reverently bring it to the priest, who shall humbly present it and place it upon the Holy table. When all have communicated, the Minister shall return to the Lord's Table, and reverently place ^pon it what remaineth of the consecrated Elements, covering the same with a fair linen cloth. If any remain of that which was consecrated, it shall not be carried out of the church, but the Priest and such other of the com- municant .e shall then call unto him, shall immediately after the bless. .^, leverent'y eat and drink of the same. Observe also the Rubrics connected with the Prayer of Con- secration. Note H. p. 30. — I venture to follow up what I have here said in my Charge, by an Extract from the MS. Journal of one of my Archidiaconal Visitations, made a good many years ago : I confess myself to be one of those who seriously regret, that the revolutions of fashion have, in their ordinary dress, assimilated the Clergy to the laity. I do not wish to see our Clergy dressed as the Roman Catholic Priesthood appear abroad in this country ; but there are passages in two French writers, which express so much better than my own words can convey them, my opinion upon the subject, that, having been able to light upon them both, I cannot forbear from here transcribing them : " cet utile pouvoir Commando la decence et rappelle au devoir. < Par lui I'homme avcrti dcmeure sans excuse Son costume Ic blAmc ct son habit Tuccuse." ^^i- •)6 The other writer expresses the same sentiment in prose. He spcnks of tha modem fashions in dress as having " I'inconvenient de con- fon Jre tous les rangs et toutes les professions," and adds, that ** rhabit venerable dont recclesiastique etait couvert, I'obligeait a la plus grande circonspection dans sa conduite et dans ses discours." It will be said indeed, and truly, that if the heart is unsancti- fied, the restraint of the garb will do little to make an efficient Minister, and tht^t if thfi heart be right towards God, and really possessed by the love ox' Christ, the guise of the outward man is a matter of vjry inferior concern. But tliere will always, in large bodies of men, be some tn whom such a me.iiento would be useful, making it familiar to them, s s the sign upon the hand and frontlet bet^/een the eyes, that they are set apart to Jodf and operating as a check upon some infirmity of nature, or a guard against the in- ilue.>i.v. "f some casual temptation ; but it is chiefly perhaps in the effect upon others that the benefit is felt : more reverence is engendered fo** Religion among the unthinking part of the world, who are the most affected by chat which meets the eye, and this is one step gained. And it is still another recommendation of the practice, that the ideas of seriousness and solemnity thus familiarly associated with the profession, would, as I cannot help believing, keep out of it some persons whose testimonials, with their own attainments, may procure them admission, but who partake too much fa light and woridly spirit, to be an acquisition to the Church. It may seem needless to have quoted French authors upon this subject when we have the solid and venerable authority to the point, which is found in our own Canons of 1603. " The true, ancient, and flourishing Churches of Christ, being ever desirous that their Prelacy and Clergy might be had as well in outward reverence as otherwise regarded for the worthiness of their ministry, did think it fit, by a prescript form of decent and comely apparel, to have them known to the people, and thereby to receive the honour and estimation due to the Special Messengers and Ministers of Almighty God. We, therefore, following their grave judgment and the ancient custom of the Church of England, 57 and hoping that in time newfangledness of apparel in some factious persons will die of itself, do constitute and appoint," &e. &c. — Canon 74. I am desirous of stating, with reference to some points which are touched upon towards the close of the Charge, and in the latter portion of the Notes, that my own judgment has been wholly uninfluenced upon these points, by any modern publica- tions, or by contact with any party in the Church. In particular (although it may seem a singular confession to make), I had read nothing, on either side, relating to the controversy in which the Oxford Tracts are prominent. Except from some notices ot them which I have met with since the composition of the Charge, I am, as yet, wholly unacquainted with those tracts. I now know them so far as to know that I should neither agree nor disagree with them in >to ; but here I have simply given the result of my own reflections and enquiries, with no other human aid, in the formation of opinion, than that which may have been gathered, in the general course of professional reading, from older writers, and from the authoritative declarations or directions of the Church. Long ago, both from the pulpit and through the press, I have given expression to the same sentiments : and it may not be wholly useless to afford an instance, with however slender pre- tensions to consideration, of their being prompted in another way than as the mere echo of any existing movement in the Church. THE END. L U N 1> O N : (ilLUKKT & UIVINGTON, PHINTI^RS, ST. John's square. ■i