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Un das symboles suivants apparattra sur la darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, seion le caa: le symbols — ► signifis "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ sigiilfie "FIN". IMaps, plates, charts, stc, may be filmed et different reduction ratloa. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right end top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams Illustrate the method: Les cartes, pisnches, table«ux, etc.. peuvent Atre fllmto A des teux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seuS cliche, 11 est f ilmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'Images nAcessalra. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. \ 1 2 3 1 2 3 • 4 5 6 ■■H I uttt\ixa\y iprebedcton, 1868, 1858, 18Be, 1882. WITH NOTSS UPON NEW BRUNSWICK, AN ACCOUNT OF THE CATHEDRAL, AND EXTRACTS FROM A CHARGE OF THE BISHOP OF MAINE. OXFORD: H. HAMMANS, 41, HIGH STREET. RIVINGTONS, LOHDON. 1863. J. i:. ■* II ,* OXFORD; PKINTED BT T. COMBE, E, PICKAHD HALL, AND H. LATHAM, PBINTKRB TO THE UNIVEB8ITY. PREFACE. 1 HAVE asked and obtained the leave of the Lord Bishop of Fredeiicton to republish such of his Charges, as had not appeared in England. I thought, as I could not well include the first two of the series*, there would be a sufficient unity in a plan which combined the addresses delivered after that great event in the history of the diocese, the Consecration of its beautiful Cathedral. Two reasons particularly influenced me to solicit this permission. » The finst Charge was delivered Aug 24, 1847, the second in 1 850 ; the first is a most excellent statement of the " duties of the Christian Pastor," republished in London by Masters, 1 848 ; the subject of the second is, " Unity, Sanctity, and Progress, as the Churchman's Duty ;" but under these heads the Bishop dis- cusses very ably the position of the Church in reference to Dissent ; the Church's moral influence in reference, amongst other things, to such schemes as Temperance Societies, and the like ; her office as a Teacher of Spiritual Truth, distinct and definite, and here he examines the question of ' Sacramental grace', and very fully and with great power the doctrine of Regeneration in Holy Baptism ; and finally he has some very instructive remarks on the rationale of Church Architecture and Church Music. No one of his Charges is more valuable than this. I am not quite sure whether it has been republished in England. «^ VI PREFACE. First, I believed it would be very instructive to trace, in a single and conspicuous instance, how, in a new community bordering close upon the States of America, the system of the Church was fairly and fully built up, where it was exposed to the roughest contact with institutions almost demo- cratic, amongst a people in the first struggles of political and social life, possessed of many fine qualities, but, by no fault of their own, of necessity deprived of the refining influences of an old Christian country. But secondly, and much more, I was anxious to bring, if possible, into wider circulation, in the cheapest form, the weighty teaching, at once so primitive, and so peculiarly suited to our own needs, of a Bishop, who even amongst the many admirable men who are guiding and governing the Church in our colonies holds a foremost place. It would be unbecoming in me to praise these Charges ; but it would be I believe most unneces- sary also. There is a manly vigour, a firm grasp of the whole body of TiTith, a courage and yet a gentleness in stating it, above all l deep, holy earnestness in every word, which is singularly winning, wondeifully refreshing. I remember well how in troublous times, when the Church at home was suffering the loss of some of her noblest sons, our spirits were cheered once and again by the consecration of true-hearted men to the posts of chiefest danger and difficulty in the Churches warfare ; at present we are again in the midst of controversies, and I would fain call the attention of my younger brethren in the Ministry, and of Candidates for Holy Orders, to the brave ■^ PREFACE. VII and bold, but still more to the loving, fervent words, of one who is indeed a Father in God. Bishop Medley, of Frederinton, very remarkal'ly combines the gifts of a real Theologian and a devoted Pastor with practical skill in Architecture and Music, in a way which we supposed belonged only to the Prelates of a far distant age of the Church ; but, besides, he is a noble self-sacrificing leader, where difficulties are great, and the fellow- soldiers are few. May young hearts be kindled by such an example, and may we who are older take fresh courage, when we trace the work of such a standaid-bearer in our battles. E. C. WOOLLCOMBE. Ball^ol College, Ijent, 1863. Note. — The Charges are, of course, exactly reprinted, but an Index and Marginal Summaries have been added. The Editor's share of any profits which may accrue will be given to the Lord Bishop of Frederictou for the purposes of his diocese. -\ NOTMS lf|»ON NKW lUUJNSWICK, niE IMJOVINX'E AND THR DTOOESK."* Nkw IJiM'NsvvicK camo into llie uiulis|)utotl posHcssion of Groat Britain in 1763; at that time a tew taniilicH, who had cmif^rated t'loni New Knj^land the year helbre, and settled at Mau«>erville, constituted the entire population. In ijiyf), whin the colony was sei)arated I'rom Novu Scotia and formed into u distinct jj^overnment, the number had increased to HooK The (.'ountry of New Brunswick has yrcat natural beauty. Noble ftirests abound on all sidos. Many por- tions of its territory have a veiy rich soil, and admit of the cultivation oi' the ^rain and fruits of Euro])e. The whole urea of the colony equals nearly that of Scotland ; the population, almost exclusively British, was estimated in 1854 only at 200,000. " The climate," says the Bishop of Frcdericton after two years ex})erience, " I consider beyond all question finer than that of Eng-land. It is undoubtedly hotter and colder; inasmuch as in July and Au<>ust, our thermometer ranges from 75" to 100', and in December, January, and Feb- ruary, from a lew degrees above freezing to ^o^ below zero, which however is only known at night. But the cold is H Those Notes have been compiled from an article in Knight's Cyclo- ptedia, Woods's Account of the Visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada, &c., Kev. E. Hawkins's Annals of the Colonial Church, (New Brunswick,) and the Jtej)orta of tlie Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. • b " The natives or Indians," says a writer of 1840, " are very few ; some families belonging to the Mic-mac are found in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Chaleurs ; a somewhat l.-irgor number of another tribe live in the forests and on tlie banks of the rivers above the Great Falls of the St. .John. Tliey never appear to have been numerous. " NOTKH ri'ON NKW HUl'NriWICK. IX i ,,v ^oiicrully dry, no in tliu iiuut ; the cliillin^' sturviii^' ireliii^ ut' cold tiiid wet lo^'uthcr in alinoHi iiiiknuvvn hc-ru. Our HUiiHhiiio in winter i^ ut least three to one eonipured with hn^hmd. Tlut roads of jfenerul comnmnietttion t'roin town to town ure vt^ry ^ooti." It nmy l)e interesting" to add a tew ohservations of u very reeent visitor in rel'erenjie to St. John, the real, and Frederieton, the h'^islutive, capital. ' The former,* he says, * is one of the nu)st heautiful and thriving towns oi' Mritish North America on the banks of tlie noble St. John, a river oidy inferior in our North American Provinces to the St. Lawrence. The houses arc linely huilt; an air of active business and prosperity pervades the whole place. There ure lari^e and spacious docks, well built stone faced (puiys, saw-mills employing; several thousands of men, and the banks of the river are covered with buildin,o'-yards, lilled with frames of ships on the stocks. 'The public buildiujLfs are handsome, the Churches larjj^o and beautiful, and a suspension bridj^-e, built at the cost of the town over the St. John, is as handsome as that at Niagara, and more lliin one third longer in its span. Only sixty-five years aj^o the site of the town was covered with u dense untrodden forest : for a colonial city it is now very enterprisiujr, with a larjj^e and increasing trade. * Fredericton, eif^-hty miles distant, is approached from St. John by river, through wild and most romantic scenery. Every one on board seemed much impressed with the luxu- riance of the soil ; and every one asked the question, which none could answer, * Why are not emig-rants brought here ?' Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince 'Award's Island might supi)ort some 10,000,000 ; the uniteu population of all is much short of 500,000 : land may be bought for 4«. 6d. an acre. Coal, iron, copper, plumbago, are found in abundance; the fisheries are only second to those of New- foundland; and the demand for labour is almost greater than in any other part of the world. ' Fredericton is a charmingly neat and pretty town,' (its climate,' ss-ys tlie Bishop, ' is one of the healthiest in North America,') 'of only 4500 inhabitants, hemmed in by a forest. X N0TK8 UPON NKW BRUNSWICK. The streets arn wide, regular, and well planted at Lhe edges of the footpaths with luxuriant trees* ; the houses are high and well built ; the three Churches are all striking build- ings ; on a summit of a gentle slope in the centre if the town is a fine Collegiate School/ %;■ The first Clergy in New Brunswick were Loyalists, who had been Missionaries of the Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in the United States. Two of them, the founders of the Church in the province, had had cures in Connecticut ; another in Rhode Island ; another in New Jersey. They found many Scotch Presb3rterian8 settled already in the townships in which they were placed. At Fredericton, already in 1786, the seat of government, there was no Church, the congregation did not exceed one hundred; at St. John, in the same year, there was a larger population to greet their new Missionary ; but hftre too were many Presbyterians from Scotland. The Society sent some of its best and most tried labourers into this new field; and of one of them, Mr. Scovil, an honoured name in New Brunswick, but whose work was reproduced elsewhere by others of these primitive Pastors, Bishop In- glis, of Nova Scotia, \/rote in 1 846, " Mr. Scovil, of Kings- ton, planted the Church nobly and deeply in all the sur- rounding country ; and the blessing which rested upon his labours is manifest at this day.'' He had died, Dec. 1808. The Bishops of Nova Scotia regularly visited New Brunswick, originally part of their diocese ; and several excellent Governors, Sir Howard Douglas in particular, showed active interest in its spiritual welfare; but there were only ten Missionaries in '>e whole province in 18^5; and in 1845, when the first Bishoj^, Dr. John Medley, of Wadham College, Oxford, was consecrated, he found on his arrival, only thirty. Ho began his work with great vigour, and with u far sighted wisdom. On S*!. Barnabas day, 1845, he took possession of the then Cathedral, preached, and admini.stered the Holy Communion to 150 persons. On the Monday following, he laid befoie his m M NOTES UPON NEW BRUNSWICK. XI J8 people his plans for a Cathedral. By the year 1846, he had inspected almost every parish in his diocese; and everywhere, from the first, he inculcated on Churchmen the bounden duty of supporting their own Clergy. In 1847, by his zeal and liberality, a l)eautifnl Chapel was built and consecrated at Fredericton^ in a quarter prin- cipally inhabited by the poor, called " St. Anne's," to keep in memory the original name of the cit^ ; here daily ser- vice was commenced, and has been maintained ; an excel- lent choir was established ; the services were attended by crowds from the first. The Clergy at this date had risen to forty-three. The Cathedral was consecrated August 31, 1853; (the foundation stone having been laid October 15, 1845;) fit was brought to this happy end mainly by the energy and untiring zeal of the Bishop. We are told in 1856, in the Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, for that year, that " the Cathedral is open for fiiU service three times on Sunday, for evening prayers on four days of the week, when Divine Service is not celebrated in the parish Church ; the congregation on Sunday is about 600. Offertory collections are made twice every Sunday; the Bishop catechises once a month ; all the seats are free.'' A Church Society had been established for the same general objects as our great English Church Societies, by the then Archdeacon of the province, in 1836. The sum received by it then was 435/. In 1850 "its income was 1,365^; and about 2,000/. besides was given for Eccle- siastical and Charitable purposes, by the people, annually." But to judge fairly of the progress of the Church in New Brunswick, and the principles upon which it is ad- ministered by the Bishop and Clergy, and supported by the people, with the aid, now gradually in process of with- drawal, of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in England, we may refer to a comparative statement of the Bishop's as to his own diocese, and those of the three ' A detailed account of it, and of the Consecration, is given in an Ap- pei.dix. XII NOTES UPON NEW BRUNSWICK. adjoining his own in the States of America. All these are older and more cultivated countries; but in each the Church is left to the precarious support of the voluntary system. In New Brunswick itself there is no Endowment yet, but up to the present time external help has come in to stimulate and supplement home effoi*ts. Diocese of Maine New Hampshire, about Vermont, about Total New Brunswick Populution. Communicants. Clergy. 588,000 . 867 . 12 300,000 . 577 • 'o 300,000 1,450 . 25 1,188,000 200,000 2,894 47 2,000 nrly. 52 " If the Society's aid were withdrawn, (the Bishop means before any regular Endowment of the Church took place,) my 52 Clergy would sink to I3 or 14S." But a fuller and clearer view of the progress, amidst great difficulties, of the Church in this piovince, may be gathered from a very interesting letter of the Bishop, pub- lished in the Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, in 186 1. It is hoped that bome readers of these Charges may refer to that source of better information; they will see how one true-hearted man has now for eighteen years been labouring to build up in that wild but hopeful soil, the Spiritual Temple of the Church of God ; how by his active pastoral work, and his many journeyings, he tries to knit together in living and loving fellowship " the little bands of Church people, scattered everywhere over the fringes of the forest ;" how " amongst sects of every kind, continually subdividing, rivalling each other, and keeping up their cause by perpetual excitements of every kind,'' he holds up, bravely and steadfastly, the one calm, holy system of the Catholic Church, and can point as part of the fruit of his labours to free open Churches in iti? chief towns of his diocese, and to the almost entire « See Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1854, Let- ter of Bishop of Fredericton. '• I quote these returnu from the last Journal of Convention." NOTES ON NEW BRUNSWICK. XII 1 support in these towns of the Clergy by the contributions of their own people ; and all this in the midst of a political system libei al in the most abused sense of that word, " with an immigration for many years altogether hostile, and with a great majority of the inhabitants of the province either Roman Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, or Me- thodists r Who that tries to realize these facts will not praise God tor His goodness to His people, and offer up a hearty prayer for such a labourer; that he may be spared yet many a year to show the blessed union of the loving Pastor, and the wise master builder of the Church of God. ■ ' E. C. W. ■# A CHAKGE DELIVERED IN CHBIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, FREDERICTON, 1853. M A CUAUGE DELIVERED AT FREDEllICTON IN IH.W. Revbkend and dkar Brethren, — The goodness of God has permitted us to assemble at the The New customary Visitation of the Diocese, in the Cathedral Church Cathedral, which has now been set apart for the worship of Almighty God. Some who were present when the foundation stone was laid, are not here with us to rejoice in the completion of the Sanc- tuary ; but we who remain may bless God that He has gra- ^ ciously helped us so far, and has enabled us to assist at the completion of a work which many pronounced to be imprac- ticable. It must have been most gratifying to you, to see so vast and orderly an assembly walk in solemn procession to the House of God ; and I never have seen so large k. congregation more devout and untiring in their attention throughout the services. The offertory collection is the largest over yet gathered in New Brunswick, and, it is said, in British North America; amounting, with some small sums collected afterwards, to 330/. IS. 2d. exclusive of two sums of 2^1. given since to the same object. If to some who have taken part in the solemn services of this season, the expense appear disproportioned to their view of the necessity of the case, I may remind them that, on scriptural principles, the best of all we have is too little to offer to the Giver of all : and that one example of a design carried out in its integrity is more suited permanently to impress the largest number of minds with what is due to the dignity of the worship of God, than any number of poor and unworthy offerings, ill matched with the expensive habits of this luxurious age. For surely the present is the most unfit of all times to com- s A Chartu'. delivered at A ■ The Pew System. pluin of exijcnsive clnirchcs Evorything about us nftvoura of wordlv costliness und profusion in a remarkable degree. Our cxbibitions, our ordinary buildings, our furniture, our entertain- ments, aic all showy and exi)ensivL' ; and when this is the case, the boasted simplicity of a church suggests no real desire for Gospel purity ; it is little else than an excuse for our own mean- ness. We are unwilling that our own houses should be poor and comfortless, because we love ourselves too well to wish them other than they are : why then should we be willing that the House of our God should be nieanly served, if we love it as (Jod's House should be loved .? But whilst I say this, I make a broad distinction between what is matter of positive duty and what may be regarded as the province of taste ; nor am 1, I trust, guilty of the presumption of making my taste the standard of your own. Nor is it necessary that every church should resemble a cathedral. I would only insist that we should at least apply our acknowledged principles of daily life to the subject of religion ; and that we should not imagine, that we do honour to God when we give less to His House than we bestow on anything else. And it will I think commonly be found, that the objectors to exi)ense in Churches are those who have contributed little or nothing to the object ; in which case, their words, apart from the reasons they allege, are entitled to very little weight. 1 think it right also to observe, that in all the decorations of this temple there is nothing which is not found in our cathedrals at home, and still in use in Saint Paul's. Westminster Abbey, and her Majesty's Chapels Royal. For I am as anxious not to go beyond our ritual, as not to fall short of it, where practicable. When the subject of a cathedral was first mooted in this town, I expressly stipulated that the seats should all be free, and not appropriated as the property of the seat-owners. I have now for eight years tried the experiment of free seats by a very severe test, and I am perfectly satisfied with the result. Nor can anything convince me that the sale of pews is agreeable to the will of God, if the Bible be true. Merchandise in the House of God is expressly forbidden by our Lord, in wide and general terms, and on two occasions was punished by IHm with a severity which He used in no other case, and which denoted His exceeding dislike of the system. And no reason ever alleged in its Ijehalf goes beyond a supposed convenience #: ■-«4 Frederivton in 1853. % W resulting from the sulc of seutH. The uvil» of tlic system are entirely overlooked. The tendency to selfishness in the proceed- ing, the entire neglect of those who cannot a.Tord to pay, the unchristian definition ot a Churchman, as a man who owns a pew, the irreverence fostered in men's hahits of worship, and the disregard of our Lord's plain words, these evils, it seems, are all to be overlooked, because a certain sum of money is raised, and families can si by themselves. With regard to the first of these allegations, must not the same jiersons pay the money, by whatever methods it may be obtained ? Is it essential to a Christian man's offering, that he should always have a present return, a palpable interest for his moi.ey ? Is not a true off'eriTig made in faith and love ? Can tuerc be faith, when sight is the governing principle ? Car there be love, when the business is at bottom a commercial transaction ? For the purchase- money paid for a pew, instead of being a freewill offering of love to the Almighty, partakes of the same feeling which guides the purchase of timber, or the exchange of stock. It is framed on a purely monetary basip, and is the preference of our own con- venience to the direct commands of God. The desire of parents to have their children with therr., and to overlook them during public worship, is doubtless most natural and becoming. But those who take care to be in time for service will never find any difliiculty here in the performance of this duty. This Church is amply sufficient for the ordinary congregation, and will hold, practically sjjeaking, many more than if it had been divided into large appropriated pews. Then as to the question of money, has not the Church of England anticipated our difficulties in this respect.? Has she not pro- The Week vided in the Prayer-Book a simple, convenient, brotherly, and ly Offer- most primitive way, by which each worshipper may weeklv make an offering to God, the poor of their poverty, the rich of their abundance, by the frequency of its return ensuring its sufficiency, by the scriptural manner of its performance com- mending it to the acceptance of Him, who by His inspired Apostle has expressly advised such methods of contribution. How Christian men who profess to love their Bibles, how Churchmen and Cleigyraen who profess an assent to their Prayer-Books, can prefer to this godly custom a practice expressly condemned by our Lord, and productive of so much habitual evil in the Church, I cannot understand. I am bound however by good faith, as B 2 4 A Charge delivered at well as by my Htroiicf convictions, to adhere to an opposite line of conduct. The building of the Cathedral was undertaken on the understanding, publicly and repeatedly announced, that the seats should be free. The largest donations to it (that, in par- ticular, of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, of 2000/. sterling,) were given on the same stipulation. And all the lil)eral contributions of English friends, exceeding 7000/. were bestowed with the same view. It is impossible for me to return special acknowledgments to each generous donor ; I must content myself with returning generally to them all n>y humble and most grateful thanks, on your part, I may say, and my own, especially to those, some of whom, with untiring energy of purpose and love fcjr the cause, others with the labour of their own hands, have wrought in the work, and spared no |j| ■ expense to render our ofFering to our Saviour acceptable to His love. We have also been enriched by the donation of a large and handsome Library, in addition to our previous acquisitions, for the use of the Clergy and of divinity students. It now contains 2700 volumes, chiefly on theological subjects. And the books, with a few exceptions, will be lent to every Clergyman in the diocese, on application to the Librarian, and donor of the greater part, the Rev. Richard Podmore. My intention has been that the Cathedral, whilst continually used as a Parish Church, and legally secured as such, should present to the minds of reverent and earnest Churchmen, a type (humble indeed in its pretensions) of the glory and beauty of our common spiritual mother, in our Cathedrals at home. One important exception indeed must be noticed, that no means are placed at my disposal for the daily celebration of that majestic choral service which was arranged by Marbeck under the express direction of Archbishop Cranmer, as one of the firstfruits of our Reformation, and has ever since remained in daily use, with more or less of beauty and carefulness, in our English cathedrals. Choral Ser- There is no doubt a considerable objection to its performance vice. Its ad- j^^ ^j,g minds of many persons ; but having carefullv considered vantagea. • n ^ \ them, I am satisfied that such prejudices are frequently traceable to a very defective education, or to an entire destitution of ill musical power, or to a strong, though often unconscious, dislike of the ritual of the Prayer- Book. Nothing is more thoroughly congregational and heart- stirring than a simple choral service. Fredvrivton in 1853. 4: The unisonous furiii of it enubles all persons, " yuun^ iiicit uiid nuiidens, old men und ehildron," tu join ; und the low niiirmur of reading i» exehanged for a more eheerful, jubilant, exulting sound. It is Huniewhat difficult to (at wc have imineiuorial IVotcHtant uxf in its favour, aa well an ancii-nt uhc. Dut this iM not uU. Sir .It)hu Hawkins, in hiw ilahorati' History of Church Music, riMords that I'opi' John the twenty- '*oi-onil, no very illuHlrioui* piittern to the world, exprensly forhaile the U!*e of choral Kervice, and endcav<'ure- utterly vain ; it will profit them nothing. They may be pleased with you as men ; they may love to hear you address them on sacred subjects ; they nmy be moved " to do many things gladly;" but without worship there is no real inward piety in the soul : and to devout and humble worship, the words of the mouth, the postures of the body, and the compunctions of the heart, are alike required. If He who " came from God and went to God," who is the Maker and Sustainer of the world, when on earth as a man humbly knelt down and prayed, can we suppose we are filled with the spirit of Ilis worshi]), when instead of imitating His example we sit in listless ease, whilst Angels hide their faces with their wings ? I would therefore urge upon you the especial duty of en- deavouring vO train your flocks aright in this most important matter. You must yourselves be man of prayer, or nothing will be done : not men who pray because they are paid to pray, but who pray because they love prayer, knowing it to be the secret of their own spiritual strength ; men who seek out opportunities of prayer ; who feed their people witlj prayer according to the directions of the Church. Let not your Churches be shut from one Lord's day to another, wherever it is possible to obtain r. few to meet together. Pass not the House of God yourselves, when it is open for prayer. Let not your example deter others from prayer. Must I say ? (it is dreadful to be obliged to say it) ridicule not those who pray. Even this warning is not wholly needless. Everywhere daily prayers are the subject of ridicule ; but O ! what must be the oflfence of those bound to set an example of " continuing instant in prayer," who set others on to mock at those who pray ? When St. Peter and St. John went up to the dailtj service, it was not when in their Jewish blindness they doubted of the resurrection of the Lord but when they were filled with the Holy Ghost, sent down from 1 jDaily ser ,/ ivice most [fifl idtjgirable. 4^: Fredericton in 1853. 9 heaven to guide them into all truth. If their example be not a guide m us, it is difficult to see how the New Testament can be a guide at all. It must not be supposed, however, that I undervalue the preached word, whether it be read (i.e. as St. Paul would call it, preached), or delivered, as we are able, from our own mouth, as the ambassadors of Christ. The Clergy do not know what they lose, when they neglect to prepare themselves aright for the discharge of this very iniportiiut part of their duties. No knowledge of Latin and Greek, no general orthodoxy, no conscientious visiting from house to house, can entirely compensate for slovenly and ill- delivered discourses in public. In the present excited state of men's minds, and generally diffused intelligence, people will not come to hear what is inaudible or ill prepared. What is the benefit of a clerical education, if it do not enable us to avoid the ordinary faults in reading and delivery which all educated men are taught to shun ? Consider, my brethren, what is read : Holy Scripture, a book divinely inspired, yet only a transla- tion, aiming, though faithfully yet imperfe<;tly, to render the force of the original tongue ; and you will perceive how easily good reading will serve as u comment on a difficult text, whereas bad reading perplexes and obscures even what is j)lain. It is extremely unfortunate that at many of the ordi- nary schools in the province every fault in reading seems to be allowed, if not to be taught ; wrong accentuation, incorrect emphasis, slovenly hurrying, mixing up all the little words together in one imperfect sound, nasal pronunciation, and a total want of perception of the meaning of the author. It is difficult to overstate the amount of mischief that is thus done by bad reading. A well educated person, though annoyed and vexed b) it, is not the greatest sufferer. The poor feel it the most sensibly, though they say little on the subject. What possible meaning can they attach to many of the Lessons read in the Church, taken from the Prophets and the Epistles of St. Paul, when they hear them indistinctly read and hastily hurried tlirough } I trust therefore that my younger brethren in the ministry will not take amiss my urgent entreaty not to grow remiss in this respect, to read their Greek Testament dihgently before reading the Gospels and Epistles, to study the force of the in?})ired writer, and oven cotnmit to memorv what thev Need of attention on part of Clergy to reading and deli- very. 10 A Charge delivered at ■ I li m i t! I iiMi I I Advice as to preach- ing. have to read. How painful it is to hear a Clergyman so read the ScripturCsS as to convey the impression that he does not himself comprehend what he is reading ! Yet this impression is conveyed to the mind of many an educated listener by bad readers. And I must entreat yom forgiveness for telling you, that in my journevs about the country I have been sometimes surprised and grieved to And how much better some of the laity read than ourselves. I'ossibly they may be the exceptions, but thev are occasionally to be found. In respect to the right method of preparing sermons, you will now have an invaluable advantage in the Cathedral Library. It contains the writings of many of the greatest divines before and since the Reformation ; writings, some of which must be used with caution, and which when wholly sound are not to be slavishly imitated ; but from which you may all learn invalu- able lessons on the exegesis of Scripture, the right method of handhng a text, on the forcible and experimental application of it to the consciences of the hearers. He who knows not what other men have thought, will never learn to think aright him- self ; and his pretended originality will degenerate into fustian and bombast. My advice to the younger Clergy is, to analyze some of the best and most powerful sermons in such writers; such for example as may be found iu Masillon and Bourdaloue, Saurin, Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bull, Waterland, and other divines of our own Church, not to omit the saintly Leighton, and the judicious Hooker. Let the thoughts of these great men be so engrafced in your minds as to become your own property ; so that when you express sentiments which you owe uncon- sciously to greater minds than your own, ii may be in your own manner, with something sterling of your own added to them, and obtained by your own ob&er\'ation and experience. This will vindicate yoii from the charge of being mere borrowers or imitators, " sefvum pecus," as the satirist terms tnem, of whom close observers may say, when they utter sentences not their own, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." As the time will not permit my dwelling long upon separate topics, I must sum up as shortly as I can the practical advice which I venture to offer you. ] . Let a sense of the great responsibility that hangs over you in your ministerial work, grow upon you. Young men Fredericton in 1853. 11 W who have been educated for the ministry, and appeared to be very serious and devout ut the time of ordination, sometimes relax in their exertions when the first stimulus is past, and suffer themselves to be betrayed into imprudence of which their friends are ashamed, or into slovenly and carebss habits of life. 'J'his must arise from neglect of prayer and watchful- ness. Now we must recollect, that either we must live above the world around us, or the world will speedily pull us down. O how sad a sight it is, to behold the once fervent and loving Call to ear- pastor, who consecrated his whole soul to the service of God, nestness who reaped his hiffhest reward from the love of God and the *° ^ r o verance on affection of his flock, become a worldly, careless, time-serving the part of Priest, striving to be popular by base arts and sinful com- the Clergy, pliances with the infidel or latitudinarian notions around him, ridiculing the directions of his Prayer-Book, despising the admonitions of his Bishop, and only desirous for more and ' more of the things that prrtain to this life ! To this depth many full, fall perhaps eternally. I charge you all — but you in particular on whom my hands were laid in a full belief that you were in earnest, and from no motives of lucre or of favour, God is witness — that you do not grieve and vex my already burdened heart ; that you do not betray the interests of the souls committed to your charge ; that you do not wound the Church in her own bowels ; that you do not above all endanger your own salvation by negligence, by any course of conduct which necessarily exposes you to the reproach of the world. But this is not the only danger that besets us. We have to reahze our exact position as Priests in this reformed branch of Christ's Holy Catholic Church. We gain nothing in the estimation of those who differ from us, by a surrender of our proper claims as stewards of God's heritage, provided we make them without arrogance, and with uo desire for personal aggran- dizement. If we despise the injunctions of our Prayer-Book, Protestants who do not belong to our communion do not value us the more, and Romanists laugh us to scorn. In the eyes of the one we are unintelligible, to the other we appear contemptible. Nor is a steadfast uncompromising adherence to o'lr ritual subver- sive of one particle of the truth preached by the Apostles. On the contrary, it upholds it. Where has that truth been brought into most danger ? Where has it been clean forsaken } In those 12 A Charge delivered at hi' I- ). 1)1 ■)1 s ft' 1^ Where teacliing of Church is neglected in practice, belief in the Goapel in at low ebb. very (luarters where loose and latitudinarian notions of Chinch government and Church ordinances liave most extensively pre vailed. Where the system of the Church has ceased to be practised, the doctrines of the Church have ceased to be be- lieved. This necessarily follows. For it is impossible to pre- serve faith in any doctrine, or in any system, for any length of time, which is not carried into action. And it will be found, I make little doubt, that where the teaching of the ('hurch is a dead letter in practice, belief in the verities of the Gospel is at a very low ebb. It is, 1 know, the fashion with many to suppose, that we can best contend with the Papal system by surrendering to them all the arguments which our forefathers wielded with so much success, and by borrowing our weapons from continental Ger- many. When the Protestants of ♦^^^e Continent have any cohesion among themselves ; when they agree upon any Creed, or any fixed interpretation of the Scriptures, it will be time for us to use their weapons. But whilst they are a mere rope of sand, a shifting variable body, whose leader pronounces the " com- munion of saints" in the Apostles' Creed to be *' an unscriptural fiction," and boldly reject" almost all that our Church teaches, we had better resort to the teaching of Hooker than to the showy learning of a German diplomatist. When we study our own divines, who were as eminent for their modesty as for their learning, we know where we are : when we listen to continental evangelists, we simply know where we are not. A very remarkable correspondence on this subject has lately taken place between the Rev. Dr. McNeile of Liverpool and a Roman Catholic Priest, to which I desire to call your especial attention. After this, we shall I hope hear no more that Apo- stolical succession, and the assertion of Church doctrine, are inconsistent with true evangeHcal teaching; or if we do hear this asseried, we may safely disregard it*. 1 venture now, my brethren, to urge upon you the pressing necessity of endeavouring, as far as in you lies, whatever may be your differences of thought, to unite more and more in prac- tical action. It is a great scandal to the Church and to the diocese, and an insuperable bar to the progress of our Church, when the Clergy difler in practical action, and when they take See Appendix. Fredericton in 1853. Vi m 2fe pains to expose these differences to the world. On many points of practice mankind arc disposed to be led, if their natural guides propose what is not unreasonable, and do not fall out among themselves. But if they see the Clergy as a body, or any con- siderable number of the Clergy, separate themselves from the Bishop and the rest, and take every possible pains to render the actions and motives of their brethren suspected, the result is not what those who i;iay possibly act with good intentions desire, but a general stigma on the whole body of the Clergy ; on those who act with the Bishop and on those who do not ; and a marked Clergy indifference to every sort of religion on the part of those who are Bho"lt| I have observed this unite in glad to have any excuse for their impiety. 1 imvc uu»ci vcu iiii» practical result to follow in various dioceses : I have observed the ordi- action, nances of the Church to come into marked contempt : I have seen that this has been fostered by such a line of action, and that those who are hostile to us largely profit by it. And surely the least we may as Christians expect others to do, is not to impute the vilest and most unworthy motives to persons whose life shows that they are not less in earnest than themselves. Some handle is no doubt given to such slanders by those mistaken men who have left us, and have joined the Church of Rome ; but this junc- tion is only a part of a general transition, inseparable from an universal agitation of the human mind. But if we were to com- pare the numbers who have from time to time seceded from our communion to the communion of the Protestant sects, with the number who have joined the Church of Rome, we should find the seceders to Protestant bodies (on the whole) greatly prepon- derate. On the other hand, for one who joins the Church of Rome, five or ten join us from other Protestant bodies ; and the defal- cation from the Romish ranks in America and in Ireland is im- mense. So that the perpetual parade of converts to Rome by us is a most astonishing weakness, to say the least of it : it dis- heartens the honest hearty labourer in the good cause of the Church of England ; it makes people look suspiciously at one another, and serves no purpose whatever but that of the " enemy of all righteousness," whose motto is, '* Divide et impera." I repeat what I have said before, that I know not one Clergyman in the province at all tainted with any just suspicion on this head; «nd the only persond of whom I should be disposed to speak with a little less confidence, are those who make a present to the 14 A Charge delivered at ' II > M! litu Convoca- tion. The model in Holy Scripture. opponent of every argument, and rely on no weapons against Popery but strong feelings and hard names. Surely it is not too much to ask of the Clergy, to seek those methods of practical action which their own Church sets before them, and not to be turning aside to irregular courses which are foreign to the orders of their proper guide and standard. I am grieved to find that some of you have lately disregarded this admonition ; and I hope you will reconsider the subject, and act on my advice. It is now my duty to call your attention to another subject of considerable practical importance; the question of Convo- cation. I had intended to enter at large into the whole question, and consider it from its foundation. But on reconsideration, it may be productive of more practical benefit to make some remarks on the question, as it presents itself to us in our very peculiar circumstances. It is obvious that, to us, as Colonial Churchmen, the Parlia- mentary feature of the English Convocation is of no further importance and interest than as an instructive record of the past. But Convocation is no more a creature of the Parliament, than the Church of Christ is a creature of the Parliament. The calling of Church Assemblies is an inalienable right of the body which our Lord founded, and to which we belong. And nei- ther Kings nor Parliaments can deprive us of this right, unless they deprive us of our existence, or our liberty. As far as we are concerned, therefore, we must dismiss all notions of a Parliamentary representation, and of the peculiar form into which the constitution of England has, by slow de- grees, moulded the British Convocation, and consider the question on its own merits, on the footing of Holy Scripture, and the first primitive council, of the four great councils of Nice, Constanti- nople, Ephesus, aad Chalcedon, who bequeathed us those Creeds which are the bulwarks of our faith. We must then take into account the Reformation, and our position as English Church- men, and distant subjects of a British Queen. All these are elements of the question, and none of them can be wholly dis- severed from it. None of us would, I presume, wish to build on any foun- dation save that of the Divine Word. The first council at Jerusalem is our great model for Convocation. It was called by ■k 'll igainst those before ich are I am d this ind act Fredericton in 1^53. 15 tin' Apostles, to settle a vexed (juestlon. "There was much dis- puting," which is an inseparable part of our present condition ; but there was reason, and argument, and Apostolic wisdom and forbearance, and a humble teachable spirit, with a real desire for union amongst the brethren. With such a spirit Church assemblies would, I doubt not, help us materially ; but I have no faith in this utility, if an opposite spirit prevail. But though we must build on Scripture, no wise master builder will ignore the voice of Antiquity. The collective reason of the Church has always been highly esteemed by wise and good men ; end what Lord Bacon, Hooker, Johnson, and Edmund Burke have held in /everence, it would be mere follv in us to despise. We should not meet, thank God, to inquire into the founda- tions of our faith. We do not want to make a Church. We were born in a branch of the Catholic body, in which we hope to live and die. Our religion, though personal and experi- mental, is also hereditary and transmissive. We therefore find, that the subjects with which our assemblies would have to deal are necessarily limited. The record of our faith has come down to us : we have only to hand it on undefiled and unimpaired. We should not meet, as has been observed, " merely to exchange the compliments of the season ;" but we ought to meet with a well-grounded confidence in the truth and stability of our faith, and with a desire only to bring our manners into accordance with it. We have next to consider the Reformation as an important incident in our position. And it is to be recollected that the Reformation cannot be considered as complete, until the Con- vocation holden at London in the year of our Lord God 1562, as the third Article of the thirty-sixth Canon, which you have all signed, expresses it ; a signature which, I beg to observe, entirely demolishes the objection, that Convocation had nothing to do with the Reformation. But as the work of the Reformation was entirely undone a second time by the Puritans, and the goodly fabric of the Church overthrown, it cannot be regarded as finally settled till the year 1662, when both Houses of Convocation revised, ap- proved, and accepted the Prayer-Book as a whole as it now stands ; and having been presented by them to Parliament, it was by Parliament made into a statute, and finally secured by The voice of Anti- quity. When the work of the Reforma- tion was finally set- tled. 16 A Charge delivered at \m\ .n; l!: 1 I hi '■ the Crown. Thus we owe to Convocation tlic revision of the Prayer.Hook as it stands, and to Parliument and the Crown its legal character ; and this was the final settlement of the Reformation. Whilst therefore we remain British subjects, (and may we and our posterity for ever remain such,) we can no more unsettle the Prayer-Book, or contravene its laws, than we can dethrone her most gracious Majesty, which God forbid. But there is one more element in our view of Convocation, Though we are sub- jects of the Queen, yet we are not closely connected with the Parliament of Great Britain. England has granted to us a Colonial Parliament, local repre- sentation, and the power of making local laws. It would obvi- ously be very inconvenient and very disadvantageous to the Church, if we were obliged to go to the imperial Parliament for every trifling boon we might require ; and if as Churchmen we require protection and justice, wc have a right to demand it from the body politic of which we are a part. But there are some great peculiarities in our condition which it is right to notice. In mooting the question of Church Assem- blies, it is natural that we should direct our thoughts to that great sister country, where for many years past these assemblies have been in force, with advantage, it is believed, to the body of the Church. But we must not forget, that there is a considerable difference in our respective positions. Church As- Their Church Assemblies were the work of an overwhelming semblies in necessity. The monarchical principle was overthrown ; the Church lay prostrate, the Episcopal element did not exist, it was a dis- jointed fragmentary body, existing only in a few scattered pres- byters, deacons, and laymen. Church Asserabhes were the natural revivers of their corporate existence. These formed the principle of union and cohesion. And when to these was added the link which was wanting to the integrity of the Church, her organi- zation was complete. But there was another reason for their continuance. When the separation took place between England and her polonies, it was soon felt to be final. As far as human intelligence can see, it must for ever remain so. The Republic is now a great empire ; and even were it to be rent asunder, it is not likely to be politi- cally united to its former head. Now, apart from their ecclesi- astical organization, American Churchmen have no organization .m -« ■ :-iS' ■„:* '^ ■m M Frederieton in iJi53. 17 m at all. They must have a corporate existence. But apart from their church-corporate life, the State, as such, takes no notice of them, and does not trouble itself to inquire whether the Protestant Episcopal Church exist or no. Here then our situation is very peculiar. In some respects we stand on a better footing than the American Churchmen did at the revolution ; in other respects we are more embarrassed. We have no hostile prejudices to encounter on the score of our loyalty ; we are not a feeble mi- nority arrayed against a triumphant majority smarting under recent wounds ; our iriterests arc identical with those of all our fellow citizens and fellow subjects. But on the other hand the urgent necessity of their case does not exist with us. The State law calls us an Established Church, though it is very difficult to explain the meaning of the expression. For as all our present legislation ignores the ancient statute, and proclaims it a dead letter, I am wholly at a loss to know what advantage we derive from it. Old i)archments are very useful when they convey an inheritance, or secure peaceable possession ; but where there is nothing but parchment, it is apt to grow a little musty. The leading statesmen in England* declare that the Colonial Church is not an established Church ; or if it be, they all propose to deal with us as if we were not. Under such circumstances, where is the practical wisdom of relying on statutes, which cannot be carried into effect, and on which no party in the State proposes to act ? Supposing however that we were to meet in Convocation in this province, it is obvious that we are very differently situated from Churchmen in our sister Church. We are connected by Position of tradition, duty, and affection, with our Sovereign ; we have no *^® Cliurcli desire, even had we the power, to shake off her mild and gracious -g . ■ sway. We are connected by equally endearing ties with the Mother Church ; we have been all ordained with the rites and subscriptions peculiar to that body ; we cannot prove false to our subscriptions and vows ; our wish is to remain in strict union with her. We have a Prayer- Book which has stood the test of three very trying centuries. And though we can possibly see some blemishes and imperfections, we are I hope all agreed that the task of remodelling it would be so hazardous, as to lead us * Lord John Russell and Mr. Gladstone. C 18 A Ch(U'in' to tniiismit it t(i our cliiltlreii us* it \va» given to us. I urn pci'suiuU'd tlmt such .siiitimcuts would be re-echoed by the niftin body of Colonial ('lunTlinicii tlirou^liout the Mritish Empire, und tlurcfore. whilj't we heartily admire tiie energy of our brethren of the Repuljlio, and wonder how they contrived to retain so niiieh that is good and vi-nerahle, we hiiould prefer our own form of civil c:<)vernnient, and our own unaltered IVuyer- Book. Now possibly it may be found on trial, that these facts would tend tu modify our mode of jiractical action, and eertaiidy would render a servile copy of American conventions a very U8t>e»8 mode of proceeding. There are, however, certain great difficulties in our way which it is useless to disguise, but which have not, 1 think, been suffi- ciently considered. Among these difficulties stands first and fore- most the ('olonial system. England has a great past to guide her for the future. The Colonies may have a great future, but they have no past. They may be vain of their country, but they cannot be proud of it. They have no consciousness of historic recollections, no stimulus of ancient days, no honest shame at the thought of degenerating from their ancestors, and public opinion has little force. This is their misfortune, not their fault ; for what is sixty yc."-8 old can have no history. Hut they may have a great future before them. Hy our worthy deeds posterity nuiy award a crown, und may ob- tain by our exertions what to our present position is denied. Its difficul- The daily pressing necessities of life are also a hinderance. We have no men of leisure, few men of means. Few think of anything but strugghng for a livelihood. 'J'he mart is filled, the store is occupied, the axe resounds, but a thorough education is not felt to be a need of present life. Food and raiment first, learning afterwards ; and such learning as will bring food and raiment. I venture, you will think somewhat strangely, to reckon the venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel as one of our great difficulties. It is indeed our great benefactor. We owe to its liberaUty all we have as a Church, spiritual and mate- rial. Yet I am jiersuaded the whole system is fallacious and self- destroying. In this world of contradictions and perversities, no one seems to value what he does not \M\y for, and pay dearly for. The more a man pays for anything, the greater his struggles and sacrifices to obtain it, the deeper his realization of its importance ties Frederieton in iS^^.* 10 and ncccsHity. But wticii it cuiiioi^ to liiin iiiil)ou^lit, (iiipuicliaHcd by nacrifice, he holda it cheap, and coiulosietulH with aft'cctecl graciuuHiK'SH tu taku the buoii, half despiHiiig it all the while. 'I'hii* is especially the case when u country like Cjreat Hritain orterH to feed and nurse us. We are not children. We can think, and feel, and reason as mtn. We have much more of the stern- ness and severity of the North, than of the devotion and impres- siblcness of the South. We disdain to be nursed and fed. We are not thankful for it whilst we take it ; and to use a homely Devonshire phrase, our food does not " goody" us. This is, I feel, the main difficulty with which I have to contend, and I con- fess I sec no way out of it. The Society constantly tell ua it will withdraw, but it never does so, and we do not believe it ever will. But suppose it were to do so suddenly, are we prepared for so great an emergency ? I fear we are wholly unprepared. Our glebes of wild land are at present worth little, and much larger in extent than there is any occasion for ; for if they ever become valuable, we have reason to fear we shall be stripped of them altogether. No systematic or thorough system of payment can be obtained, when the principal part comes from abroad. But then there is another view of the subject of great import- ance, and universally overlooked in England. In the United States we see, and we greatly admire, the im- mense energy of the nation. It puts us Colonists to shame. The river Saint John, in their hands, would be made capable of ten times what it has hitherto been in ours. We admire also the The application of this energy to the life of the Church. We admire American their noble and flourishing colleges, their missionary zeal, their varied learning, their magnificent churches, their useful periodical literature, their reprints of all our great standard English divinity, their increasing love for the past, their aspirations for the future. In nil this we are a century beiiind them. But there is u sad tale on the other side. The States number twenty-five millions. The Churchmen I suppose not more than one. In the city of New York we find learned Clergymen and stately Churches, but where are they to be found in the rural villages ? Where are the Clergy in such villages as Richibucto, Shediac, Musquash, Saint George, Saint David, or Grand Falls, in this province } The neighbouring diocese of Maine numbers 548,000 souls. It has thirteen Clergy of the Episcopal Church, and I should suppose not over 3000 c 2 ao .1 Clutri/<' (/«7/«, and morsels , and presents ; a hard method for the pastor, wiu) mut't pay >" tiash or not at all. And how n\any of the Clerj^y are continually wandering ulaiut, somi! hecominj; sehoohmisters or hooksellers, some strufj;- glinj; with poverty and debt. And what is the influence which the Kpi!*copal Church in America exercises on the will of the nation. I pray (lod it may he greater than I think it to he: but even in New York itself it is not what we could all desire. So th.it, great as are the difhculties connected with our system ot payment of the Clergy, strong us my conviction is that we shall never become an earnest, hearty, vigorous, healthful body of Churchn»en till it is rdjolished, yet looking at the question us u whole, I see that our people are so wholly unpre\»arcd for its abolition that 1 only pray I may hi: taken out of the way before the tempest comes. The only method by which the evil may be remedied, is a moderate cndownient or rent charge, left or given to the Church by its more wealthy children. Moderate We have had u noble beginning of this in the late Chief Justice, endowment and others ought to follow his example. Let them select their ° °. . own place, if they think fit, and their own method, but they may dispens- depend upon it, if they wish to see the C'hurch of England a respectable Institution, and her Ministry one into which the edu- cated sons of edu'."i<.ed men are not afraid und ashamed to enter, they must gran', it some decei.t and moderate endowment, to take effect when the Society fails. It is useless to give wild lands, but a rent charge or money payment of some kind is essentially necessary. We cannot coerce people into payment as the Roman Catholics do. We cannot frighten them into pay- ment by perpetual excitement all the year round. We do not believe that this method tends to vital practical godliness. The genius of our Prayer-Book, the convictions of our reason, and the temper of our flocks, alike forbid it. So that we must secure an «ndowment, however moderate, or in our scattered rural districte no permanent clergymen could expect a decent maintenance. able. >M Frt'ihvirton in iH/;^. «i AikI 111"! of hII, the riliication dI ill ) J m ,ii( forth as an accompaniment to the Gloria I'atri. It was an imi)re88ive and overpowering scene ; and the heart of many a hrother and sister in the Lord was sensihly and deeply affected, when the venerahle Prehitcs, and Doctors, and Presbyters, thus joined with one voice in the trium- phant melody of the Church's ancient song. It may be mentioned here that the doers of the Cathedral were thrown open half an hour before the arrival of the procession, for the admission of the wives and daughters, and the aged and infirm mem- bers of the Church. These having been thus cared for, and those who formed the procession provided with ^cats, the doors were open to all ; and while the gentlemen who had kindly undertaken the trying office were engaged in finding accommodation for the congregation, as far as it was possible to do so, a suitable voluntary was performed on the organ. The building was soon filled in every part; and it was remarked by many, to the honour of the vast concourse of people there as i>'<''^d. that they had never witnessed more quiet, orderly, and devoi luct in the House of God. The ti aop of the diocese then commenced the consecration service from the throne in the choir ; and the sentence of consecration having been pronounced by Rev. F. Coster, Rector of Carleton, Saint John, morning prayer was read by Rev. Richard I'odmore. Curate of Saint Anne's Chapel. The first le'ison was read by Rev. Dr. Haight, Professor in the Theological Seminary of New York ; the second lesson by Rev. W. Q. Ketchum, Curate of the parish. The Exhortation was read by the Venerable George Coster, Archdeacon and Rector of Fredericton ; and the Anthem by Dr. G. Elvey, Organist of Saint George's Chapel Royal, Windsor, commencing with the words " Open ye the gates," (Isaiah xxxvi. 2,) was skilfully sung by the Bishop's choir, consisting chiefly of volunteers residing in the city, who were on this occasion assisted by the Carleton choir, and some members of the choirs of Trinity and Saint Paid's Churches, Saint John. The Litany was read by Rev. Dr. Edson of Lowell, Mass., and then followed a hymn sweetly sung by thirty children of both sexes, who came forward from the south transept into the choir for that purpose ; and touching and beautiful it was to hear the praises of the adorable Trinity rising for the first time within those now hallowed walls from the lips of the youthful members of Christ's Holy Church. The Communion service was commenced Ly the Bishoj) of the dio- cese; the Epistle being read by the Bishop of Toronto, and the Gospel by the Bishop of Quebec. The Sermon was preached by Bishop South- gate, from Psalm cxxii. verses S and 9. As this and the other admirable discourses delivered during the consecration week are shortly to be published, we will only say of this sermon that it was an able and eloquent address, expressive of the deep joy felt l)y the members of the American Church in tliis event, as an earnest of the wider extensitfn of catholic unity. Appendix. 27 After the sermon, the alms of the Clergy, collected by a Deacon, and those of the people by the Churchwarden and others, were by the Bishop humbly presented on the altar. They amounted to upwards of 2r;,ol , the largest collection made, it is believed, at any one time in British North America. The holy Communion was then administered by the Bishop, assisted by Presbyters, to a large number of communicants, who retired from this first service in their new Cathedral, we may firmly trust, with feelings of devout thankfulness to Almighty God for putting it into the heart of their spiritual father to build this beautiful ('hurch for His glory and their good, and with humble prayer tiiat His blessing and presence in the place where He has now recorded His name, may indeed be among them and remain with them for ever. At half-past six o'clock the Cathedral was again filled with worship- pers, when evening prayer was offered up with the accustomed musical service. The anthem, composed by Dr. Boyce, was taken from Job xxvii. commencing with the words " Where shall wisdom be found ?" The Sermon was preached by the Bishop of Quebec, formerly Rector of this parish, frcm i Chronicles xxii. i, and contained a masterly defence of the principle of devoting the best of God's gifts in nature and art to the decoration of His House, and the solemn celebration of the divine offices. After the sermon, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus was sung by the choir, most effectively accompanied on the new instrument by U. S. Hayter, Esq. Organist of Trinity Church, Boston, and formerly of He- reford and Salisbury cathedrals, to whose kind co-operation and valu- able services the members of the Church in this city are much indebted. A collection was then made amounting to 14/. ; and after the congrega- tion had dispersed, the Bishop addressed the choir in a few affectionate and encouraging words, acknowledging their attention to their duties, and the efficient manner in which they had been discharged. On Thursday morning prayer was read ; and the anthem selected was by Dr. Blow, to the words " I beheld, and lo, a great multitude." (Rev. vii. 9.) Morning prayer being ended, the Bishop, seated in front of the altar, delivered his Triennial Charge, which was listened to with breath- less attention by a large concourse of laity as well as clergy. It would be vain and presumptuous in these short limits to attempt anything like an analysis of this most eloquent composition ; full as it was of sound and catholic principles, enunciated in that vigorous and lucid style which characterizes all the productions of the Bishop's pen, and uttered with the impressiveness of a wise counsellor, the affection and sympathy of a kind father and friend. Evening prayer was again said at half-past six ; and the anthem on this occasion, taken from Psalm cxlvii. 3, was composed by the Bishop, and now performed for the first time. The Sermon was by Rev. Dr. Haight, on St. John iv. 24 ; in the exposition of which passage, the preacher set forth in forcible and glowing language the pre-eminent importance of spiritual worship, which, though it be necessarily con- Appendir. T.''\ ': i ill ' ill ■ Tiected with external acts and observances, yet must not in any wise be superseded by them. After the sermon a further collection was made, amounting to 14/., and the Hallelujah Chorus was ngain performed. On Friday morning the Litany only was said, and the Clergy then proceeded to business, which was conducted with the greatest una- nimity and brotherly love. In the evening crowds were again assem- bled within the walls, and the choir was also full of its willing and unwearied occupants ; the anthem was by Dr. Croft, to Psalm Ixviii. 33 and following verses ; and these interesting and dehghtful solemni- ties were brought to a close by a sermon from Rev. Dr. Edson, on Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6, in which he earnestly exhorted the congregation to cultivate the spirit of Christian love and catholic unity. The collection at this service amounted to 9/., making altogether, with a further donation from a lady in Fredericton, the large sum of 300/. We hope to furnish our readers next week with some account of the material structure, and of the various offerings which have been made to render it worthy of the holy uses to which it is now devoted, as well as an ornament to this favoured city. We cannot, however, conclude this imperfect and hurried sketch without noticing the bells, which unfortunately did not arrive in time to admit of the practice necessary to do them justice ; but which, nevertheless, were chimed on the occa- sion, and lent their cheerful notes to this auspicious day ; and we may reasonably hope, ere its anniversary comes round, that a body of ringers will be organised, able to make these bells speak in the same sweet and hallowed tones, which gladden the hearts of Englishmen on their native shores, and remind men, cumbered with many cares, that the services of the sanctuary are going on from day to day. After the evening service on Friday an address was presented to the Bishops and Clergy who had come from a great distance, and with some difficulty, to be present at the feast of consecration. The Lord Bishop of Quebec responded for the colonial Clergy, and also his brethren, that he and those who journeyed with him felt it a high privilege to be per- mitted to take part in these services. Bishop Southgate spoke on behalf of himself and the Clergy from the United States. He said that though in the course of his eventful life he had been brought into con- tact with the Catholic Church in many countries, and had been present on many great and memorable occasions, none had left on his mind a deeper impression than this glorious event, fruitful as it was in import and interest, and indicative of the great truth, that the members of the Anghcan Chmch, under whatever civil government Divine Providence may have placed them, are one in the bonds of mutual love and fellow- ship, and in union with their great Head. An Address was then read by the Venerable Archdeacon, conveying to the Bishop of Fredericton the warm congratulations of his Clergy on the completion of his Cathedral Church, and an expression of their respectful desire to possess in a more permanent form the excellent Appendix. 29 Cliar((e they had heard the day before. The Lord Bishop thanked the Clergy for the kind feelings and sympathy they had evinced towards him, and said he was confident that a report of the proceedings of the last three days would be read with the liveliest satisfaction by his old parishioners and friends in England, who had followed him from the time he left them until this day with their fervent prayers, and who would extend their sympathy and prayers to all the Clergy of the diocese, when they saw them aiding their Bishop in the completion of this work. Thus terminated the proceedings of these long looked for days, and in spite of any deficiencies which have existed and may still exist, the crowded congregations, the reverent demeanour of the worshippers, and the laifjc amount of the oflfertory collections, shew that the great body of the people take a very hearty mterest, and an honest pride in their new Cathedral Church. We hear that a public meeting of the parishioners is in contempla- tion, for the purpose of closing the Cathedral accounts, and presenting the Lord Bishop with an address of congratulation on the happy accom- plishment of his anxious labours on their behalf. Both of these objects will meet, we are sure, with the ready concurrence of every right- minded member of the community ; but we need hardly say that the presentation of an address of this nature would be premature, while the former object remains unattained. If we would view with unmiti- gated satisfaction the sacred structure which now stands forth com- plete in all its parts, and ready to embrace within its walls high and low, rich and poor, one with another, let us now come forward with hearts yet warm with the flame of devotion, kindled by the solemnities in which we have been engaged, and free the noble founder from all further responsibility and anxiety in this matter, and then offer our grateful acknowledgments for his indomitable and ceaseless exertions for our temporal and eternal edification. " Freely ye have received, freely give." ACCOUNT OF ARCHITECTURE. Our readers will not be sorry to have before them a short account of the architectural details of the building, as many of them were not present at the consecration, and some, perhaps, have never seen it. The extreme length of the cathedral is 172 feet ; and its width, exclusive of the porch, 67 feet. ' The height of the nave and choir to the ridge of the roof, 60 feet. The tower is 84 feet high to the base of the pin- nacles, and the spire about 84, or 178 in all, including the cross. The first impulse was given to the erection of this structiure by two old and zealous friends of the Bishop, vho determined to present him with some memorial of their affection and esteem. This feeling was shared by others ; and the sum gathered amounted to 1500/. sterling, which was presented to his Lordship by his former Diocesan, who bad6 80 Appendix. I' him farewell in the presence of a large company, and presented him with a cheque for 1400I. " towards a Cathedral Church, or any other Church purposes." Stimulated by this generous offer, the Bishop sent down Mr. Wills, then a young draughtsman in an architect's office in Exeter, to take the measurements of a fine church in Norfolk, at the village of Snettisham, a small place near the sea coast, which appeared to him to be a suitable model ; and in the winter of 1845-6, Mr. Wills brought out his instruments and drawings for this work. In many respectK the model has been strictly followed ; it has only been departed from where the Cathedral character of the building seemed to require it, or where it was necessary to economize. Two unusual fea- tures in this structure mark its Cathedral character ; first, the triple western porch, which only appears in Collegiate or Cathedral Churches ; and secondly, the uniform height of the choir and nave, which is rarely found in English parish churches of this style. We shall now describe, as best we may, the principal features, external and internal, of the building. Its general style of Architecture. — It is what is technically termed " Middle-Pointed," or " Decorated ;" being in fact a copy of that period of ancient art, when what is called Gothic architecture had attained its highest point, and had not begun to degenerate into mere frippery of detail, llie equilateral triangle will be found to be the leading feature of the design. Every arch within, every window with- out, every gable in nave, transepts, and choir, every principal rafter, obeys this fundamental law, with more or less of exactness ; and the same principle was intended to be observed in the relation which the height of the spire bears to the length of the building. The old archi- tects observed this principle in nature, and made it the foundation of some of their best works. We now proceed to notice the Windows. Standing in the road near Mr. Botsford's pleasant residence, we obtain one of the best views of the building, and of its six-light west window, agreeably filling the eye, and rising above the triple western porch. This window is an exact copy of the original ; and of this style there is no more beautiful specimen in English art. The designer is unknown. The tracery occupies one half of the window, and is divided into seven pear-shaped forms, the mouldings of which all branch out of the two principal mul- lions or upright stems, which are as the pillars of the whole structure. Each of these seven divisions is subdivided by another series of mould- ings into four or more quatrefoils, the principal mouldings branching upwards like a tree, and terminating in a single quatrefoil in the head. At the other extremity of the building is the east window, which, as the chancel of Snettisham was destroyed, was copied from Selby Abbey. It consists of seven lights, and is 30 feet in height by 18 in width. This window is less remarkable for its tracery than for its happy combination of triplets, and of multiples of three in all its parts, Appendix. 31 rendering it peculiarly suggestive to the reflective mind of that high doctrine of Christianity to which all our thoughts tend, and in whose mighty depths our minds ai'e lost. It is peculiarly suitable for an east window by the large " vesica" or oval shape which forms the centre of its tracery, and furnishes the glass-painter with an admirable mode of treatment. The side windows of the west end are taken from the eastern window of Exwick chapel, at Exeter, built by the Bishop in 1 84 1. This window was drawn by Mr. Hay ward, architect, Exeter. The side windows of the aisles are most of them copies of Snettisham windows, except two very elegant and original designs by Mr. Wills. They are all of three lights, with varied tracery in the window head. There are also eighteen clerestory windows in the nave, above the aisles, of two lights, and with slightly varied tracery, somewhat differ- ing from the original model. The transepts are necessarily short, from the difficulty of warming so large a building ; and the windows are of two lights, with tracery, their great length rendering a transom- bar across them necessary, which, though it appears in the original model of the tower, is not usually found in this style. The south aisle and vestry terminate eastward with a simple two-light window, which would serve for a good model for a rural Church ; and there is another with more complicated tracery in the north-east side of the vestry. How much we moderns owe to ancient art may be seen by any one who will take the trouble first to study these windows, and then to copy them exactly on paper. The original design of such a window as the west window of this Cathedral, is hardly within the compass of any draughts- man of the present day. The tower windows are a modification of the original windows of Snettisham, and are somewhat smaller, as is suit- able to the climate. All the ordinary windows are of Caen stone, which, when of good quality, seems to stand perfectly well in this climate. The weatherings and buttresses are of stone from Grindstone Island. The walls of sandstone from the neighbourhood of the Cathe- dral. The outside roof is covered throughout with galvanised tin and iron. It would probably be better that this material should be laid on over a coating of felt, which would prevent both heat and cold, and the noise which a metal roof produces. This, however, was not thought of in time. We now pass to the Doors. The external doors are all of New Brunswick grey oak. The west door is a reduced copy of that at Exeter Cathedral ; and the inner south door, which is of butternut, or white walnut, is taken from an old door in a Church in Suffolk. The others are designed by Mr. Wills. We now proceed with the interior. The building consists of a nave and two aisles, 80 feet by 56, a central tower standing upon four mas- sive arches and piers of cut stone, short transepts on either side of the tower, the whole transept being 60 feet across by about 15, and a sanc- tuary eastward 36 feet by 20, and 60 feet in height. The whole design S) li 32 Appendix. :\ V\ t and arrangement of the Rtructure in presented at once to the eye on entering the west door. Five lofty arches on either side, 36 feet in height, divide the nave from the aisles, and carry the eye onwards to the nave arch, on which is imprinted the emblem of man's salvation by Jesus of Nazareth. Above this, the massive hammer beam roof of eleven bays, reminds the Englishman of the glorious Norfolk or Suffolk Churches, where in almost every village Home fine specimen of such roofing is to be found ; and though n roof of this kind is a little later in style than the windows, its great nteepness and elevation, 60 feet to the ridge, and the boldness of its mouldings, rescues it entirely from the charge of want of harmony with the building. This roof reflects great credit on Mr. Wills, the designer, and is greatly superior to the original model at Snettisham. From the nave we ascend three steps, pass through a low screen of walnut, and find our- selves in the choir, and under the four lofty and very massive arches of the central tower, designed by Mr. Butterfield, of London. Look- ing upwards, the ceiling of the lantern is divided into nine square panels with heavy mouldings, painted with red, blue, and gray, and* a little gold ; the colour of the wood itself serving to form the pattern, and supply a subdued and pleasing back-ground. This pattern was taken from Malvern Abbey. North and South, on the same elevation, are the two short transepts, one of which is nearly filled by the mellow and rich-toned organ, built in this city by Mr. Nash, and which is heard distinctly, even in its softest stops, throughout the building. The plan of the organ was given to the Bishop by the Rev. E. Shuttle- worth, Vicar of Egloshayle, Cornwall ; and it fully justifies his excellent musical taste. It has twenty-five stops; twelve in the great manual, and thirteen, with the couplers, in the swell. Those in the great organ are open diapason, double diapason, treble and bass, stop diapason, principal, dulciana, wald fiute, clarabella, fifteenth, twelfth, sesquialtra, trumpet. In the swell are the hautboy, cornopean, fifteenth, principal, flute, open diapason, double diapason, bourdon, stop diapason. The pedals have two octaves and a note from ccc. to d. The largest pipe is sixteen feet, and seventeen inches in diameter. So great is their power, that in the Hallelujah Chorus, when the organist put forth all his strength, every window in the aisles shook with the vibration. There are 999 pipes in the organ. All the large front pipes speak, except one, and several of the smaller pipes. They are diapered with colours harmonising \vith the patterns over the nave arches, with gold sparingly but effectively introduced. This work was done by Mr. Gregg, of Fredericton, and does him credit. The pipes of the organ are so arranged as not to hide the glass of the transept window, which, seen over them, gives richness and connection to the whole; and angels with harps are represented as accompanying our earthly praises with their purer and holier music. Three more steps, and we reach the rails of the sanctuary, of black walnut, just outside of which is the ^% Appendix. Bishop's seat in the choir, a little eastward of the other choir seata, which are admirably arranged hy Mr. Hutterfield, north and south, and with a bench in front, afford room for more than thirty pcrsonn, The Hishop's Heat is not very elevated, nor richly carved, an it was not wished to give it undue prominence. Entering tiie sacrnrium, seven- teen very simple and beautiful stalls lead us on to the sedilia of stone for the officiating Clergy at the time of the Communion, opposite to which is the Bishop's chair, a present from Captain Palairet, and a most perfect specimen of English oak, the finest we have ever seen. The altar is of black walnut, massive and simple, with a slab of fine Devonshire marble, the gift of Mr. Howe, of Exeter, surmounted by two candlesticks, as in all English Cathedrals. The east wall is par- tially covered with tiles, the gift of Mr. Minton, of Stoke on Trent, and it is also adorned with two texts of Scripture, richly illuminated. We roust not omit that the whole sacrarium is carpeted, and that the carpets near the table were the gift of four ladies in England, two of whom worked the upper part in 1845, and two more the lower and larger part in 1853, being a whole autumn and winter's work. How much more useful than working stools and ottomans for drawing-rooms I The whole of this part of the Church is visible from the west end ; and though the Church is 140 feet long, the Communion service is heard distinctly. We have omitted the brass eagle, seven feet six inches high, an elegant design by Mr. Butterfield, and the handsomest we have seen. It stands three steps above the nave, and is a prominent object on entering the building. The transept roofs are remarkably pleasing in design. The roof is called a trussed rafter roof, and is copied from one in Norfolk, drawn by Messrs. Brandon, architects, in their beautiful work, called the " Timber Roofs of the Middle Ages." We have omitted the pulpit, a bold and original design by Mr. Butter- field, executed in black walnut. It stands in the nave, projecting a little from the north side of the nave arch, and commands the whole congregation. Near the second pillar from the entrance stands the font, a present from a lady, and executed very beautifully in Caen stone by that late most worthy man, and admirable worker, Mr. Rowe, of St. Sidwells, Exeter, for thirty years the mason of Exeter Cathedral, to whose abilities the carved work of the east and west windows does ample justice. We now pass to the glass of the windows, and regret that our limited space does not allow a fuller account of them. It is, we believe, universally agreed that they admit as much light as is needful, and a very pleasant light to the eye. On entering the building, the eye is at once caught by the subdued and chastened brilliancy of the east window. It is chiefly the gift of members of the Church in the United States, though the artist, Mr. Wailes, of Newcastle on Tyne, liberally gave 40/. towards it, besides the copper grating, worth 20t. more. As the Cathedral is called Christ Church, the central figure most fitly represents what should always be dear to . D S 34 Apjmulix. W: \ysi. ill every believer, ChriMt crucified, Hurrouiided by n\x ApoRtlea, with ap- propriate emblemR, drawn with mure feeling and dignity than ia uaiial. The l)ack-ground ia grisnille, very subdued and chaate, and greatly enhances the splendour of the figures. The up|>er part is most skilfully and cfl'cctively groui)ed. It represents our I^ord enthroned, a small but mo8t distinct figure, seated, and surrounded by groups of adoring angels, which form the compartments uf the great oval, or vesica, in the centre of the window. The arms of the seven North American Hritish Sees occupy the lowest space in the window, and mark the time of Its erection. Having seen a great number of Mr. Wailea' works we give the preference to this, and believe it equal to any mo- dern glass which has yet been produced. There are, however, those who prefer the west window^ by Mr. Warrington, of London, and cer- tainly it is a matter of some diflliculty to assign the palm. The west window is undoubtedly better for a strong light, and could not have been better designed to meet that flood of brilliance which pours in from our bright clear atmosphere. ITie subject of this window is the parallel between the Old Testament and the New. At either extremity are the two martyrs, Abel and St. Stephen, then Elijah and John the Baptist above, Hannah with little Samuel, and the Blessed Virgin with her Divine Infant, then Moses with the Law, and Jesus as the Good Shepherd, " full of grace and truth." The interstices are filled with angels, and the whole interwoven with a net-work of leaves of whit'' glass. The upper tracery presents a mass of glowing colour, which illv niinates the whole roof. The eighteen clerestory windows are of simple diapered pattern, with narrow strips of blue and red alternate, which fling their radiance on the floor, llie aisle windows have a totally dis- tinct character. As the object here is to let in light, so much at least as is needed by the congregation, and yet to avoid a painful glare, two patterns have been adopted ; one from Merton College, Oxford ; the other less known, from Exeter Cathedral Clerestory. Both these, as well as the clerestory and transept windows (the latter of which seem to please generally), are the work of a young artist, Mr. Beer, of Exeter. Several of these are memorial windows, — one to the children of Mr. Ilichens, London, a great benefactor to the diocese — one to the memory of a son of the present Attorney General — one a gift of the children of Mr. Fisher — one in memory of two most dear friends of the Bishop — others given in part by the Clergy of the diocese, and other friends. The general feature of these windows is a rid. diaper pattern, relieved by slight touches of yellow, and small pieces of co- loured glass, in patterns of various kinds, and emblems. Each window cost about 25/. The two small western windows were the work of Mr. Warrington. Both are memorial windows — one to Captain Shore, who fell at Chillian -Wallah. The three remaining smaller windows were also gifts, — one by Mr. Small, the builder — one by the late and present Mr. Welch, carpenter— the third by Messrs. Mitchell and Law- ApftemltJi, f)5 rence, of whoRc skill the nave roof will continue, we hope, to he an enduring N|)eciinen, uh well ut the HcatH which are all low, of huttcrnut, plainly hut boldly carved, with huttresiea facing inwards. We mufit try to find room for the hcIlN, the coinfortuble gift of friendH, dear frienda in England, who will Hend forth their invitation to the aanc* tnary, when their own nnmea ure forgotten. The bella are eight in number, weighing about five tons, the tenor 38 cwt. in the key of K fiat, and were cant by Warner, of ,lewin Street, London. They arc full and mellow in tone, though their full harmony has not yet bccu brought out. On each bell in a line of thiH beautiful legend : — Av«) Fill, Lux, Siilvfttor, Avu lUiata Uiiitna, Avo rognaiiH in Subliiiio, Av« Siiiiuta TriiiitaH. Avo Patur, Uox, Croator, Ave HpiritUH CuiiHolator, Avo Siinplux Avo Trine, Avo reHonet sine fine, Which may be thus translated : — Hail, Father, Kin^i; of all Creation, Hnil, Son, our Light, and our Halvation, • Hail Holy QhoHt, our conHolation, Hail, O inoHt bloHHed Unity, Hail, Three in One, and Ono in Tlircc, Hail, Thou that reignent glori uHly, So let our poal ring endloHul^ , To the most Holy Trinity. And long may their glad summons be heard ! And who on a survey of this building, raised for the worship which this inscription sets forth, will say that one atone is too costly, or cry with the traitor Iscariot, "To what purpose is this waste?" Let us rather echo Mil- ton's glowing words, himself no courtly sycophant, no blind admirer of Church or Prelacy, but whose nature would speak out, and still speaks in all natural and unprejudiced minds : — " But let my due feet never fail To walk the studious cloister'H polo. And love the high-ombowfcd roof, With antique pillars massy proof, And storied windows richly diglit, Casting a dim religious light. There let the pealing organ blow, To the full-voiced quire below, In service high, and anthems clear, As may with sweetness, through mine ear, Dissolve me into ccstaoies, And bring all Heaven before mine eyes." We had well nigh forgotten to mention that the presents of Englitih friends, including a superb altar-cloth from Mr. Justice Coleridge, and one from a lady, are worth not less than 500/. sterling ; and that in the u 2 ^i 36 Appendix. vestry is a Tlieologiral Library, for the use of the Clergy and divinity students of this diocese, consisting of 2,700 volumes, the gifts of the University of Oxford, and various friends, the greatest donor being the Librarian. i y l»R. M'^NEILE'S LErrER. " My faith is the faitli of the old ('atholic Church, represented by three hundred and eighteen Fathers assembled at the ('ouncil of Nice, A. I). 33;-,. It is what has ever since been known as the Nicene Oeed, and received by the whole Church as resting on most certam warrants of Holy Scripture. " The same was reiterated at the Council of EphesMs, a. d. 431, with a decree that it should be lawful for no man to ' profess, write, or com- pose any other form of faith.' "The same was reiterated at the Council of Chalcedon, A. D, 451, the Bishops exclaiming, * No i)erson makes any other exposition of faith. We neither attempt nor dare do so.' "The same was reiterated at the third session of the Council of Trent, A. D. 1546, the assembled Fathers reciting the Nicene Creed, and nothing else, as the faith of the Church. "The Nicene Creed is my Creed — the Creed of the branch of Christ's Holy (yatholic Church in this realm of England. " You have unfortunately embraced a new Creed put forth by the Bishop of Rome after the middle of the sixteenth century. It was pub- lished as a Creed, for the firet time, on the 9th of December, 1564. "This new Creed contains all the points of controversy between the Church of Christ and the Church of Rome- -tiie Church of Christ as she was from the beginning, and the Church cf Rome as she has been for the last 300 years. "This new Creed contains all the differences between vou and me, — between what you teach and what I teach. What you hold in common with the Church from the beginning, 1 hold also. Confine yourself 1 1 the faith of the old Church, and you and I will agree, " But all that is peculiar to your faith is new. Of course you will deny this. Well ! To the proof. I have given you chapter and verse for my faith. " And I hereby invite you, I will not say challenge, the word sounds harshly, and I neither feel nor mean to express any harshness ; but 1 give you a fair opportunity to shew, if you can, when and where the Church— not some heretical individual or individuals, observe, but the Church — when and where the Church ever proclaimed as her faith anv one of the twelve articles which I, as a Catholic, reject, and which you as a post Tridentine Romania., a follower of the" no\ .Ities of the six- teenth centurv, maintain. Appendix. 37 " Now, with regard to the first thesis which you have assigned to me, viz. ' My authority as a Priest of the Catholic Church.' It is sim* ply this : — " I was ordained in due form by a Bishop, who was consecrated in unbroken succession from the inspired Apostles of our Lord nnd Sa- viour Jesus Christ. It is true that in the course of the succession some of the Bishops who formed links in the chain were not, in their opinions or practices, orthodox Catholics : they had, in a greater or less degree, fallen into those errors which the Church of Rome, at the dic- tation of Pope Pius IV., and in defiance of the decrees of oecumenical Councils, arranged into a Creed, and impobed upon her Clergy for sub- scription in the year 1564. " But though in error as individuals, they were in unbroken suc- cession as Bishops. " The errors I refer to, both in doctrine and practice, were exposed and reformed in England previous to the imposition of the new Creed of the Church of Rome. In Rome the channels were so obstructed by the traditions of men, that the waters of life could not flow" freely through them : in England the waters were purified from human cor- ruptions, without any break or interruption in the channels. " From this source, clear in its spring from the Apostolic fountain, muddy in its meunderhigs through mediifval corruptions, cleansed and purified by reforming fidelity, I have received, by the laying on of hands and by prayer, my authority, as a Priest of the Catholic Church, to preach the glad tidings of free salvation by Jesus Christ, without money and without merit in man, and to administer the only Sacra- ments which Christ ordained in his Church, viz. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. " If you deny this authority, please to shew where the succession failed — at what link the chain was broken. Perhaps you are aware that some persons, who still assert that there was a break in the chain in England, acknowledge that there was no break in Ireland. I was ordained by an Irish Bishop. " With regard to the second thesis which you have prepared for me, viz. ' To disprove or defend certain abuses, errors, and corrui)tions in the Church of England.' As you do not specify what these are, I cannot enter into particulars; but this I say: J' there be errors, or abuses, or corruptions in the Church of England, I protest against them as sincerely as you can do. I am not at all concerned to defend them. There is no sinking weight of boasted infallibility hanging around our necks. Into the human administration of even a Divine thing errors will find their way; and against any errors, of any kind, which may have thus found a place among us in the Church of En;;- land, I protest. I have no desire to defend them. I wish to see them as eflfectually reformed as the grosser aliases wimh ])revuiied three hundred years ago were reformed. :!i'iii « ifl i 98 Appendir. " And if you ask me huw I can belong to a Church in which there are any abuses, my answer is, — Because I belong, as yet, to a fallen world, wherein nothing is perfect. Any change of Church which I could make in this world would be a change for the worse. My only escape from abuses altogether is to go to heaven, where I may yet have the happiness to meet you, and Priest Power also, if you and he will truly repent of all your sins, steadfastly purpose to live a new life, have a lively faith in (Jod's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of His death, and be in charity with all men." m A CHARGE DELIVEEED IN CHKIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, FREDERICTON, 1856. hfi! I Rbv. and dear Brbthrbn, I forward for your perusal a copy of the Charge which you kindly requested me to pubHeh, and I trust it may prove useful to you. May every blessing rest upon your labours, and may the brotherly spirit manifested at our late meeting long continue amongst us ! I am. Rev. and dear Brethren, Your faithful friend and brother. J. FREDERICTON. '1 I . I I f'f !'■ h III iH ; J* it 1) A CHAEGE DELIVERED AT FREDERICTON IN l8/i6. Reverend Brethren. — ^^ By God's mercy we meet for the second time in this Cathedral. Church, unencumbered, I am thankful to say, with pecuniary dif- 'ficulties, and in which the daily and other services have been continued, since we last met together, without let or hinderance, to the present time. You will all acknowledge with me, that such hours spent in Divine worship are among the happiest of our lives, and that, amidst the feverish excitements of the world, these holy homes are dearer to us than any other places, and the work of the sanctuary more than any other work resembles those '* times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," for which we wait, and hope, and pray. If we ever mix in other scenes, and join in other work, it is, I hope, because in our seve- ral stations we have other duties to discharge, and every act, which we have reason to believe to be our duty, should be per- formed by us fearlessly and openly, as by persons who know that their Master's eye is upon them, and his arm ever leady to protect them from harm. It will be impossible for me in my present 'Vddress to you to avoid topics which occasionally cause strife and discussion amongst our fellow- Christians, but I desire to approach fdl such subjects with calmness and moderation, and in a spirit of forbearance. But the example of our Lord and his Apostles appears to me to shew, that we discharge our duty best, not by retiring from the world, nor by shrinking from stating our views on the subjects of the day, but by calmly and at the same time faithfully giving our testimony, on all questions touching morals and religion, to what we believe to be in accordance with the rule of Scripture, and the interpretation put upon it by the Church. I now pass to some of those questions which arc of great import- 44 A Charge delivered at I. Educa- tion. ance to uh at this time. a» affecting the welfare of the community of New Brunswick. The first and by no means the least important subject is that of Education, a subject difficult to handle well at all times, but surrounded at the present moment with difficulties which render it almost impossible to come to any satisfactory practical conclu- sion. The great guide to all our faith and practice, Holy Scrip- ture, defines education to be " the training up a child in the way he should go." Training cannot imply less than the imparting to the understanding sound and useful knowledge of all kinds, religious knowledge included, and disciplining the mind by the cultivation of moral and religious habits. If my interpretation of the passage just quoted be sound, and I see no flaw in it, how can religion be properly separated from education ? Secular know- ledge alone might be useful if there were no future life, and no Christianity to direct our way thither ; but to educate the child in what onlv fits him for this world, and leave the man to feel or grope his way after the knowledge of the next world, is neither scriptural nor reasonable, and is opposed to all human experience. It must be It has been said however, that the two branches of learning may be imparted by separate instructors, the tutor undertaking to furnish the child with useful secular knowledge, and the parent being, as he ought to be, responsible for the religious education of his child. To which proposition it may, I think, be answered, that the tutor only does half his work when he passes by the great question of sound faith and holy practice ; and that, as young men often learn more by incidental than by dogmatic teaching, the weight which they will learn to attach to religion, must de- pend in some degree on the importance which they see to be attached to it by their instructors. If an entire silence be pre- served on a subject so weighty and necessary, the effect produced will be likely to be that of indifference. Various causes combine to make rehgious instruction and religious habits necessary at every turn of a young man's life. Religion is not a thing to be learned by heart, and committed to memory only ; it resembles the salt which preserves from corruption, the life-blood which is in momentary circulation, the air which is perpetually inhaled and given out again ; it is the guide and mistress of the whole house. It dictates the daily worship of the Almighty, it sanctifies every ordinary meal, it restrains us from excess, it inspires us with tenderness to our fellow-students, it supplies us with proper motives to diligent exertion. Leave out this ingredient in the accompa- nied by re ligious in- struction. Fredericton in 1H56. 45 student'rt daily life, i\nd it Mcenis to me, you return to Pagan- Ihiti again. For if religion he not the nurse of the child, how can she he the guide of the man ? Then as to the parent's duty. Parents often send their children to school from their own inca- pacity to impart sound and useful knowledge fully and adequately to their children, and the habits of our day interfere greatly with imparting such knowledge on the Sunday only. So that it is to he feared that, if the duty be left entirely to the parent, and at- tempted on Sunday only, it will be discharged very superficially and imperfectly, and in some cases, not discharged at all. Thus, for abundant reasons, education, whether in its lower or higher branches, should be accompanied by religious instruction, and by the endeavour to form moral and religious habits. Here perhaps it may not be out of place to say something on the question of the higher branches of education, and of their use and importance to the community at large. We understand by the higher branches of education, the study Great im- of languages no longer spoken, but universally selected as full of portance of deep thought and models of taste and expression, pure and mixed branches of mathematics, natural history in its widest range, and modern Education, languages. That some such extensive course of study is neces- sary for all who aspire to distinction in the professions of Divinity, Law, or Physic, or who desire to have large and comprehensive views in State affairs, is admitted by all but the ignorant. No study of translations, no original powers of mind, make up for the deficiency of accurate scholarship and smalytical reasoning obtained in youth ; and the study of the works of God around us has become in modern times a most useful and almost necessary pursuit. It is verv unfortunate that in this country so few are well ac- quainted with these subjects, or value these acquirements. Hut their ignorance of them, and public depreciation of them, is only a more convincing proof of their necessity. Mere English reading and writing, and a smattering of translations, will not furnish us with the requisite assistance for the common purposes of daily life. A Clergyman cannot interpret a page of his Greek Testa- ment, a Lawyer cannot unravel a knotty dispute on international law. a Physician cannot use the stethescope, or examine a diseased eye, a Navigator cannot take a ship safely into port, an obser- vation of the longitude or latitude of a place cannot be made, a mining operation cannot be performed, without a vast deal more i jl 46 A Charge delivered at m M :. •< H' . ^ ,1' . I P;!:;l ■ I resenrch thnn this common English education ho much honstcd of. Some persons mny indeed attain riches and station who know no more than to read, write, and cast accounts ; hut persons thus gifted are very few, and the business of life is very large, com- plicated, and extensive. In considering the re(iuirements of the whole community, it is necessary to provide not only for the material wants of the many, but for the intellectual riches of the few who are both to guide and to serve the many. For it is one of the beneficent arrangcujents of Providence that no man can guide others who does not serve them ; but he cannot render them this service unless he be duly ijunlified by study and re- search ; and his service consists of two parts. He requires accu- racy of thought which gives his own mind just and distinct con- ceptions, and he requires accuracy and force of expression to enable him to convey those impressions to others. This at once points out the inade(|uacy of study in translations. Men who have merely thus sipped the surface of the borrowed stream, have no fountain of their own by means of which they can convey their thoughts with precision and force to others; they become coarse and vulgar, and appear scarcely to compre- hend the effect of their own words. And what a deplorable place would that country become, from which the arts and elegancies of life, the pursuits of science, and the study of language, of the history of the past, of the works of genius and learning, and of the works of God were entirely banished, and the little smattering of English taught by the half-educated schoolmaster were the only learning encouraged or even allowed ! The Esquimaux might be said to be in a better situation than this, for if they possess no learning, are dressed in skins, and live on grease and oil, they have never known anything better. It is particularly unfortunate for New Brunswick, that when so much political power has been placed in the hands of multitudes who are not educated, or only half educated, there is not a sufficient body of men of thorough education to point out to many well-meaning, but most mistaken people, what the necessities and requirements of the country really are, and to shew them, that there never was a country in which it was more imperatively necessary that the higher branches of learning should be taught. If no institution of this kind should be allowed to remain, our children must be sent, generally speak- ing, to schools in the United States, which would be both a dis- grace and an injury to the country, and would probably lead to Frederietou in 1856. the rcmovul from nnioiij^st us of all men of aciencc, lilcmturc, utid cominiindinjj tulentn. For it is too much to require of any man tliat he shouhl ren\ain for life in a place where he can never hope to meet with any fair encouragement or remuneration for his talents, and where the ])ur8uit8 which are liberally rewarded in every other part of the civilized world meet with nothing but coarse abuse and incessant depreciation. It must be admitted, however, that when we come to consider the prai'ical part of the business, and to ask what is to be done, immense difficulties meet us at every turn. We have, for exam- The pnic- pie, in this city, a College founded with the most benevolent in- ^J'''*^ •l"^^- tentions, attacked and depreciated ever smce its formation with ^j^^ (j^u^go the most persevering industry, reformed, and re-reformed, yet in Fredo- still an object of relentless hostility and faint support. A new "cton. commission has been appointed, (and of its members' I wish to speak with all possible respect,) a new constitution proposed, and the doors are to be thrown open wider. But will the contem- plated number of students enter ? It appears to me that both tin; Commissioners and the public have forgotten that constitutions do not make students. The patient may be bled and purged till nought but his very shadow remains, yet all this depletion and change of medicine and of doctors will not restore him to health. A practical view must be taken of the actual circumstances of the country. It must be considered (for it cannot be denied) that the number of persons who desire, or who have the means, to send their sons into a profession is small. Farmers (who consti- tute the majority of our population) want the labour of all their sons at home, or send them to seek their fortunes by the same method elsewhere. Merchants have their desks ready for their children as soon as they come from school, at a very early age. Lawyers find their profession overstocked, and deem it advisable to try some other. The class of men who live at ease on their acquired or hereditary means is almost unknown. Thus from the positicm of our temporal affairs it is idle to expect, it is delusive and mischievous to encourage the expectation of a vast influx of students as an effect of a change in the constitution of the Col- lege. But the religious element in this problem must also be considered. The religious statistics of this province shew that the numbers are very considerable, I may say preponderating, of those who are never likely, under any circumstances, to avail themselves of the benefits of such an institution. The Roman . *;'*v- 48 A Ciiarge delivered at A' h [ I'* Catholics, probably the ino»t numerous body of Christians, in most instances do not require, and certainly would not seek such an education. The Baptists, also a numerous body, are partially provided with means suited to their wants and wit*hc8 ; the Wesleyans, at considerable expense, have erected an academy which answers their ends ; even the Presbyterians have lately obtained an act of incorporation for a College ; there remain only the members of our own Church, with such other persons of various persuasions as are satisfied that their sons will obtain a higher education than can be given by any other institution in the province. I have no doubt that the education is such ; but when we take into account the great number who are deterred from seeking this knowledge by their inability to value it, and the many who desire a separate course of religious instruction given by teachers of their own persuasion, it is next to impossible that any very large number of students should be supplied to the College under any change of constitution, or change of professors, unless (which is equally unlikely) the temporal and religious con* dition of the province should be speedily altered. It is surprising to me, that gentlemen of undoubted ability and learning, anxious as they must be for the welfare of every institution such as the College, should not have looked the difficulty fairly in the face, and instead of setting about constitution- making, that roost easy, but most profitless of all occu])ation8, should not have been willing manfully to admit the force of those facts which I have now brought forward, and which I believe to be undeniable. My in- ferences are also borne out by the history of the College, short as that history is. Constitution-making has done nothing to promote its inceruse. When it was more exclusively in the hands of the Church of England, it was comparatively a flourishing institution. Not that its walls were ever closed to persons of different views. But since its charter has been mended and remended, patched and altered in every conceivable way, the good effect intended, the multiplication of students, has not followed the confident predic- tions of the authors of these alterations. Supposing then another radical change — the council entirely remodelled, and a mixed body of all religious persuasions introduced, — is it likely in the nature of things, as men and things are, that matters would ui^nd by virtue of that change ? I cannot conceive it possible, nor can I understand how any practical man can entertain such a suppo- sition. Roman Catholics and Baptists, Wesleyans and members Fi'ffltricton in 1S56. 40 of the Church of Enf^hmtl, sitting «i(Ie hy nidt- ut the wuiif Hoard, couhl have no comimmity of intcrcBt sufficient to cnHurc their union. Great divernity of opinion nin?*t occur ; and to prevent an ojjen rupture, religion nuint never he noticed. Yet in the entire absence of all rclij^ion from the College, even of daily worship for instance, who could bring himself to feel un interest Bufficient to induce him to remain a member of the Hoard ? Kven as it is, the entire divesting the Institution of what iu called " a sectarian character," but which is nothing more or Icsb than a firm dijiuite faith in something as believed to be true, has prevented, and will Btill prevent any party from taking a lively interest in its welfare, and from contending vigorously in its defence. Every religious body (as such) feels that as they have no locuh standi tliere, their tenets wouhl not lose much by its fall. Members of our Church would lose no definite religious teaching, and could find other (-oUegcs for their sons ; and the rest of the community arc even better provided for in that respect than we are. Yet, looking at the probable effects of its destruction, the injury to the province of tlie removal of the Professors, the sad spectacle of H seat of learning abandoned to decay, or, absit omen ! converted into an asylum for the insnn'.- ; the common reproach to New Urunswick in other countric* ; the certainty that young men of ability de«tined for professions, however few in number, would seek their education elsewhere, would lose, in obtaining it else- where, some portion of the amor patritc, would often be indoc- trinated with republican notions, or would leave their own nest never to return ; I confess, that though as a Bishop in the Church of England 1 cannot feel that warm interest in the Institution which I sliould feel in what I should consider to be a better system of education ; yet seeing at present no hope of a better, I would implore those who have any bowels of humanity, and are not resolved to outbid each other in ministering to popular cries and p-.pular fancies which themselves contribute to augment, to s|)are and not to destroy this i)raiseworthy attempt to give all the sons of New Brunswick who may be desirous to avail themselves of the benefit, a taste of higher learning and purer knowledge than is to be found in the woods and hills of this as yet infant country. It may be asked however, and the question is not an unfair one, Do you consider the sum spent on the College warranted by the number of students, and the benefits conferred ? Now, K > m* 50 A Charge delivered lu)p alone should have much power to effect changes of any magnitude. His power, whatever it might amount to, would be simply conservative, and opposed to alter- ation and change ; which would give time for consideration. The best answer, however, to these objections is, that in the Church Society, no freedom of discussion, no independence of opinion, has been checked by the presence and veto of the Bishop, and that no measures adverse to the liberties of the Clergy or Laity have ever been carried, as far as I know, by his influence. If therefore the constitution of the Synod should resemble that which is already in o[)eration, what is there to fear ? or why should this unworthy suspicion be entertained ? Synodical assemblies would also be found useful in regulating ^^^the temporal affairs of the Church, and in devising such prudent measures as may promote its enlargement and prosperity. For various reasons it would not be prudent nor desirable to discuss doctrinal subjects in ordinary synodical assemblies. Apart from other considerations, this reason for the prohibition appears to be sufficient, that we ".re an integral, but a very small part of the Church of England, and that no alteration can take place in the formularies of that Church without the solemn consent of all the parties who originally framed those standards ; and at the present time, it is not only not desirable to alter them, but I think not desirable for us to discuss their alteration. We might all agree that our formularies are not absolutely perfect. Some might desire abridgement, some additions, some removal of blemishes, or superfluities ; but it is not probable we should all agree on those points which have furnished fruitful subjects of discussion for three centuries, with occasionally very un- happy results ; and to open the question afresh, in the present state of the public mind, and of the press, would, it seems to ,*?•...■ Frederieton in 1856. 57 me, be absolutely puicidtil. What peace or comfort could any IV.Prayer- of us expect for the rest of our lives, if all the questions con- B"";*^' *« ^^ . . ... maintained iiected with our Prayer-Book, involving every point on which unaltered. we lire only one, and not the most powerful of the parties concerned in the issue, we have every reason to fear that Parliament would be swayed by other influences, and, being composed in ])art of persons directly hostile to the Church, would he more given to unsettle everything than to remove our blemishes and yet rest on the old foundations. Whatever inconveniences may arise from the length of our ]\lorning Service, they must be insignificant when compared with the jjossible reconstruction (greatly for the worse) of the whole Praycr-Book. These inconveniences have been, I think, unduly and morbidly exaggerated. Two hours is, (after all,) not an unreasonably long time to spend in the service of our Maker at one time. This service is varied by every useful method of fixing the attention ; by united prayer, by psalms chanted or sung, perhaps by both, by musical services and anthems, where used, by reading the Word of God, and by preaching. I find in our Cathedral, that though we chant some portion of the Psalms, use a musical service for the Te Deum, have a short anthem, sing a psalm or hymn, and after sermon use the offertory and the prayer for the Church Mili- tant, as prescribed in the Prayer- Book, that on ordinary oc- casions the whole service occupies just one hour and three quarters, the afternoon service about an hour and a quarter, or even less, and the evening an hour and a half; and where there are three sermons preached in one day, it is not only very possible, but most desirable to abridge the length of the sermon. Very few persons pay fixed attention to an ordinary discourse tvhich exceeds in length half an hour; all beyond it is waste time and labour. But if we may reasonably entertain strong objections to the alteration of the Prayer-Book, how much stronger must exist to a reconstruction of the Bible ? It is true that our hostility to sion of the such a measure is sought to be disarmed bv the apparentlv mild Bible. V. No re- vision of the autho- rised ver- Fredrricton in i H56. 59 and inoffensive words, (t revision of the authorised translation. But who are the persons who demand this revision? Persons wliose sole aim it is to unsettle all the great foundations of discii)line and morals, and to introduce views held by German Sceptics and English Unitarians into the Universities, and into the Church of England. To such persons a revision of our translation jjresents a tempting opportunity for an alteration of doctrine ; and what incalculable loss should we suffer if questions respecting the Divinity of Christ, and the Atonement by His death, are to be carried by Parliamentary majorities ? Admitting, as every scholar must admit, some few errors and blemishes in our translation, would a new translation he exempt from like errors ? In every point of view this age is unfitted for so great a work. The unity which once prevailed among the body of our translators would be unknown. It may be doubted whether so large a number of men equally learned in the Hebrew tongue could be found ; but if found, they would be of different persuasions. Diversity of translation would beget serious differences of other kinds. These differences could not be kept secret as in former days, and be calmly con- sidered, but would creep out into the journals, and would then be discussed from day to day with a bitterness and irreverence proportioned to the magnitude of the issue : for as every man is interested in the result, we should have, it is to be feared, almost the whole nation quarrelling over their Bible. But could the matter stop there .'' Is there not every reason to fear that it would end in a separate translation by every sect, so that what is now a common bond of union, so far as it goes, would then be a watchword of incurable and interminable controversy } Bad as our state is now, I fear the evil would be augmented a hundredfold. And who could undertake to say that even all the members of our own Church would accept a Parliamentary Bible? Thus it might happen, that our Church itself might be rent into factions, between those who preferred the old trans- lation and those who accepted the new. I am satisfied, for my own part, that these are not the men, nor are these the times which warrant a new translation ; and that our best j)lan is to keep what we have in safety, and transmit it if possible to our children unimpaired. And although it is not likely that we should be consulted, if such things were about to take place, yet we should have the right which belongs to every possessor (50 ^1 C/tarfjfe delivered at I ■'.Hi I , 'h 'li ill \ I s of a Hihlc. of prutc's'tiiifi; ni^ainst the ill-advised Hchcmc, lately brought l)i'f()re the House of Coiiiiiions by one who is, I have reason to believe, a Soeiniuii, and who has been happily for the presii'Ut defeated. VI. Tlie I am s(u-ry that 1 cannot f^peak favourably of another pro- IMoposal to poii-ition, made by very diHerent men, and for quili' another 1 'vtuis to l""*poi^<'- ' mean the attempt to unite the Wi'sleyans to the tlie ("lunch C'hureh of Knijland. ilavini^ liveil for several years in a county of Eiig- which is the verv heart of that connection in the west of Kng- land, anil having had alimulant opportunities of knowing the sentiments of the Clergy in those parts of every J)»rty, and of many of the Wesleyan body, I own that I am greatly sur- prised that such a proposition should have been made by })ractical men. Tlidse who are conversant with the writings of Mr. Wesley know, that though not always consistent in his practice, he on all occasions earnestly dejjrecated secession from tlie Kstablished Church ; and in a sermon preached not long before his death, he used this very strong expression, which, if it were used now, would be d by some very hard term. He said, " If you forsake the ( mireh of England, God will forsake you." Without entering farther into- the (juestions connected with that strong statement, it is now evident that his successors have forsaken the Church of England, that they claim to exercise that ordination which Mr. Wesley received from the hands of our Bishops, and that we are no longer united by the common bonds of sacramental fellowship in Bap- tism and the Lord's Supper ; nor do they seek at our hands any rite, save (occasionally) that of burial of the dead. We may add to this fact another still more important, that they have succeeded in organizing a system remarkable for its worldly wisdom, providing for the maintenance of their pastors, retaining much of the ])ower in the hands of a selected number of them, and compelling every member, as long as he retains the badge of his communion, to contribute to the objects of the Society. A very small knowledge of human nature, it seems to me, is requisite to enable us to determine that it is wholly improbable that a body possessed of so maoy advantages, would seek union with the Church of England, unless (which is equally unlikely at present,) they were generally convinced of their error. If the Wesleyans could be persuaded that the step which they took after Mr. Wesley's death was a false step. FredaricUm in 1^56. fil not wurrantcd by tlie Scripturi', and not rendered nrcessniry by the terniH of eoniiniinion in»pos»ed l)y our Cliurcli ; if tliey could be brought to t the scanty income. Not o' ly is there a continual change of Pastors, but great num- bers of Missions, in some cases nearly half the diocese, are vacant at one time, and are only filled up ro be empty again ; avid the smaller villages, where in dear old luigland the fair and goodly Church, built and endowed by piety now despised, still rears its ancient head, and defies the ravages of time, are in thpt country either abandoned aiiu^ether, or we read of a service performed by some itinerating Priest, thiinkfVdly received once a quarter, or even once a year. I euuHot contemplate such an issue in this province without horror and dismay. Of my fifty-two Clergy, more than thiriy are in that very position so honourable co the Churrh, but st) difficult to maintain, th-? po ition of mini tering to the ])oor and needy, to ".he Hock si-uttered up and d* wn the mountains, and in the rou'^h wiid crooked places of the earth. To expect a ( lergyman to find hirn.self. keep a horse, and main- tain a family, without extraneouB 8U|)|)ort in such places, is to desire him to feed on flints, and grow fat on thorns and thistles. In plain terms, it is what God never ordered, and nature vill not permit. But what would beeon.c of such congregations; Who can think without ;i tciir of all his work undoiu', lii.- little fiock Fredericton in 1856. 65 scattered to the winds, his Sunday School broken up. his Churches melancholy signposts of decay, and the liberality of the great Societies of England, and of the Church Society of this province, and of our various benefactors, all brought to nought. Surely heaven and earth would witness against us if we did not try to avert such a consunamation. I therefore call on you, mv dear brethren, and on all the laity of this province, to unite with me in endeavouring to avert it, and to provide for the coming difficulty. In Canada this has been partly done by commutation, here we have- no such resource ; but an Endow- ment Fund might be begun, and I have reason to think that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel would assist any {)arish in which efforts of this kind were ntude. If an Endowment Fund were once fairly started, it would grow, and would become hereafter more valuable. But I am prepared to support any measure likely to be practically useful. And nov.', to close with what ought to be ever nearest and dearest to our hearts, our growth in grace and our eternal in- terests, I earnestly exhort you to rise to a higher standard of vour duty. We must all liave experienced this sad proof of ti»e corruption of our nature, in the difficulty of keeping up a real heartfelt in- terest in our great and perilous work. When (»nce the stimulus given to us at our ordination has worn away, when our know- ledge of human nature has afflicted us with frequent disappoint- ments, wher our physical energies have been diminished, and we feel the severity of he climate tell upon us, it is hard not to indulge in relaxation ; it is hard to maiulain the same earnest spirit of prayer, the same unvarying conflict with the world ;ipd the flesh, the same persevering industry in our caUing. 1 lie pressure of poverty, and the fear of losing jiopularitv, mav also in other way."* tend to the decline of spiritual religio ana faithful piety. I would fain do what in me lies, not forgetting, I liopp, nar own personal need of the same grace and of tiie same warn- ing, to " stir you up tj ienien!branc(^of the treasure committed to your charge," and to bid you " gird up the loins of your mind," and projuire each one of you for your account to God. I. Keep before your eyes a deep and awful >'iew of your re- sponsibihty. For this purpose, what can you do better than every year on the day, or at the time of vour ordination, to rei-i with solemn prayer the Ordination Service, and submit to vour IX. Pnio tical (\v- boHatiorw. I U I ^ BSSS :iB,i:, 66 A Charge delivered at own conscience, as in tht presence of the Alnughty, the ques- tions then put to you by the Bishop, and demand of yourselves how you have fulfilled them ? "If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things ;" and as our service speaks, "if it shall happen the same Church, or any mem- ber thereof, to take any hurt or hinderance by reason of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the fault, and also the hor- rible punishment that must ensue." 2. Seek to have a fuller and deeper acquaintance with your IJibles. It is, I fear, one reason of the inattention of many of the laity to sermons, that they are not made so interesting and instructive as they might be. Either they are so unreasonably long, that every one but the preacher hinibelf secretly complains, or they are for the most part repetitions of one or two funda- mental truths well known to the hearers. Variety and fulness of matter and of interpretation of the Bible are requisite. Ani- mation of style and manner are especially to be desired in those who address the same flock every week. And what book pre- sents greater variety of subjects than the Bible ? We find in its sacred pages, history, prophecy, miracles, precepts, promises. A scribe instructed unto the kingdom of heaven ought to be ever learning something new to give interest and animation to his discourses. It will be of no use for us to accuse the people of love of novelty when rlie fault lies in our own torpor. A really valuable, solid, and earnest Pastor must win the attention of many amongst his flock. In order to an acquaintance with your Bibles, every Clergyman ought to have some knowledge of the original tongues. False interpretations and bad reading both arise from mi>;taking the meaning of the translation ; and it is a shame for aay Clergyman not to turn to his Greek Testament, and work out the passage for himself. Objections are now everywhere scattered broadcast, which ought to be met and con- futed, and a great many persons think of objections secretly, which they have not always the courage to avow. 3. Endeavour also to bging your own minds into more close and entire harmony with the Catechism, the Services, and Arti- cles of the Church. A Clergyman, who knows that if he had been asked to frame a service, he would have expressed himr,elf in terms altogether different from the Church, has yet much to learn. Christian humility would lead him at least to suspect that the fault lies in himself. Fredericton in 1856. 67 4. Endeavour to be more earnest and more useful in pastoral visiting, so as not only to please the people, which is not the first consideration, but to be of real service to them by knowing their characters, gaining their respect and confidence, and ministering to their spiritual wants. Those wants they are not always con- scious of themselves ; and there are those who turn a deaf ear to instruction. But we must deliver our own souls, and if wc neglect what is within our power, their blood will be required at our hands. 5. Amidst the many controversies and excitements of the day, always have some one book on hand which is devoted solely to practical sober piety, composed in some past age. Thus you will preserve yourself from dwelling too much on present evils or dangers, and your mind will preserve its balance. 6. If the necessities of the times enforce on some of you atten- tion to secular business, remember that this is only a necessity, not a general duty, and that it is a snare and temptation to the soul. A Clergyman might as well be a banker, or an auctioneer, as a farmer, if his whole mind be given to farming. If his ne- cessities require it, he must attend to iiuch things ; but as little as possible, not as other men do, as a pursuit, nor with their zest and interest. The Church is our farm, and the souls of men our harvest ; as a pursuit, all else is an impertinence and a mistake. 7. Re especially zealous in training the young. In proportion to our difficulties in respect to Parish Schools, of which we are all painfully sensible, our duty becomes more necessary to attend to Sunday Schools, and not only to teach them religion in gene- ral, but to put them in mind to be "sober minded, to be subject to principnlities and powers, to obey magistrates, to speak evil of 110 man, to be no brawlers, to count their own masters worthy of all honour, to adorn themselves in modest apparel with shame- facedness and sobriety." Such were St. Paul's injunctions, and they are equally binding now. We should also teach them to use and love their Prayer-Books, and that the question between members of the Church of England and others is no mere matter of taste, whim, or caprice, but involves deep substantial grounds of truth, requiring knowledge and discrimination ; and to teach them effectually, you should yourselves set an example of duti- fulness and charity towards each other, for otherwise they will neglect your teaching and follow your exumplc. 8. Even little proprieties and decencies due In \\\v House of r 2 68 A Charffe delivered at Fiederictou in 1 856. '' ■ ■'11 IIJ ' : m' li ■■1 i : 1,' K r "If 1 || 1 M- i tVI it God are indications of that reverential tone of mind which becomes the ambassador of the King of kings, and a slovenly ill-kept Church is far from being an indication of spirituality and holiness of heart. 9. liut above all, my beloved brethren, be mindful of your end. We have been spared to meet at this Visitation without those immediate tokens of God's chastening hand which on two former occasions deprived us of the services of two of our valued bre- thren. But the summons may be nigh when we know it not, and it is not only possible, but probable, that we may not all meet together in this house of prayer for another Visitation. If this should be so, whether the stroke fall on him who now addresses you, or on you my charge, may no self-deceit or worldly compliances, no indolence or backshding, destroy our work, and unfit us for the awful presence of our God ! May the realities of another world be ever before our eyes, and may we "judge our- ourselves that we may not be judged!" May we be more con- siderate and tender of the reputation of each other, not speakmg evil of each other publicly or secretly, but comforting, encou- raging, and building each other up in our most holy faith. May our parishes be full of the spirit of love and kindness, and each Pastor be an ensam|)le to the flock " in word, in conversation, in patience, and in purity." May our temperance and " moderation be known unto all men." Thus when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, we shall not be ashamed to meet Him at His coming. "Meditate on these things, give yourselves wholly to them, that your profiting may appear unto all." Amen. A CIAKGE DELIVERED IN ill CHIIIST CHUIICH CATHEDKAL, FREDERICTON, SEPT. I, I85fl. V ';M yii I ii A CHARGE DELIVEIIKD AT FUKDERICTON IN \H.VX RbVERKNU and dear liuETIIKKN, Though triennial visitations of the Clergy n\ay be considered by careless and indifferent persons to be only a customary form, speedily discliarged, and as speedily forgotten, no Clergyman who knows his duty can so regard them ; least of all, 1 hope, the person on whom the duty devolves of now addressing you. For I trust that none here present forget, that during the three years now past " the Lord of the vineya/d" has looked for good fruit at our hands ; that these years have taken away a part of the sum of life, of which, in many cases, but little remains j and that we are all nearer to that dread account, which we must give of our ministry at the judgment-seat of Christ. When we bear in mind St. Paul's description of what a Pastor should be ; when we read in Scripture the narrative of what the Ajjostle was ; when our ordination vows meet us here, as it were, face to face, how can we think of our final account without fear and trem- bling ? Nor do we meet to-day without other solemn recol- lections. The Venerable Archdeacon, whose kindly greeting, brotherly and valuable counsel were always extended to us on these occasions, is no more amongst us, and is himself gone to render that account which awaits all of us who remain. A promising and laborious young Clergyman has found an early grave in a foreign land, and our little band has been still further reduced by other causes on which I need not dwell, but which may well make us " all tremble for the ark of God." There are also grounds of peculiar anxiety, to which I must presently allude, which make me feel the burden of my cares especially heavy at this time. Our Church, and our people generally, may be said to be now on their trial ; a trial which m 72 A Charge delivered at M' I't It 5 ^'i i 1 ^: fi ill ? ii^i' >j is likely to be prolonged for several yeurs. und according to our behaviour under it, God will approve or condemn us, and posterity will either curse our apathy, or will " rise up, and call us blessed." We have a heritage to hand down unimpaired ; we have privileges of no ordinary kind to secure to others ; we have a " sacred deposit" of truth to keep inviolate. We have to " take heed to this our ministry, that we fulfil it." Let u^ all, then, laying aside party spirit, party names, and party differences, betake ourselves with one mind and one voice to prayer, humbly beseeching our common Father in Christ, that He would bestow on us all " the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord," that we may exhibit to the world that most edifying and convincing proof of the reality of our work, wise and godly counsel, and brotherly love For however the gifts of one Clergyman may be more attractive than those of another, however one mav imagine that his views of the truth of the Gospel may be clearer than those of another, the counnon good of all can only be pro- moted by our unity in action ; and those who do not belong to our communion, and many of those who are within it, will judge us, and will often judge the Church in which we are ministers, not by our party diiferences, but by our general con- duct towards our flocks, and towards each other. And differ- ences which seem important to us are not held in much esteem by them. The more need then, that while we hold firmly what we have subscribed, and believe to be true, we should remember how many, on all sides, some of whom seem to have been holier Christians than ourselves, have held and taught differently. Having made these general prefatory remarks, I now proceed to relate some of the facts, interesting to us and to our flocks, which have taken place during the last three years, and to sug- gest some reflections upon them, for our mutual benefit. And I shall also select a few other topics arising out of the difficulties of our position, or the peculiar circumstances of the times, on which I may venture some advice. TheBi- During the three years past I have confirmed 1,333 persons, shop's work jjjjjj j^^^g visited every Mission, and most of the Stations in the cese the last diocese. I have also ordained twelve Priests and ten Deacons, threeyears. have baptized many, both adults and infants, and have conse- crated six Churches and four Burial-grounds. The number of persons confirmed is larger, the number of Churches con- Frederii'ton in 1859. 73 sccrated Rinaller, than on former occasionH. Hut the truth is, we have already more Churches than the Clergy can properly supply, and we require a much more numerous body, to give to every Station a full service once on the Lord's day. Even this is less than is desirable. But how unsatisfactory is it to be obliged to give to any congregation no more than twelve services in the year, and of these often one third, or more, on stormy days, when many are prevented from attendance ? At present, however, we have no remedy but an occasional service during the week ; and 1 think it is far better to take no more duty on our hands than our strength will allow, and to perform that duty regularly and efficiently, and not to mul- tiply Churches beyond the number which we can serve with regularity. I advise you, where there are several Churches and Stations, to select one, the most promising and important, to vvliich your chief care should be given, which may serve as a centre of operations, and may prevent your work being frittered away by a number of services, which produce no per- manent effect. Where a Clergyman has several services, 1 strongly recommend a plan, which is found to answer well, and to cn&^iire a more punctual attendance. Let a list be printed, and circulated among the parishioners at the beginning of the year, containing every service, and the place and time of ser- vice. This order should be, as far as possible, rigidly ad- hered to. It seenjs not out of place here, to make a few remarks on the Confirma- important subject of Confirmation. I have before expressed my **''"• views on the difficult question, the limit of requirement which we should exact from the candidates for that holy rite. Two errors are to be avoided. The one is, the discharging this duty hastily, superficially, and with more regard to the numbers which can be brought to be Confirmed, than to an intelligent, serious, and holy engagement on the part of the candidates themselves. It is no time to seek out candidates for Confirm- ation when the Bishop comes into the parish, or into the neigh- bouring parish. The best way to prepare the candidates is to make out a list of all the young people of suitable age, at leatt a year beforehand. Time then will be afforded for seeing t ...jm leisurely and privately, for ascertaining their general habit of life, for suggesting to them their duty, for pointing out to them Scriptures to be read, books of useful information, and BBRR 74 A Chnnff ilelivereil at llpt'n U'; ■0' i; ' i lor ^raduiilly rniioviiig iVoiii their miiulM iiecdlcHs s(•rupI('^ or objections, wliirli others are constantly setting before tlicni. It is distressing to witness, «» I alvviiys do nt tin»es of Con- tirniation, the exceeding i)ains wliich are taken to prevent young persons from being (confirmed. These attacks will be best met by nnticipution, which will prevent the young from being sur- prised by the mention of objections. Another advantage which would arise from a longer and niore systematic preparation is, that the candidates would have more time to consider their duty in regard to the Lord's Supper, which many of them con- stantly neglect ; and they would likewise be more elfectually taught that their engagement is of a binding nature to the Church of England exclusively, and that they cannot break this engagenient, and fall away, as I fear too many do, into the sin of schism*. They would also be led to take the step after earnest prayer to God for His help and guidance, with a thought- ful and humble desire to do right, as in the sight of God. And where we are satisHed that the spirit and intention are good, every allowance must be made for ws-nt of education, or defect of expression. No doubt the kind of preparation which I now recommend will cost you a good deal of labour, but it is labour, not onlv well bestowed, but in the highest spiritual sense, renmnerativc. You will be more than repaid, if you can gather the younger members of the flock around you, and give them a permanent interest in the Church of England. One young man, well taught, and thoroughly grounded in his principles of duty, and prepared, by God's grace, to live as a consistent Church- man, will be worth more to you than a thousand hearers, who come to criticise and tolerate you, as long as you do not offend their prejudices, and who will desert you when offence is taken, and who never loved the Church, even when they profes.sed to admire the Pastor. * Every thoughtful person must Hee, that, if it were generally under- stood that those who are Confirmed, and wlio become Communicants in our Church, are at liberty to follow their own fancies in attending other places of wornhip, whercHoever and whenwoever they ])lease, there is an end to all HteadfaHtneHs of principle ; .-vud if Buch a view be conHiHtently followed, the t)ulpit8 of the Church of England ought everywhere to be o{)en to divines of all persuasions, and on no account ought any of them to be ro-onlained. In fact, Confirmation, under sucli circumstances, becomes an unmeaning form — a pretence of faithfulness nciver intended to bo realized. Surely we t;an give others credit for sincerity and piety, without such vacillation. The Clergy, by encouraging it, simply undo all their own work. Fi'eihricton in iS^t;. 75 lUit wliilwt 1 urge upon you all the duty of ttshiduous pre- puration of tlu- cuiulidatcH for C'onfirinution, as well uh of in- culcating on them the duty of faithfulness to the ('hurch, 1 also advise you not to exact from them too much. They ure, for the moHt part, young and inexperienced, and cannot be ex- pected to have attained that " ri])ene**t« and perfectncss of age in Christ," which belongs to the advanced Christian. Pro- fessions of religious experience, and of the dealings of God with their own souls, are not to be trusted ; and in most cases we cannot expect them to forego those recreations and amuse- ments, in which their elders and betters have always (as they suppose) innocently joined. These are points on which good men will always differ. My own persoiud feeling has been rather unfavourable to such amusements, but experience has shown me that the rein cannot be drawn too tightly without (lunger of a reaction ; and that if young people are not allowed to amuse themselves innocently in the presence of their elders, they will amuse themselves by stealth, and with less restraint. And the great problem to be solved is, how to use all God's gifts without abusing them. Dancing, for examplt is in itself no worse than running, jdaying at chess, or any other game of chatK r or skill, though, like all other recreation>j, it is easily capable of abuse. What is really objectionable is the unre- strained indulgence whirh sometimes accompanies it, as well as the lateness of the ' at which it is now fashionable to meet and separate. Bu uiy fear is, that if we exacted from every young person a ledge of abstinence from all such re- creations, we should, if we rould carry our point, only foster a morbid state of mind, or surround ourw^ Ives with persons who would deceive us, or iicmselves. or both. This question, no doubt, presents itself under a very tlifFerent aspi rt to a young person in the town, and n the country. In the town, the pledge to abstain from such recreations is virtually an exclusion from ordinary society ; in the f^ountry such an effect may not always follow. Whilst, therefore, a large margin may be al- lowed for discretion, my advice to you is, not to exact any pledges beyond what a fair and liberal construction of the ])romise made at the time of Confirmation seems to warrant, for the more pledges, the more snares to the conscience. At the same time, the small number of those who fulfil their vow, by partaking of the Lord's Supper, ought to be a very serious til II IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // // ^ A :, during the year now ending, have amounted to 2,231. Offertory collections are made at every Sunday ser- vice, and on all festivals, and though we have felt the pressure of the commercial crisis; they reached the sum of 331/. 19s. g^d. in the year 1858. More than 106Z. of this amount, however, was given to the Church Society, the Indian sufferers, the Clergy Mutual Insurance Society, the poor of the parish, and another special object. Of the remainder, the larger part was spent in providing light, fuel, attendance, repairs, sacramental wine, and other contingencies, leaving a small sum, 25/., applied to the use of the officiating Clergyman, and a small sum given to the Cathedral Endowment Fund. I am happy to add, thut the largest collections made in any one Church in the province for the Church Society were made in the Cathedral. Thus far, then, God has helped us. And I may fairly ask the Clergy to endeavour to urge their parishioners to increase their con- tributions in Church, at the half-yearly collections throughout the diocese. When I see, in the Annual Report, that our small population in Fredericton contributed upwards of 50/., which is more than one fourth of all the rest of the diocese, you will agree with me, that there is reason for increase. In several Churches no collection whatever is reported to have been made ; in many, only one in the year. And out of fifty Clergy, of whom only six or seven were Curates, the names of only twenty-one appear in page 44 of the Report, as having made collections in Churches for the Society. Making allow- ance for some possible error in the Report, I would earn- estly press upon you, that this duty should be punctually dis- charged twice a year, either in Jure and October, as heretofore, or in any month which you deem more suitable than June, now that the time for the Annual Meetings has been altered to July ; and that the collections, when made, should be transmitted, as soon as practicable, to the Treasurer. The steady advance of our annual subscriptions proves that the Society commends itself to the judgment and affections of all Churchmen ; and to the unanimous support which it meets with from the Clergy, much of i*s present prosperity is, no doubt, under God, to be ascribed. And it is peculiarly gratifying to find that, when so short a time has elapsed since our last Annual Meeting in January, no less than 1,000/. should have been contributed in July; and the more so, as the change itself, the desirableness of which Fredericton in 1859. 79 time only can show, was not likely at first to be productive of advantage to the interests of the Society. Whilst, however, I call on you to thank God for his blessing thus vouchsafed, and congratulate you on the success of our joint exertions, it is only right that 1 should call your special attention, and the attention of the laity, to the position of our Church at this time, that we may see what our duty is, and may know how best to discharge it. It has been very truly said, that our Church is a Missionary Position Church. No doubt it is exposed to many of the trials, and ?^ 9)'"'''''^ . . .in New must encounter many of the roughnesses, inec^ualities, and hm- Brunswick. derances of a missionary life. But this is not the whole aspect of it. Looking at the Statute-book, we see it called an Established Church. And while this expression has conferred on it very little, if any, advantage, it has exposed it to no small share of envy and obloquy. The Statutes of the time of King George the Third, represent a state of government, and of general feeling in the community, which no longer exists. It is now no passport to office, no recommendation to politicians, that a man is a Churchman; no casual revenue is apphed to the building of Churches. Yet ths feeling, generated by the original system, that, somehow or other, Government takes care of the Church and the Clergy, still exists, and prevents many from seeing their duty to the Church, as it really is. This notion is also strengthened by our connection with our father-land, where an Established Church exists in reality ; where tithes are paid for the support of the Clergy, and rates levied for the repairs of the fabric ; and where, in a large majority of parishes, the original or subsequent proprietors have given estates for the support of the Church. The paro- chial system there is a great blessing. Around the Church is a cluster of charities ; alms left in perpetuity for poor and needy members ; a school, it may be, wholly or partially, en- dowed, of which Churchmen are trustees ; a Church population, more or less devoted to the ancient system, and blessed by traditionary recollections of their parents, grand-parents, per- haps their ancestors having been connected with the parish, and buried in the churchyard. Each successive Parson, as the persona eccleske, succeeds to this natural, orderly, and godly inheritance. The making or marring of the parish rests not lillf w^msK^smBm 80 A Charge delivered at with any single man. The poor look up to him as their guar- dian and protector, and with ordinary diligence and zeal he is respected and beloved. The country Clergy of this diocese know how little there is, in this description, answering to their position. And yet emigrants, accustomed to thess bless- ings from their infancy, find it hard to look their position steadily in the face, and act up to their duty. And as the natives of the province have never seen the benefits of the old system, it is difficult to persuade them to provide what it is quite within their power to supply, so as to bring our paro- chial system somewhat nearer that of England. We have glebes, which yield little ; Churches without rates to maintain them ; Clergy without regular and systematic provision for their sup- port; large territorial parishes more full of Dissenters than Churchmen ; services required in more places than it is possible to visit ; parishioners living at vast distances from each other, who ask for the same care as if they were all gathered together comfortably and conveniently in one village ; and by intermar- riages, and want of instruction, the notions of a large number of our own people are altogether loose and indefinite. Hearing a good minister seems to be their summum bonum; " con- tinuing in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers," is, I fear, made a secondary consider- ation. We have also a rigorous climate, and a long trying winter to contend with. The education, which we have hitherto been able to give to our children, has been, for the most part, of a most defective kind. The common schools, of necessity, furnish no guarantee for a religious education ; and the Clergy depend for the instruction they can give to the young on the Sunday School. Yet, too often, they have no time to attend to it themselves ; and no Sunday School can flourish without their superintendence ; for in every such institution there should be a thorough and systematic training, if possible, both of the teachers and the children. And the books used should be ac- commodated to the capacities of the scholars, and should be selected and approved by the Clergyman. As, in short, this is, in many instances, your only opportunity of teaching them their religious duties and privileges, it behoves you to make the most of it ; and if well done, it would lead to the practice, too fatally neglected, of public catechising. FredeHcton in 1859. 81 Further : — we are likewise surrounded by religious bodies, of l" refer- whom I wish to speak with all possible respect, but of whoiu ^'"™*° °**'*' it cannot be said, with any show of justice, that they are friendly boS"* to our Prayer- Book. " Master, so saying, thou reproachest us als )," must apply to each one of them in turn, and we can- not avoid it. With all charity to them, we cannot make a new system, or unsay what we have all solemnly put our hands unto. Yet if the Reformation be a blessing, as we all believe it to be, some of our brethren must see themselves at fault ; if our Prayer- Book be one of the best fruits of that Reformation, those who have no Episcopacy must wish to vindicate their own position ; and they whose founder with his dying breath, earnestly en- treated them not to leave the Church of England, and threat- ened that " if they held meetings in Church hours, they should see his face no more," must desire to show that they do not consider Church privileges worth the sacrifice. On the other hand, our solemn oath at Ordination, our subscription before Ordination, our constant preparation of candidates for Confirm- ation, our refusal to open our Churches to ministers of other communions, and our re- ordination of those ministers when they conform ; customs which are no sign of particular parties in the Church of England, but are practised by all our Bishops, and by all our Clergy in all parts of the world, show that we regard our position as not only tolerable, but as a part of God's truth, founded on His Holy Word; which it is our duty, however painful, steadfastly to maintain, until our protest is no longer required, and the breaches of the Church Catholic shall be (and God grant they may be) entirely healed. Now, I say, that though our position may be a sound one, it is a position of no ordinary difficulty, and I am not surprised that we do not increase very largely : the wonder is, amidst bo many discouraging and adverse circumstances, that we are able to hold our own, which unquestionably we do. It ought to be rfmembered, also, that every expense con- nected with the fabric, or the services of the Church, falls upon the same persons, who are now called upon to support their own Clergy, a fact which our brethren in England, who have so largely benefited by the liberality of their ancestors, would do well to remember, more than some of them si^em now disposed to do. .4 ii . :1 « 82 A Charge delivered at Withdraw- Hitherto, however, we have been assisted by a liberal pecu- *f s ^ niary grant from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, for Propa- And though the largest sum allowed by that Society to its older gating the Missionaries is far smaller than any layman, moving in a re- ""P®** spectable sphere, would think sufficient to enable him to bring up a family upon, if he had no landed or other property to help him, yet, when counted as a whole, it undoubtedly amounts to a large sum of money. But, large or small, there is a general, and I beheve an increasing wish at home for its with- drawal. In the diocese of Toronto no payments are any longer made. In Montreal they are in course of reduction. In Nova Scotia a fixed period is appointed for their withdrawal. And in Quebec and New Brunswick continual deductions are made from the sums formerly granted for the support of the Clergy. From Trinity Church, and St. James, in St. John ; from Fred- ericton, St. Andrew's, Nelson, and BlackviUe, their assistance has been taken wholly ; from Portland, Musquash, Prince Wil- liam, Douglas, and Bathurst, a portion has been removed ; and all other Missions, after any vacancy, by death or otherwise, must expect their turn of total loss or partial deprivation. A resolution of the Society, at one of its last public meetings, at which His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury presided, re-affirms their determination, as regards the whole of British North America *. Now, it would be madness not to see that such a determin- ation on the part of those who have assisted us with great kindness for a long time, and who have a right to say how their money shall be employed, provided good faith be kept, involves us (as a Church) in very serious responsibility. Either we must provide for the support of our Churches, and of the ministers who serve them, and provide creditably and speedily, or our Missions must in many cases be abandoned. Let all Churchmen consider what must follow the abandonment of any Mission, if even a poor country Mission. The Church is closed. The parsonage is shut up. The usual * I thought it r^ht to protest, when in England last year, against the withdrawal or diminution of the grant made by the Society, in case of ex- change of Missions by two Clergymen, which act only subjects them and ourselves to serious inconvenience, but seems to me wholly uncalled for. We all understand, that after death a reduction is to be made. Fredii'ieton in i H59. 8B Bion. regular round of services and sacranients is discontinued. The Conse- Sunday School no longer assembles under the approving eye JJo "losin' and cheerful superintendence of its proper guide. The inspired of a Miu- Word is no longer publicly read. Irregular habits are formed. Prayer is neglected, and the young begin to pass the Lord's day in listless idleness or dissipation ; or if more serious, they often join another Communion. Children die without baptism. Suflferers linger on in pining sickness, longing for the well- known footstep and familiar voice of their Pastor, but no one comes to read and pray, And console them. Or if a visit be paid, a new system is to be learned, the Prayer-Iiook is laid aside as useless, their baptism is disallowed, their whole mind is disquieted, and being assured that their life has been all wrong, and their convictions of truth an entire delusion, trem- bling on the verge of eternity, they renounce their baptism, swallow with credulity a new faith, wild with fear and excite- ment, and lurn their backs on all that they have held dear in religion. Meanwhile, the Church or Churches, to which wc have all contributed, which the Societies at home have liberally aided, to which the parishioners have pointed with pleasure and with pride, as the fruit of their labours, fall into decay ; the parsonage is occupied by others, the whole parish is a moral ruin. And who can think without horror of the mul- tiplication of this evil, and of the desolation and waste of God's heritage, which it is given us to preserve, to build up, to en- large and beautify, not to destroy ? These souls are, it is true, at present under the charge of one appointed Pastor, but they are all our joint care, and no single member of the Church of England in this province has a right to say that he does not care for them. Nor is this the only evil connected with the abandonment of Missions. The social loss may, perhaps, come home to some minds, which would not be suitably affected by the spiritual evil. In our remote country Missions, the Pastor is sometimes the best educated man in a considerable district; he has sympathies and feelings not wholly confined to the narrow spot of ground on which he moves; he is desirous, as far as he is able, to refine the taste and soften the as- perities of his neighbours, and diffuss a larger measure of in- telligence amongst them, by means of religious and useful publications. He lends his aid and countenance to all useful and industrial undertakings, and is a foremost man in the work I ' I [;?: l!i G 2 84 A Charge delivered at of general education. If he be a married man. (and St. Peter, whom our Roman Catholic brethren hold up to ub aa their head and pattern, was " himself a married man,") the domestic influences of a married priest are of no small use in softening the difficulties of a parish. H's wife is, or ought to be, fore- most in assisting her husband in ministering to the sick and the poor; and many acts of sympathy may be performed by her which money cannot purchase, and which bind the hearts of the parishioners to her!>elf and her husband. All these influences for good— socially, morally, bpiritually — are with- drawn, and every one is left to take care of himself. Duty of But it may be said. What is the remedy ? Can it be expected Cliorchmen ^y^^^ ^ ^^^^ country should supply incomes for fifty Clergy, and Brunswick, should make up a deficiency, which must amount to many thou- sand pounds ? It cannot be expected, certainly, that poor men should do this. But it is expected, nay, it is the positive duty of the wealthy Churchmen in New Brunswick, whether their money have descended to them by grants of land from the Crown, or has been made by God's blessing on their abilities 1 ,1 1 and industry in the legal profession, in mercantile pursuits, in agriculture, or in any other honourable way of life, to provide liberally for the spiritual wants of their less wealthy brethren in this province. This is a duty which all ages have acknow- ledged, which the founders of our common Christianity re- commended; which cannot be neglected without subverting the foundation of religion itself. One noble example of such liberality, arising, I firmly believe, from a profound conviction of duty, and from no meaner motive whatever, was set by the late Chief Justice, but has been followed only in three or four instances, as far as my knowledge extends. But what we now require is not a few isolated instances of generosity, but a general contribution, arising from a general sense of duty. We do not appeal merely to wealthy merchants and landowners in St. John, but to every Churchman who has a stake in the country, to all who sincerely love their Church and their religion, and fear their God; and we say, On you rests the feat.ul responsi- bility of continuing or of destroying the services of the Church of England in this province. The crisis, long expected, is now come. The funds raised by the Church Society, though large and increasing, are not capable of bearing this great burden. You must now do as your ancestors in England did, endow the Frederioton in 1859. 8d Church in perpetuity for the public good, nay for your own good, and the good of your children after you. We do not dictate to you the amount which you should give, nor the man- ner in which your offering should be ap|)lied. But it will be a disgrace to the Church of which you are members, to the country which sustains you. it will be unfortunate for your re- potation, if you allow the Church to perish, or to be materially weakened, by refusing to extend a liberal hand in this emer- gency. And we call on you, on strictly Scriptural principles, to do this. The Clergy of this province do not ask for large in- comes, and luxurious fare. They ask only for necessaries. They require that they should have an income which, with prudence and ntrict economy, will keep them free from debt. And they require assistance in the education of their children, where they are married and have offspring. And unless some plan be adopted, which will either raise the income of the Church Society to the amount necessary to meet these claims, or an Endowment Fund be raised, the Missions in poor districts musi;, in a very few years, be abandoned altogether. Already, the scantiness of the incomes of the Clergy has begun to react on the ministry, and for the first time in my Episcopate I am unable at present to fill the vacant Missions for want cf men. In Nova Scotia they have already begun to act on these con- victions. Not only has the sum of lo.oooZ. been raised by Churchmen in that colony for the Collegiate Institution at Wind- sor, but a large sum has been already subscribed for an Endow- ment Fund, and collections are being made in various parts of the country for this object, and the amounts are very consider- able. I do not believe that, in our case, the means are deficient, and I hope the will to perform will not be wanting. Only let the magnitude of the object be duly felt, and we shall find means to compass it. It is not necessary that we should adopt every rule laid down by our brethren in Nova Scotia ; but that we should act, and act promptly, is not only desirable, but necessary, I may say, to our existence as a spiritual society. In any plan of ope- rations^ I should be desirous of being assisted by your advice, and by that of laymen of judgment and experience; and it might be deemed proper that a committee should be named to advise with me on this important subject, and that measures should be taken to bring this matter distinctly before the minds of the , Si I, I m h6 A Charrjc delivered at \h meiuber» of cur communion *. Uut let this be remembered by all concerned, that we require nothing which Holy Scripture does not recommend, and which St. Paul does not enjoin upon all his flocks. If the Apostle for a season abstained from taking contributions from the Corinthians, and wrought with his own hands to support himself, it was to deprive a wealthy and luxu- rious people of matter of accusation against him, rather than his customary practice, or tl)at of his fellow Apostles ; and in these days working with our hands for our support, would be simply so much time and thought taken from the people who require our care. The offer- I also hope that, in all our works of charity we shall bear in *°'^' mind that whatsoever is given, in order to its acceptance, must be given as an offering of love to God. It is on this ground that the Church of England rests the offertory. Our alms are collected in time of public worship, when we meet together to confess our sins before God, obtain His pardon, strengthen our faith, and show forth its fruits. Having been collected by " deacons, or other fit persons," they are brought to the priest, who offers them to God as the fruit of our faith and love at His Table, beseeching Him to accept, for Christ's sake, both them, and our souls and bodies, as " a willing sacrifice." And the sentences appointed to be read are of such a kind as absolutely forbid the supposition, that the Church ever intended that the money so collected should be applied exclusively to the poor. For several of the sentences relate wholly to the support of the ministry ; as for example, the following : ** If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things ?" " Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock ?" "Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." This offering is called by St. Paul " the sacrifice and service of our faith." And though this does not prevent our giving at other times and in other ways, yet it shows us in what manner of spirit we should be when we give lo God. My reverend brethren will, I trust, pardon me, if I respectfully, but decidedly, express my hope, that they will re- consider the subject of offerings made for Churches, and other * If ny question should be raised respecting the patronage of beneficeB endow ud by the Laity, I should be perfectly willing that such benefices should be placed in the presentation, or alternate presentation, of the families who endow. But the Laity must remember, that the difficulty in these cases would not lie with me, but with the Crown. Fi'tidericton in 1859. 87 1 by ture ipun king own uxu- 1 his ie«e iply mire charitable objectn, atid remembering that the Word of God is our only rule of faith, will examine for themecIveH how far bazaars, and other such modes of collecting- inoncy, ran be connidered Scriptural methodH of gathering the alnis of the faithful. Cun it be pretended that anything at aU resenihling such a procedure is recommended or permitted in Holy Scripture ? St. Paul's direc- tions for charitable objects are brief, but emphatic and com- prehensive ; that " on tlie first day of the week each one should lay by in store as God hath prospered him ;" and he adds, that this godly custom of separating a part of .. ar incomings for re- ligious uses, should be observed both in the Churches of Galatia and Corinth. The Apostle, in short, speaking by the Spirit of God, "ordains" it*. Have we any right to alter or abolish it, or substitute another method for it } Jiazaars are, doubtless, a most Bazaan. convenient mode of raising a large sum of money, easily, and at once. But how much more acceptable in God's sight may we suppose that such an offering would be, if the work were begun, continued, and ended in Him, and humbly presented as the fruit of our deep conviction of His immeasurable love, and of our deep unworthiness ? The trade carried on at a bazaar, the amuse- ment, the refreshments for the body, the mirth and raillery, are perfectly innocent in ordinary life, but they are not part of our charity, nor of our worship. Nor are they meet to take the place of charity in any place which is to be immediately dedicated to God's honour and worship. And as they take their standard from the world, they partake of the lowness of the associations of the world. The objects to which all eyes are directed are money and amusement. How perfectly out of place, at such a time, would it appear, if the assembled crowd were summoned to partake of the Lord's Supper, or to listen to the seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel ! Yet if we meet to offer ourselves • " A» to teason — 'upon the first day of the week.' The Chrii ''an Sab- bath Day, the day of the Lord's resurrection, and of spiritual invigoration and progress. As to persons — ' Let every one of you,' old and young, rich and poor, all possessing any personal means. As to method — 'Lay by him in store.' Place it in a sacred treasury, ready for occasions of use. As to measure — 'Ah God hath prospered him,' according to the gains and mercies of the week. As to the principle of this method — ' That there be no gather- ings when I come.' No need for appeal to inferior motives ; but that all may be provided beforehand, as of conscientious purpose and bountiful de- votion; and may, consequently, exoeed in measure and moral worth the combined results of all other methods, being the result of the loftiest prin- ciple, and the full aggregate of ail that ought in justice to he so employed." Essay, by the Rev. J. Koss, a Nonconformist Minister, in " Gold and the Gospel," p. lys. Ill 88 A Charge delivered at \ki and our substance to the Lord, theee aweet memorials of His dying love would be entirely in season, and Mice Manoah's sacri- fice, our alms would ascend in the flame of the altar. Imagine, in such a promiscuous crowd, bartering their wares, the venerable Apostles coming in, to receive and present to their Divine Master, the hjly and united oflfering of these Christians' love. The men and the words seem misplaced. And when we see, instead of these high and heavenly motives, the lowest animal instincts of our nature occasionally appealed to, I wonder how people can imagine that they can preserve in their minds a sense of what is due to God, when they make an offering to Him. To a Christian every act of his life ought to be an act of worship. His rising from rest, his private prayers, his daily meals, his family devotions, his attention to business, his very recreations, his alms, and all the actions of his life, are consecrated by prayer and thanksgiving ; and no part of his duty is more solemn than his rendering back to God a portion of these gifts, which Christ purchased with His precious blood, and of which, " when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the Holy Angels with Him," He will say, if offered in faith and love and hohness, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." I beg you to understand, that these words are not meant as censure of what any of yuu may have been led to do in your extremity, by the advice and offers of others. I take it for granted, that no Clergyman would prefer to collect his money by a bazaar in preference to a more Scriptural method. It is re- sorted to when charity languishes, and other methods fail. I am fully aware of the difficulties under which you labour, the low tone of society in general, the tempting offers made to you by the laity, the certainty of finishing great and good works, in which you are deeply interested. But pardon me if I observe, that building of Churches is only one of the means to a great end ; and the end is the building up of living temples of the Holy Ghost. The end is the inculcation of he highest motives by the means which the Word of God proposes, and by no others ; lower motives may build Churches, but will not save souls*. And if you encourage men to give on the lower principle, it will be much more difficult to raise iheni to the higher. F'- the world is an apt scholar in lowering of ntotives. There are * It -wtw by the sale of indulgences fur the purpoHe of buihling St. Peter's Church in Roire, that so much evil wai done before the Reformation. Fredericton in 1859. 89 people enough already who come to Church for amusement, and regard us, and all our proceedings, as little better than the acts and actors in a play. What I have now said, however, I have said only from the desire of conforming strictly to the Scripture, and of recommending to you what I shall have no need to blush for when I hear it again, as part of ray own work, at the great day of account *. I pass to other topics, which I cannot leave untouched. If I do not say much now on the subject of the manner of per- forming the rites of the Church, reading Holy Scripture publicly, and preaching, it is not that I am less sensible of their great im- portance (I hope I am far more sensible of it), but that having dwelt so often on these subjects, I am unwilling to repeat myself. Yet I would particular'y beseech the younger Clergy to remember how much just cause of complaint they give to others, if they perform any part of the service in an irreverent manner, and that inattention to small things, as well as to great, mutiladon of the services, hurrying the p-ayers and lessons, carelessness in regard to the Lord's Supper, slovenliness in any holy actions, must con- vey to others the idea, that we are not thoroughly in earnest. Strict at- tention to their Min- isterial duties es- sential in the Clergy. I I it * After having written my Charge, I lighted upon some remarks in a small work by Mr. H. Taylor, a very elegant and philosophical writer, which are so apposite, that I make no apology for extracting them. " There are some other ways of the world, in this matter of charity, which proceed. I think, upon false principles and feeling \ — charity dinners, oharity balls, charity bazaars, and so forth ; devices (not even once blessed) for getting rid of distress without calling out any compassionate feeling in those who give, or any grateful feeling in those who receive. God sends misery and mis- fortune into the world for a purpose ; they are to be a discipline for His creatures who endure, and nlso for His creatures who behold them. In those they are to give occasion for patience, resignation, the spiritual hopes and aspirations which spring from pain when there comes no earthly relief, or the love and gratitude which earthly ministrations of relief are powerful to promote. In these they are to give occasion for pity, self sacrifice, and devout and dutiful thought, subduing, for the moment at least, the light, vain, and pleasure-loving motions of our nature. If distress be sent into tlie world for these ends, it is not well that it should be shuffled out of the world without any of these ends being accomplished ; and still less that it should be made the occasion of furtherin/i; ends in some measure opposite to these ; that it should be danced away at a ball, or feasted away at a din- ner, or dissipated at a bazaar. Better were it, in my mind, that misery should run its course with nothing but the mercy of God to stay it, than we should thus corrupt our charities. Let me not be misunderstooid. Feasting and dancing, in themselves and by themselves, I by no means disparage ; there is a time and a place for them ; but things which are excellent at one time and occasion, are a mere desecration at another. It is much more easy to desecrate our duties than to consecrate our amusements ; and better, therefore, not to mix them up with each other." — ^Tatlok's Notes from Life, p. 15. Murray, 1854. i 1"^ i 90 A Charge delivered at Can any one of us conceive the injury which an inattentive, irreverent, apathetic, negligent Clergyman does to mankind ? In this view, how really fearful are the words of the Ordination service ! " If it shall happen that the same Church, or any member thereof, shall take any hurt or hinderance by reason of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the fault, and also the horrible punishment that will ensue." These aie words which may make the holiest tremble, and should wring with anguish the heart of a careless or negligent Clergyman. For if he do not tremble and "repent and do the first works" — then God help him, he is wholly lost. Sermons. With regard to Sermons, I have in former addresses offered advice on the best mode of composition, on their length, on the variety of topics which they shovdd embrace. On such matters I hope to be always learning something useful to the end of my life. And the subject is so important, that I may be excused for adding some brief remarks on the present occasion. 1. We must recollect, that a higher standard of preaching is required of us than of our predecessors, in consequence of a more generally diffused education. Our hearers are always tuore dis- posed, and are in some cases more competent to criticise, than they were in former days. And many of them have volumes of good original sermons in their possession, by which our efforts in the same direction may be tested. Sermons on mere general subjects — such as the happiness of the righteous, and the misery of the impenitent — will not now be interesting or useful. There must be a fulness in the treatment of doctrine, an aptness at ex- planation of places of Holy Scripture, an unction in speaking of holy things, and an earnestness and reality of speech, or our efforts will be little valued. 2. The time given by our hearers to serious thought is after all very short. If you consider the necessary business of your people, their temptations, and their hinderances to devotion, the many Sundays when they stay at home, or are sick, and that one half hour is all they allow us to give to an earnest address on the subject of religion, how unspeakably important it is that we should make the best of that short time, and send them away with some- thing to reflect upon! some warning driven home, some "nail fixed in a sure place," some promise cheeringly made clear, some doctrine powerfully and practically enforced on their attention. In every sermon the preacher should aim at a definite object. Fredericton in 1859. 91 c, The whole Gospel is so vast and complicated a scheme, that the attempt to bring in every part of it at once must be a failure, and must end in meaningless phrases, which are not practically useful. And whatever be our subject, if it be Scriptural, and the founda- I tioD on which we build be sound, the Gospel is preached, as indeed it was preached by our Lord in the sermon on the mount, though neither the atonement, nor justification by faith were directly named therein. Yet it would be impossible to mention a grace there recommended, in which both these doctrines are not implied. 3. In the preparation of your Sermons, as well as in reading Study of j the second Lessons, I particularly advise you always to make use *Jie week , of the original Greek. However faithful be our translation, (and indispen- of its general accuracy there can be no reasonable doubt,) a sable, sound exposition of Scripture is impossible without reference to . the original, for without it we often misunderstand the translu> tion, and we constantly misread it. And in the Gospels and Epistles (especially in the Epistles of St. Paul) there are niceties of expression, and shades of meaning, which no foreign tongue can express, and which, therefore, no translation can convey to the mind of the reader. What translation can reach the force of the words in the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, rendered " kindly a£Fectioned one to another with brotherly love," or "not slothful in business," lazy in your speed; or of the testamentary covenant in the 9th chapter of that to the Hebrews* or of the being " offered on the saci ifice and service of your faith," in the Epistle to the Philippians^, his pouring out his life's blood as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and liturgical prayers of his faithful converts, his martyrdom, being well rewarded by their conversion ? And what but the Greek can be our guide in the double emphasis of "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" — the word «• my" being transposed from its usual place in the sentence for . the purpose of emphasis^ ? It is true that salvation may be had without the understanding of these, and similar forms of speech ; but in us, as teachers of the word, a far more accurate knowledge is required than in laymen. And unless we possess that know- ledge, how can we meet and answer with solidity and force the heresies which prevail, the ever-varyujg forms of error on all sides, the wrestings of Holy Scripture, the building piecemeal upon single « Ch ii. 17. ^ St. John xiii. 6. KiV«*, ^^ /"ow »'/irr*t» ro\n wMiat ; 92 A Charge delivered at Words- ' worth's fCommen- ^tary on 'N.T.reconv I mended. Prenoh's ?hilologi- Works com- laended. texts, men *' worshipping their own imaginations. " and neglecting the great body of revealed truth ? The popular taste is satisfied with u very shallow theology. The repetition of a few leading doctrines, the announcement of a few stereotyped phrases, a pleas- ing utterance, friendly manner, earnest way of preaching, and dili- gent visiting, are in its judgment sufficient to make the Divine. But far more than this is required of those who would bring forth out of their " treasures things new and old." I strongly recommend to you to secure, as a help to your studies, Dr. Wordsworth's Com- mentary on the New Testament. It possesses qualifications not found in equal fulness in any Commentary with which I am acquainted. You will find in it : — i. The deepest reverence for the inspiration of Scripture, of which many have lax and defective views. 2. A great insight into the spiritual meaning of Scripture, with a careful adherence to its literal facts. 3 . An ample store of patristic learning, and of the admirable comments of our Re- formers and other chief Anglican Divines, as well as copious references to larger works. 4. A full discussion on critical points, especially on questions of chronology, and the authorship and object of the several portions of the inspired writings. 5. A fuller illustration of the meaning of many difiUcult texts than is to be found in most other commentators, as far as my knowledge extends ; and 6, which i deem especially desirable, the reader is not perplexed often (as is the case in other Commentaries) with a vast multitude of interpretations. 7. The whole is conceived in a charitable, moderate spirit, with a decided loyalty towards the Church of England. The addition of maps would make this invaluable to every Clergyman ; and it is greatly to be desired that it may be founJ practicable to reduce its price. 4. One word more, and I detain you no longer on this subject. It is of the highest importance to the whole community that you should keep watch over the style in which your sen- tences are composed. Living as we do so near the border land, where corruptions of every kind are found, and are imported among us, we must beware lest we fall unawares into common- place vulgarity. Already, the occasional language even of public speakers defies all grammar, and belongs to no known tongue ; and it will require all our care and diligence to preserve that wholesome Saxon, uf which our Bible translation supplies so rare and noble an example. For this purpose, 1 recommend to you all the philological works of the Dean of Westminster, most of Fredtricton in 1859. 98 which are published in a cheap form in the United States ; such as Trench on the '• Study of Words," " English, Past and Pre- sent," •• the Synonymes of the New Testament," his work on " Proverbs," and his " Glossary of English Words." The study of these little works will give you information which cannot readily be obtained from any other source, and will help to purify and invigorate your style, and make it intelligible, manly, and chaste. I come now to a far less pleasing topic, which I would gladly have passed by, had I deemed it consistent with my duty so to do. Since we last met, several cases have occurred among the Clergy, which have given me unusual anxiety and pain. But I must do the great body of those whom I address the justice to say of them, that not only in their own lives are they exempt from reproach, but that they earnestly desire that the discipline ' of the Church should be firmly and temperately maintained. My | own course in reference to such matters has been founded on the following principles, which I submit to you are reasonable and sound, though I will not undertake to say that I have been fault- less in the application. 1 . It is clearly not my duty to seek for matter of accusation Matters of against any of the Clergy, nor to procure evidence against them, ^^^scipline. Complaints, if made, should proceed from one of their own body, or of the Laity of their parishes, who are officially charged with the duty of watching over the interests of the Church. ; 2. I am bound not to receive any accusation except in writ- \ ing, signed by responsible parties, and capable of being sup- ported by sufficient evidence, of which the accused should have L full notice. I 3. If no charge be brought before me officially, but the facts are admitted by the offender, I must be allowed to deal with the matter as I deem best for the interests of the Church, after ^ taking the best advice I can obtain. 4. I hold that no Clergyman should be deprived of his office | for any single offence, which does not amount to a high degree j of criminaUty. Every one is entitled to the benefit of repentance and amendment of life ; and I differ wholly from such as have censured me for not proceeding at once to harsh and rigorous measures against some who have offended. And I am prepared, privately or publicly, before God and man, to justify my own course of proceeding herein. But one thing is undeniable, that '•!.l! ;i : 94 A Charge delivered at I I Ervingite wot. no offence or scandal has ever remained long unredressed by me, since I came to the diocese ; and that in Jmost every instance in which I have been charged by some with negligence or too great indulgence, in the selfsame cases others have considered uiy con- duct harsh and hasty. Both charges cannot ac the same time be true : and my conscience bears me witness, that 1 have endea- voured to avoid both errors ; but I dare not affirm that I have done so with uniform success. But let my accusers remember that they themselves are men ; and above all, let them not visit my supposed offence on the Church to which we all belong, and by these means, even if I be wrong, publicly condemn them- selves. For how can it be the duty of any to mark their eense of a Bishop's error, by committing another fault in their own persons ? Two faults surely do not make one virtue^ The faults of others ought to be regarded by us all as so far our own, as we are members of one body ; and " if one member suffer, all the members must suffer with it." Let us all learn from such misfortunes, humility, watchfulness, and tenderness of soul ; let our prayers be daily offered up, not only for ourselves, but for each other, that we may all walk worthy of our high vocation, serving the Lord " with all humility and singleness of heart," that we " may stand perfect and complete in all the work of God." In common with yourselves, I lament that two Clergymen, lately beneficed in this diocese, have been so ill advised, as, after leaving it, openly to connect themselves with the Irvingite sect. Neither of them had publicly avowed his opinions before he left us ; and though I was aware of the tendency in one of the cases alluded to, I hoped that my leniency and forbearance would have led to a different result. Nothing however occurred before their departure which would have warranted me in proceeding publicly against either of them. Their position is now totally altered. Residing in the diocese of Toronto, they have no license from the Bishop, and are both schismatically ministering to certain followers of their party, in direct violation of their Ordination vows. Having lately paid a visit to this province, they proceeded to circulate a pamphlet among the Clergy, the statements of which are quite sufficient to condemn them ; and they endeavoured to unsettle the minds of some of the Laity by introducing the sub- ject of their peculiar doctrines. I was compelled therefore to refuse to admit them to the Holy Communion, and I now enjoin Fredericton in 1859, 95 the same course upon yourselves ; and I trust that after this pub- lic declaration, no Laymen will allow them to make use of their hospitality rs a means of disseminating their dangerous errors. The sect to which they belong was first formed under the minis- try of the Rev. Edward Irving, a Presbyterian, who imagined that it had pleased God to revive the miracle of Pentecost, by inspiring some of his followers to speak with new tongues. On examination by the learned, it was discovered that the new lan- guage resembled no other in existence, and consequently could be of no possible use in the conversion of the heathen ; and that, on this account, instead of being " a sign to unbelievers," which was the object of the Pentecostal gift, it was a sign, if real, only to those who possessed it. It was at length confessed by a convert* to be nothing more than a putting together of a jumble - of English letters, so as to wear the appearance of an unknown tongue ; a most certain indication of delusion, either purely men- tal, or Satanic ; and it seems now to have worn itself out, as we hear little said about it. These enthusiasts were not however satisfied with a claim so easily detected by the learned. They further gave out, that they were called by God to revive the Apostolate. Such of them as pretended to be prophets, called on others to take on themselves the offic«. of Apostles ; and at length twelve men were set apart for this office, who reside, I believe, most of them in England, and are some of them, un- doubtedly, engaged in secular callings. No one can fail to see how entirely opposed this is to the call- ing of the Apostles in the New Testament. All the first twelve were called immediately by our Lord, tvhen He was on earth. After the death of Judas, St. Matthias was chosen by Divine interposition, (" show whether of these two thou hast chosen/') and St. Paul was called by a Divine manifestation from heaven. No other persons pretended to the same peculiar call. The Apostles confined themselves strictly to the work of the ministry, and appointed Deacons, that they might not " serve tables." But in what passage of the New Testament is there any indication that another body of twelve would again be Divinely chosen? The Apostles were called by Christ. These persons were nomi- nated by their friends, and ascribed it to the Holy Ghost. The 1*^; :i:»:i m :?t- * Mr. Baxter. 90 A Charge delivered at i\ tii It! Apostles all spuke with tongues, foreign, indeed, to the Jews of Jcrubulem, but perfectly intelligible to those whom they ad- dressed. These pretenders to the Apostolate do not all speak even in the one unintelligible tongue, which proves to be a jumble of broken English. The Apostles went everywhere, " the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by signs follow- ing," in presence of multitudes of the heathen. One of the lead- ing pretended Apostles confines his labours chiefly to the British Senate, where we hear of him filling men's mouths with laughter at his witty speeches. Such is their Apostolate ; founded on a gross delusion in its origin, and tending to the subversion of all order and authority in the Church of God, under the guise of reverence for the Church*. Mixed with this, we find prophe- cies of the speedy coming of Christ at a definite time, contrary to the express declaration of our Saviour, that " of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only." I need say no more to induce you to beware of the attempts of such men. And I believe we are not passing the limits of charity if we say, that we fcir they are like those whom St. Paul describes as " false Apostles, deceitful workers, trans- forming themselves into the 'Apostles of Christ." But I trust that " their folly shall be manifest unto all men," as that of other deceivers was. And it is remarkable, that this modern delusion, like all others, has its counterpart in ancient days. Tertullian's account of Priscilla and Montanus, and their followers, closely resembles the pretensions of the deluded followers of Edward Irving, who, indeed, died repenting of his illusions and mistakes. I cannot wholly pass by another instance of error, which un- perversion h^ppjiy excites more attention. And though this diocese is Church of happily free, and I earnestly trust will continue to be free, from .Rome. similar instances of perversion, yet as our late friend and asso- ciate seems disposed to " busy himself in other men's matters," and intrude into places where he has no call, I may be excused I horn adding a few words on his case. To my mind, who have always been nursed in the bosom of our beloved and honoured Church, and distinctly cherish the remembrance of an earnest A case of * Though great respect is pud outwardly to the Episcopal office by saeh persons, yet it soon ceases, when any difference arises between us and them- selves ; and it is then maiiifest that the " Apostles" claim to inherit a31 the prerogatives of Vicara of Christ as truly as we Pope of Rome. Frederivton in 1^59. 97 wish, ut the age of five ycjirs from my birth, never uftcrwnrdH intermitted, to enter her holy ministry, his aecount of his Ordi- nation, life, and conversion to Roue, appears perfectly suicidal. I do not pretend to understand the feelings of any man, who could allow himbelf to be ordained, standing in doubt, where the Church required him to promise, and where he did promise, that he stood in no doubt whatever I do not comprehend how any man, still doubting, could allovv himself to be summoned by the Laity of the Church in Halifax, to be their special champion against the Church of Rome, and also could deliberately print his convictions of the errors of that Church. N • do I see how any man, sincerely attached to the communion v/hich he still professed to love, could resort for secret help to its professed enemies, and never to ita many learneu defenders, any of whom would have been ready to help him. But I still less understand how any man of judgment and sense, can expect men of sense to listen to him, when he informs us in his second pamphlet, p. 13, that his conversion was owing to his witnessing the funeral of the late Archbishop of Halifax, and describes the " slow and so- lemn procession, the long train of Ecclesiastics, the chanting of the Psalms, the fragrance of the incense, the lighted tapers, and elevated cross," as* incidents tending to the sudden change in his mind. When a man is so weak as to allow even his sense of per- fumes to be pressed into the service as a motive for his conver- sion, I really hope there is sufficient common sense left among us to reject his proposals. His arguments in general must have something better in them than this, or no one would read them ; but I observe of them all, that there is not one which has not been often urged, and as often refuted. In Bishop Gibson's most valuable work, " Preser- vative against Popery," — being a collection of Tracts written by the most learned of our Divines in the time of James the Second — you will find every of Mr. Maturin's arguments solidly and ad- mirably answered by anticipation. And there is nothing in his pamphlet which is not set forth with all the elegance of graceful verse by Dryden, in his " Panther and Milk-white Hind." In- deed, if the controversy have changed at all since 1688, it has changed, as I conceive, in our favour ; partly because the Church of England has exhibited so many and striking evidences of in- ternal Ufe and holiness, of external development and progress, and of all the signs of the Divine blessing which accompany and 98 A Charge delivered at \\ follow such a manifestiUioii* ; und partly, becaut>u the Church of Rome has added another astoundijig proof, that she is not ashamed to require aa an article of faith what the Scriptures nowhere teach, what the Creeds of the Catholic Church no- where contain, what the ancient Doctors and Martyrs expressly disavow, what the most emit>ent Romish writers of later date stedfastly deny, and therefore, to use Mr. Maturin's words, she is, out of her own moutl: convicted ** of havinp contradicted her- self in an article of the faith which she has now positively de- fined," and has placed herself in open opposition to Scripture, reason, and testimony. It id not my intention t«) enter fully into the controversy, for several reasons, i . 'ITiis oifending Clergyman was not in my juris- diction, but in that of my revered brother, who has already dealt with the case as he saw fit : and 2. Mr. Maturin's first pamphlet has already met with a full and convincing answer, written by one of our own body, to whom I desire to return my own thanks, publicly, for his well-timed and very able defence of our Church against an ingenious, and in spite of all his apparent charity, a very unsparing adversary. Mr. Maturin's pamphlet will do good service in one respect, whatever evil it may do in others. It Real and must be evident to all thinking men among us, that we can have avowed Po- ^^ peace with Rome, because her motto is " Delenda est Car- Church of thago." Her openly avowed policy is to rise on the ruins of us Rome. all. She allows neither the validity of our Baptism, nor of our Orders, nor even of our Faith ; we are treated simply as heathens. "There is no real alternative," says Mr. Maturin, p. 85, " be- tween the principle of infallibility and the principle of infidelity," Either then we must believe all that the Roman Church now ft * " It is only forty-five years since the first Missionary landed among the cannibals of New Zealand. It is only twenty years since the Colony was formed. Yet, on the 5th of March, 1859, the first meeting of a General Synod of our Church was held, at which four Bishops, the representatives of sixty Clerg3^en, and Lay deputies representing several ^ousand Laity, were present. During the Synod another Bishop was consecrated, making the fifth ; and a sixth was shortly expected to be appointed to take charge of the work in the Melanesian I^nds " — Chwrck Journal. " In the year 181 8, only forty -one years since, only three Colonial Bishops had been consecrated— one for Nova Scotia, one for Quebec, and one for Calcutta. Six were consecrated for the United States, and thirty-two for England and Scotland. In 1858 these numbers are swelled to 114 Bishops, pi-esiding over the same territories, so that our numbers are (within nine) trebled ; and in forty years more, if no check be experienced, they will, at the same rate of increase, amount to 342 , a larger number than met in S3mod at Nicsea." And the multiplication of the Clergy and Laity will, I doubt not, keep pace with their increase. — Chrittia/n Rememhrancer , for January, 1859. of nut ure» no- ■ssly date she ler- de. :ure, Fredericion in 1859. 99 teaches as matter of faitli, (and we tun prove by incontestable evidence, that our adversaries themselves did not believe it all six years ago, for the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary was not then defined to be an article of faith,) or (as we are told) we believe nothing. Such is the frightful alternative offered to our acceptance, by one who, for eighteen years, ministered at our altars, and repeated, in common with ourselves, that ancient Creed to which an (Ecumenical Council forbade anything to be added. Such is the language held out to those who firmly be- lieve all that is contained in Holy Scripture, or can be concluded and proved by the Scripture, and who have not forsaken, or de- nied, directly or by implication, an article of the faith which was taught by the Apostles of our Lord ! I shall venture a few further general remarks on some part of the controversy, and so take leave of the subject. I. I think we may observe, as an evil arising from forsak- Reckleu. ing the reasonable and godly ways of our Church, that con- "®*" "^ verts to Rome commonly indulge in an amazing recklessness . q^^ ^ of statement. For example, in p. 61 of his first pamphlet, to Church Mr. M. dilates on his favourite topic of the uncertainty in which of Rome. Protestants must be left without an infallible guide, and permits himself to ask, " Why do Protestants reject the practice of «- treme unction, as enjoined by St. James ?" when it is noto- rious, that the unction to which St. James refers was connected with the miraculous healing of the sick, and that he does not recommend it in the last hours of Christians. " The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and he shall recover." And again, "Why do Protestants reject the prohibition of the use of water by St. Paul ?" A child could inform him that we do not require an in- fallible head to teach us that St. Paul did not forbid the general use of water. But where are his infallible directions on the same subject ? The Church of Rome has not told him whether he is to drink water only, or to " take a little wine," or to abstain from both. Such puerilities can serve no man's turn. But in his lecture on the origin of Christianity in England, his errors are of a graver kind. In perfect reliance on the ignorance of his readers, he quotes " the splendid testimony" of St. Irenseus to the Primacy of the See of Rome, in which he declares, " that with this Church, on ac- count of her more powerful principality, it is necessary that every Church, that is the faithful on all sides, should agree, in which the Apostolical Tradition has been preserved by those who I nil, m (?' H 2 10() A Chnnjf ddivered at nre on ull sides." 'i'he translation is not very clear ; but taking- it as it stands, in order to estiihlish Mr. Maturin's case, St. Irenanis should have said thot it was nriu'ssnry to agree with the Roman Church on account of iicr infuUibility, not on account of " her morr powerful ftrincipaliti/." Kut let us examine the original text, as tar as we can, hy i|Uoting the ancient Latin translation of it, the Greek of St. Irenreus, in this |)lace, having been lost: "Ad hanc enini Ecclcsiam, propter putentiorem principalitatcm, neccsse est oninem convenire Ecclesiam, hoc est, eos qui ount undique fidcles, in qua semper ab his qui sunt undique, conscrvuta est ea quH* est ab Apostolis traditio." You will see at once that Mr. Maturin has fallen into the grievous error of translating " conve- nire ad Ecclesium," as if it had been " consentire cum Ecclesia." which is the more unpardonable, because it is simply transferring St. Ireiiteus >nto the text of St. Ircneeus the vain efforts of hie commentator, on the Feuardentius, to make "convenire" signify the same with " con- ""^^ ' sentire." It amounts in fact to an alteration of the text to prove his point. Again, the " undique fideles," is not the faithful on all sides, " ubique," but those who flock to Rome from every quarter, by whom even in Rome itself, St. Irenseus says, " the Apostohc Tradition was preserved ;" which is a very different thing from representing Rome as mistress and infallible teacher of all other Churches. But what is the substance of St. Irenseus's argu- ment ? lie is showing the extreme difficulty of dealing with the Valentinians and other Gnostic heretics of his day. So slippery are they, says he, that if you appeal to Scripture, they meet you by exhibiting spurious Gospels, and quote them. If you appeal to Tradition, they quote the genuine Scriptures, to prove that God has specially illuminated them, and that they are above tradition. Still we must use both methods, and after an abundant use of the Scriptural argument which St. Irenaeus is far from disclaiming, (as Mr. Maturin would have us believe,) St. Irenseus explains what he means by Tradition — not the oral testimony of individuals in opposition to their writings, " but a succession of Bishops from the times of the Apostles, who taught no such doctrine as the heretics pretend." Considering that St. Irenseus was the disciple of Polycarp, and Polycarp of St. John, and that he probably wrote this treatise about sixty or seventy years after St. John's death, his appeal to Tradition is much as if we should appeal to what the Bishops of our Church generally said and taught in the middle, or towards the close, of the reign of George the Third, Fn'tlerioton in iSjjy. 101 which would bo no very dirticult mutter to usccrtHiii. Now, oayi* this holy father. " uh it would be a tediouH tuak to emiuierute all the KucceBpivc Hinhopii of every See in the world, we i»uiy apply ourselvcH to that famous (Uiurch founded by the blcKned Apostlen St. Peter and St. Paul, which holds the tradition froni the Apostles, atid the faith announced to mankind by the puccession of Hi.shops," in order to confound the Valcntinian heresy. " For to this Church, by reason of its pre-eminence and power, the faithful ujust flock from every qu>'rter," as the mother Church of all who reside in that part of the world where the principle records are kept, by which the question may be decided. Here is indeed a *' splendid" testimony to the ])rimacy of the Church of Home, tiuch as we find it was ! with which the argument of St. Iremrus had as much to do us Goodwin Sands with Tenterden steeple ; for the sole question which St, Iromeus had in view was by what records the Videntinian heretics, who denied the true nature of Jesus Christ, might be shown to contradict the generally received do'jtrine of the Church. This has no reference to Roman supre- macy, still less to the supremacy of the Roman Bishop, who is not even mentioned. On such mangled and supposititious evi- dence does our convert rest the strength of his cause. It should also be specially noticed that the Roman Bishop, when St. Irenseus wrote, could not possibly have had any " potentior principalitas," onything that could be called a dominion, under the reigns of the Emperors M. A. Antoninus. Commodus. and Severus. For the first three centuries, as is universally admitted, Christianity was scarcely tolerated in Rome. 2. I observe again the extreme confusion that seems to pervade Infallibility Mr. Maturin's mind on the subject of inspiration and infallibility. *°*^ I""?'" In his " Defence of the Claims of the Catholic Church," (p. 68,) this strange note occurs, " Mr. Hunter asserts that St. Peter himself was not infallible. If so, it follows that his writings were not infallible ; and if he was not infallible, it cannot surely be supposed that any other of the Apostles was infallible, and con- sequently their writings could not be infallible. Such a principle, then, tends directly to subvert the infallibility or inspiration of the Scriptures of the New Testament." Now, Mr. Hunter may very safely assert that St. Peter was not always infallible, when St. Paul himself says so, *♦ When Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed*." And when our , • Galatians ii. ii. .ii: ration. 102 A Charge delivered at i; Saviour says to him, after his famous confession of faith, " Get thee behind me, Satan*." Mr.Maturin here confounds two very distinct things — the conduct of the Apostles considered as men and Christi; is, and their teaching considered as instruments of the Divine Spirit in making known a revelation. The Holy Ghost *' spake in times past by the prophets," who were all fallible men, but as teachers of revelation to mankind, infallibly inspired. Moses was fallible, for he once " spake unadvisedly with his lips ;" David was tallible, for he fell into the sins of adultery and murder ; Jonah was fallible, for he ran away from his duty ; Balaam was not only fallible, but " perished in his iniquity ;" and yet each and all of them spake, on certain occasions, by the unerring in- spiration of the Holy Ghost. By admitting th°se undeniable facts, instead of undermining the authority of Scripture, we con- firm the credit of the Book which records them. Inspiration does not confer infallibility, except as regards the particular revelation which God saw fit to communicate by these several instruments to mankind. Apart from that inspiration, the human instrument becomes simply human, as liable to err, and as dependent on God's grace and help as any other human being. But is it not strange, that an infallible guide should not have been able to supply Mr. Maturin with less confused ideas than those, on a subject so important as inspiration? 3. Mr. Maturin, following in the track of Bossuet, insists largely on the variations of Protestants, and on the impossibility of arriving at any certainty of faith, without the guidance of an infaUible, living, earthly head of the Church. The first of these \"f^- charges may be brought (as we well know) with equal fcce tiohs of . « ^ 1 -. , , Tr 1 t ■ e iiM 1 Romaniftin. ^^g^^'^st Roman Cathoiics themselves. If these several nifallible heads have notoriously differed from each other, in everything in which one man can differ from his fellow man — if they have denied each other's right to the Popedom — accused each other of the most frightful crimes — separated from each other a*, various times, carrying large portions of Christendom with them — if some of them have denounced as heresy what others of them have pro- claimed as Christianity — ^if the whole history of the Jesuits be a history of the opposition to the Popos, who alternately defended or accused, feared or boasted of, this powerful body, and one of whom, now denounced as a Simonist, suppressed it — with what confidence can we regard their decisions as infallible, or suppose * St. Matthew xvi. 13. Fredericton in 1S59. 103 that they can guarantee to us that certainty of faith, which as a body, they evidently did not possess themselves ? For had they possessed it, they could not have differed so widely and so im< placably. But we take wider ground than this. Is it part of the provi- dential system of Divine government, that a living, infallible, earthly head should preside over the destinies of the human race, and be the perpetual interpreter of His will to mankind ? If the necessity for such an interpreter be supposed to arise from the weakness and ignorance of mankind, or from the obscurity of the Scriptures, is the Bible the only book open to this difficulty ? All histories of past times, all accounts of foreign nations, oppose the same obstacles to human ignorance. Nay, our own mother tongue, as spoken or written several centuries ago, would be as unintelligible as a foreign language. But whither does this dif- ficulty lead us ? Do we suppose that a plain man cannot master the ordinary facts of English history, because every part of that history was originally written in Norman French, or Monkish Latin, or Anglo Sa;xon ? If this argument be used to imply the necessity of an infallible interpreter of Scripture, the same method of interpretation must be used for all history. For the Scripture presents no difficulties of interpretation, which do not apply (as far as the language is concerned) to every ancient document. But perhaps it may be said that the " oracles of God" require more than ordinary care, because our salvation is at stake, and a sound faith, as well as a holy practice, is required of us all. Here, then, we turn to the example of the Jewish Church. To it were "entrusted the oracles of God." But in what sense en- trusted? Only as a keeper and a witness, not as an infallible interpreter. We find from the book of Nehemiah, that when the Jews had in pamJ; forg-otten some of their ancient language, by reason of their long captivity in Babylon, that Ezra explained and interpreted it to them. " He read in the book, and gave them the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."* But we fail in discovering any tokens in the Hebrew records that the High Priests or Priests, as a successive body of men, were inspired by God, infallibly to interpret his law. God indeed raised up a succession of prophets to interpret his sacred oracles, and supply a new and enlarged revelation of his will. But these appeared at vast intervals of time. After the days of Joshua, we • Nehemiah viii. 8. Is an infal- lible earth- ly Head of the Church part of the sys^ em of Divine Go- vernment ? 104 A Charge delivered at read of no such instances for nearly four centuries. And after the days of Malachi, another pause occurs of four centuries. No trace apriears of any one man or body of men being commissioned by God perpetually and infallibly to interpret Fis word, except the few persons who were inspired to write a revelation. And yet, if there were ever a time when we might have expected to find a body of such interpreters, it would be before the canon of Scripture was complete, in times of general ignorance and corruption. But, if such were the tenor of the New Testament covenant, should we not expect to find it referred to in the Epistles in plain and unambigiious terms ? The Apostles often refer to their own inspiration. "Let him acknowledge," says St. Paul, "that the things which I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."* "That ye may be mindful," says St. Peter, "of the words spoken before by the Holy Prophets, and the command- ments of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour f." The only thing referred to is " the teaching of the Prophets, and the com- mandments of the Apostles." But although a whole chapter is devoted by St. Peter to the denunciation of false teachers, not a hint is given of any infallible earthly guide to be continued after his decease, nor of any one Church being the depository of this remarkable power. Is it possible to believe, that if this power had been lodged with St. Peter, as the head of the Roman Church, that he should have been ignorant of it, and that neither himself nor any of his brother Apostles should ever have alluded to it ? For, however the charge given by our Saviour to St. Peter may be distorted into the claim of a prerogative, never claimed by the Apostle, our opponent adds to this claim which the text does not give, the continuance of that power in the hands of the Bishops of Rome. Yet, against this we may fairly set the fact, that as far as we can see, St. Peter never advanced such a claim, never once exercised it, was never considered separately as an infallible head by the other Apostles, was publicly rebuked by one of them, was silent under the rebuke, and that in all the dis- putes which arose in the Apostolic age, no reference is made to the infallible authoritv of St. Peter alone, as sufficient to decide the question. But if St. Peter, and St. Peter only, above all the other Apostles, were not the depositary of this infallible power of interpretation, with what face can the Bishop of Rome pretend * Corinthians xiv. 37. t J Peter iii. 2. I\ Fredericton in 1 859. 105 to possess it ? The whole supposition is grounded on two fallacies ; first, the confounding inspiration (which is a special and particular grace vouchsafed not to Apostles alone, but to certain persons chosen by God to communicate his will to mankind) with a ge- neral infallibility given to a certain Church; and secondly, the confounding St. Peter's possession of this gift, at certain periods of his life, when it pleased God to communicate to him a revelation of divine truth, with the claim of the Bishops of Rome to be the successive infallible interpreters of the original Revelation made known by all the Apostles, of which there is not the faintest trace in Scripture. But we may safely retort the argument of our opponent. You say that the Scriptures are obscure ; that they are conveyed to mankind in languages of which the mass are igno- rant ; that the variations of interpretation are many ; that the Holy Word can only be guarded from corruption, and safely inte'iireted by the head of an infallible Church. How can you prove to us that we shall not misunderstand or misinterpret the decrees of the authority which you recommend ? Where is it situated ? hi Italy. The power itself must speak to us through the medium of a foreign language. We must depend on translations. Even If the power be itself infallible, unless it can make us so too, it cannot guard us from errors incident to all mankind. And if mistakes can be still made, what advantage do we gain ? The disadvantage is obvious, that we have two infallible authorities instead of one, both capable of being misunderstood : one in the written Volume, the other in the living Pope ; and they may not, and indeed do not always coincide. St. Paul assures his son Timothy, that " all (or every) Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable," not only profitable, but " able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus*." Admitting that St. Paul's primary reference may have been to the Old Testament Scriptures, yet both St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, " whose praise is in the Gospel," had written their Gospels before St. Paul wrote to Timothy. But we learn from the second Epistle of St. Peter, that St. Paul's own Epistles (fourteen in number) were among those very Scriptures, which " by the wisdom given unto him" by God. had been written for the common benefit of mankind. Consequently tne expressions of St. Paul, by St. Peter's testimony, relate to his own Epistles as well as to the Old Testament, and if to St. Paul's Epistles, by • 7, Timothy ni. i6. 106 A Ckartje delivered at parity of reasoning, to the other parts of the New Testament, which are therefore " able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith," as it is in Christ Jesus. So that without asserting that every doctrine contained in Revelation is to be found in every book of Holy Scripture, it is evident from the testimony of these two Apostles, that all that was known as Holy Scripture, con- tained sufficiently all things necessary to salvation, and that we are referred to no other source. We admit that the teaching of St. Paul by word of mouth, was also able to make Timothy " wise unto salvation," but such oral instructions no longer exist ; the record of them in the Scriptures is all that are now remaining, and as that record contains no reference to the preservation of his oral teaching by any other method, we are not justified in ex- pecting it to come from any other person. We fully admit that our faith is built on the sense, not on the syllables, of Scripture. But God's Revelation is committed to the keeping of fallible beings, and is communicated (even by the admission of our adversaries) through a fallible medium, that of language ; and unless both the teacher and the disciple be ren- dered infallible, it would be as easy to mistake or pervert the sense of an infallible living guide, as to pervert the sense of an infallible written volume. Thus, even if we had what it is pre- tended we must have, in order to a certain faith and an assured hope of salvation, we should be no better with it than without it, for we should have no more than we have at present — infallible directions incapable of misconstruction and perversion. But what if the possessors of this supposed infallibility of in- terpretation do not themselves agree > What if Popes contradict and even excommunicate each other ? What if three persons at once lay claim to this power, each contending that the others are not entitled to it ? What if that which one Pope solemnly and repeatedly declares to be a mark of Antichrist, another as un- hesitatingly declares to be " necessary to everlasting salvation ?" We may meet with difficulties in Scripture ; we may meet with variations amongst ourselves ; but not with such discrepancies as these : because we admit our fallibility, which the Popes do not. To say nothing of the fact, that the precise seat of the infallible power is not agreed upon by Romanists themselves. We do not (in the Church of England at least) admit that each individual is left to discover his faith for himself. Whilst we refer for the great foundation and proof of all we believe to Predericton in 1859. 107 the Word of God alone, we thankfully embrace that which has large, credible, and convincing guarantees of its being agreeable to the Word of God, from the general belief and consent of the Christian world ; and we point with satisfaction to the fact, that all that we believe is to be found in the writings of the primitive Church, and was deduced by them from the Scripture, and that even by the confessioi. of our adversaries, several articles of their faith were not defined as articles of faith, till a very late period, one, indeed, not six years ago. Let them name one ancient Creed of the first three centuries, which contains the doctrines now set forth by them as necessary to salvation, and they will have made a stronger point than any which they have yet estab- lished in this controversy. 4 On one point, Mr. Maturin prudently says but little : the Unscripti excessive and unscriptural expressions of trust, confidence, and '^^ '*"• adoration applied to the Virgin Mary. Numerous testimonies fi"*^f to this effect are cited in Dr. Gray's pamphlet ; but as Roman Virgin Catholics continually deny that such expressions are commonly Mary, used, I can myself bear testimony to having examined one of their ordinary books of devotion, for the Holy Communion, cir- culated in this province, professedly taken from the writings of Liguori. In that work, all the expressions which a pious Chris- tian usually applies to our Saviour, such as " our trust, our hope, our salvation," and many others, were applied without scruple to the blessed Virgin ; nor was it easy to discover in what respect but that of sex, the mother of our Saviour differed from the Supreme God. Not an intimation was given of the feeling of the writer, that the mother of our Lord owed her salvation to the merits of her Divine Son ; but the attention of the commu- nicant was directed, for whole pages, to the merit, greatness, majesty, and influence, of the Virgin herself, sometimes without one qualifying expression, at most, with the qualification of benefits being gained by her intercession, even this but seldom. And as Liguori is a canonized Saint, this work is, of course, a work of authority. This one feature of modern Romanism is sufficient, with me, to regard it as thoroughly uncatholic and unscriptural. For it is perfectly incredible, that if such a system had been agreeable to the mind and will of God, no reference should have been made to it in one of the Epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. James, or St. John, nor one single hope expressed by them for the inter- f 4 108 A Charge delivered at ■ue safe- .ard ainst the lurch of >me. 'ays to to^ase >Mis- [nary |ritofour lurch. cession of the Virgin Mary. How could they have wholly passed by so essential and fundamental a doctrine, if true, whilst not a document is ever put forth by the modern Pope without some reference to it ? But 1 must not detain you longer on this subject, on which I should not have said so much, but for the confident tone and daring assertions of the Clergyman who is un- happily involved in all these gross and frightful errors, and has bound himself to believe them all. May God bring him, as He has brought many others, to see his mistake, and to acknowledge pubUcly that he did not find the unity and truth which he ex- pected. As regards these secessions, 1 am assured that there is scarce one among the Clergy, which has not arisen from a morbid and exclusive dwelling on the faults of members of our own Church, without considering what is to be said on the other side, and from reading Roman Catholic works of devotion. And if they can count their converts by hundreds, we can claim ours by thousands. But this kind of boasting is not very creditable to either party. Let Church of England parents see to it, that they carefully train their children in strict Church of England principles, and set them a sound and wholesome example of conformity to the rules of our Church, and of steadfast support of her Clergy and institutions, and I have no fear that they will be seduced into Romanism. The best safeguard against all these errors, is not ill-grounded and frantic abuse of Roman Catholics as a body, but the possession of distinct and clear notions on the fulness of truth, which it has pleased God to vouchsafe to our- selves. Continued and measured abuse of any party will be apt to incline ingenuous minds to look on it with favour ; whereas the calm consciousness of possessing true Church privileges, of enjoying rational freedom, with a wholesome restraint of indivi- dual license, and every guarantee for the fixedness and stability of our faith, will help us to continue steadfast, and will attract those to us who are capable of being won by such persuasions. I gladly turn, in conclusion, to a more congenial subject, and would offer some advice on the best method of increasing and extending the Missionary spirit of our Church among ourselves. First — It is absolutely indispensable that we shoidd all accus- tom ourselves to look on all Church members in every part of the province aii one body, One mode of action will be pre- ferred to another by various minds, labouring for the same end ; but we should at least give each other credit for the same inten- Fredericton in 1859. 109 tion, whatever be the mode of action. No real Church unity can be understood, unless we so far abandon party names and distinctions, as not to speak unkindly of our brethren, lay or clerical, and not to hold them up to public odium, because they differ from ue. There has been an evil habit of stigmatizing good men in our Church, by assigning to them names which they disavow. It is an evil habit, and it is a cowardly habit ; for it is generally done by persons to whom it is impossible to reply. If we really mean to do anything good for the Church of England, it is high time that this custom should cease. Secondly — It is very desirable that a general registry should be established of all our Church members, that we may know more accurately both our strength and onr weakness. In every parish a book should be kept of persons in general attendance, and in full communion with the Church, which should be the property of the parish, and should be left by each Clergyman to the care of his successor. Each parishioner should be invited to register his name, and that of his family, when they arc Church people, in this book. Thirdly — Every member of the Church should be now con- vinced, that on him lies the duty of maintaining and extending it to the utmost of his means, by his prayers, his influence, and his contributions, and that he should lay aside a stated part of his income for religious and charitable purposes, amongst which must be named, the support of the parochial clergy. This duty ought not henceforth to be devolved on charitable societies in England, nor on the rich in New Brunswick, but on the members of the Church, considered as a whole. It must be recollected, that the relation of the labourer to his employer, is very different here from that which subsists in the mother country, and that those who obtain four times as much wages for their work as in England, can no longer claim to be exempt from the duty of contributing to the Clergy, because in fact they are richer than the Clergy. They have, in many instances, larger incomes, with far fewer claims. And, again, in these instances in which capital, skill, and industry have accumulated large properties, it must be borne in mind that these properties cannot (according to the ex- press Word of God) be lawfully or safely used and enjoyed, unless a liberal share be given to the Church of God. And a liberal share is not a few superfluous pounds flung under the table, like the crumbs that were given at the feast of Dives, but If no A Charge delivered at I II I' ri' 1^1 a really large pcciininry uffuring. iiiude in the fear of God, and in the solenin remembrance of that dreadful account which those " who trust in riches" will soon have to give before Almighty God. The offering must be large, liberal, and annual, if the means of giving be continued ; and the proportion is sufficiently indicated in Scripture, which strongly recommends that a tenth of our income should I)e devoted to religious and charitable uses- And our exemption from the temporal law of tithes is no reason why we should not comply with a Scriptural injunction, with the law of God, which would stand, and be in force, if there were no State laws in existence in any part of the world. Fourthly — We require not only larger contributions, but a larger Missionary spirit. To this end, the Church in New Brunswick should consider itself as part of a great Missionary Association, divinely organized and set in motion by the Church at home. Tj assist in promoting this good opirit, which lies at the very root of all Christianity, (for what is " Thy kingdom come," but a prayer for Missions and Missionaries ?) I propose :* 1. That every father of a family, and every individual not placed in that relation, should add to his own daily private prayers, some one special prayer in behalf of Missions, including those in other countries, and those in this diocese. This may be either the Collect for Good Friday, which is one of the best we can use, or any other suitable prayer ; but the simpler the better. 2. That the Clergy should agree once a year, either on or near to the Festival of the Epiphany, the conversion of St. Paul, or Whitsunday, or ope of the Advent Sundays, or any more suitable time hereafter to be agreed upon, (but it would be desirable to agree on some one time,) to urge on their parishion> ers the duty of Missionary efforts, and should bring the subject strongly before them, holding a Missionary meeting in the week following, if convenient. The attention of the whole Church would then be drawn to the same important subject. Cheap and useful publications, such as the *' Gospel Messenger," the "Mis. sion Field," and others, might easily be obtained. ^ 3. About the same time, the Lord's Supper might be cele- brated in every principal Church, and it might be enjoined on every communicant to make the work of Missions the subject of thankful prayer, in connection with the memorial of the death of * I gladly adopt the substance of these propositions, first made in a con- temporary Review. Fredericton in 1 859. Ill our Lord, and of the bciiefit» we receive by the Lord's Supper, with a special petition for the enlur^ement of the Redeemer's kingdom in this province. 4. Collections might hIso be mude to promote Missionary work. Thus, listlessness, apathy, and inactivity would be dis- pelled ; charity and good feeling would be everywhere promoted. Intercessory prayer for the conversion of the heathen, for our own special Church, for more unity on Scriuturul principles, and for all needful blessings, would be increased. And we should, " with one mind and one mouth, glorify (»od, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." By this godly method, no interference is intended with any shades of opinion, or difference of jiractice, but we are invited to join in general Christian duties, in which we must all agree, if we take the Word of God for our guide, whatever be our differences on particular questions. And till we learn to dwell more on the points of agreement than on points of difference, we shall know little of the true purity, truth, and love of the Gospel of Christ. And let me urge upon you once more, reverend and dear brethren, the duty of combining in humble and hearty prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He would be pleased to grant a larger measure of His Holy Spirit, to guide us in these and in all our undertakings. We read much everywhere of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer. But for us. The Gifla who enjoy the benefit of continual supplications, in the Liturgy, ?° f^ it is not necessary to resort to any extraordinary measures and chtirch of violent excitements for this end. Guiding ourselves by the England, standard of the New Testament, we read there, that the measures of the primitive Church were as calm and collected as they were energetic, and that wisdom and prudence are as much the gifts of the Spirit of God, as repentance and faith. We have in our own Church all the gifts and appliances that are needed, or can be devised. We have an ancient and primitive faith, a common, godly. Scriptural, elevated form of worship, a translation of the Scriptures, distinguished for its general fidelity and purity, and unrivalled for its melody and sweetness. We have an Apostolic form of government, and a sacred literature, unsurpassed in masculine strength, and variety of information, by that of any nation on earth. We have examples in abundance, of men most learned, most godly, most charitable and devout, gifted with rare genius and admirable eloquence, rejoicing in our communion. m A Chanje delivered at and spending their livett in its defence. We have puctry, archi- tecture, music, largely enrolled on our side. Our only im- placable foe is loNORANCK. The more widely sound knowledge of all kinds is extended, the more deeply and learnedly the Scriptures and Church history are examined, the more thorough and entire is the education of the people at large, the more numerous will be (I believe) the converts to the Church of England. And the more the great question between us and Rome is sifted, the wider will spread the conviction among edu- cated men, that the Church of England, or some body of like principles and aims, can alone be their defender from the depths (»f prevailmg unbelief — unbehef which is nowhere more preva- lent than in the chief seats of the Roman dominion. All that wc require, is to use such high gifts aright ; humbly, faithfully, unitedly, continually. Let us all make this use of them at the severul services of this Visitation. Let us endeavour to carry home with us the savour of them into our parochial cures. Let it be our chief desire, by the wisdom, humility, steadfastness, and simplicity of our own course, to win others to the truth, and to make those who nominally belong to us, more firm, stable, and consistent members of the Church of England, resting their adherence to it, their support of it. their belief in its doctrines and discipline, on its being agreeable to the Word of God, and to Catholic truth, as taught by the primitive Church, and freed from the extremes of irreverence and super- stition. Let us not aim at making men admirers of ourselves, but servants and worshippers of the Lord ; that we may grow in holiness, live in unity, meet in peace, differ (if need be) in charity, suffer in patience, labour in constancy, die in hope of rising in glory. And when all our work is ended, may we all be " for ever with the Lord." Let us " comfort one another" with such words. Note. — Having been accused of libelling the Rev. J. Wesley, for quot- ing as his words, "I fear when the Methodists leave the Church, God will leave them," I now mention, that this quotation is found in a tract pub- lished at Leeds, and by Bivingtons, London, and the words alluded to, have appended to them, "Minutes of Conference, 1770." Whether Mr. Wesley was the first who used these expressions, I am not at present able to say. There is, however, no reason to doubt that they were used by a Clergyman who was a member of his Society ; that they were mentioned by Mr. Wesley without disapproval, and that he added to them " other like words." Fret I eric ton in iHfjy. 113 Tlio fi>llowing fXtnuitM fnitn Mr. VVuMluy'H workH huvu buuii vuritiud l>^ n Irioiid in Kiigliuult — "Arc wu nut, unawureH, l)y little tinil littlu, sliiliiig into n Hepiimtiou from tho ('liiirch 'i 0, renmvo ovury tttiidiMicv tht-ruto witii nil dilij^eiioo. Lut all our preauhura go to ('liurcli. Lot nil tlin peoplo go ooUHtiuitly. Warn tlieni agninHt doHpiHiiig the prayorn of tlio t'linrcli. AijiihiM cnlliiif/ our Hwictji a Church, the Church. AgniiiHtcaUingour I'liiaclu-TM MiniMtcrH, our huuHUH niueting Iiouhuh ; call tlioni Hiniply preacliiiig Iiouhih. Tlioy that loavo the Church, leave the MothodiHtH," WorltM, vol. (>. It is alinoMt neudluHH to adil, that Mr. Wesley meant hy " the Church," the Church of England, aH thiH wan the usual way of H|>oaking in hid time. Again, " I never had any design of separating from the Chun;!!. 1 have no such design now. I do, and will do, all in my power to prevent such an event. Nevertheless, in spite of all 1 can do, many of tlusm will separate from it. I u flat (ifiiiiisitinn to thcxc, / tlirlnrc oner more, that I live uud die, a member of the Church of Emilaml ; uud that nove who reijard. lu// Judy- ment or advice, will ever neparate froui it." Dec. 1789. This shows in what sense he used the words " the (!hurch," cited before. Again, 1787. Extract from his last journal. " I went over to De|)tford, but it seemed I had gone into a den of lions. Most of the leat in 1861, 174,712/. And though in consequence of the war in the United States it haa fallen off, the faihire we may hope '\» only tenjporary. and if peace were restored, commerce would return to its usual channel ; and we have every reason to hope, that if a right settlement were made of the great questions involved, that our prosperity would be even greater than before. It is perfectly true that the means of Churchmen are not to be measured by the whole wealth of the province, inasmuch as the Census shows that we are far outnumbered by other religious bodies, and many of our scattered settlers are poor. Still it must be admitted that the Church of England has had her full share in the growing prosperity of the province, and with that growth we are bound to see that our thank-otferings to God in- crease in like manner. And if I am rightly informed, and I speak on reliable authority, one half of the capital of the pro- vince, if we except the wages of labour, is in the hands of members of the Church of England. But there art two points to which I wish especially to direct your attention. Can we deny that the members of the Church of England in this pro- vince, though not the most numerous, are among the most wealthy, and yet are we not receiving a larger share of help from England than any other body ? I do not pretend to possess ac- curate information on the help, permanent or occasional, which others may obtain from abroad, but I have every reason to believe that the Roman Cathohcs receive Httle or none, the Baptists very little, and the Presbyterians no considerable sum. We still receive full 4.000/. a year, taking into account the pensions to missionaries and widows of missionaries, and the grants to Divinity Students. And yet it cannot be said that our mission- aries are overpaid. I believe that many of them receive less than ministers of other persuasions. What sufficient reason then can be assigned for our backwardness to do a duty, which our Christian brethren on all sides of us, Roman Catholic and Protestant, have willingly discharged } Am I overstating the matter when I say that the scandal and reproach to us is very great, and that it should be by common consent removed ? Further, I must remind you that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel finds new fields of labour in all parts of the world opened, fields ready tor the sower, in some instances "white unto the harvest," and that in consequence of the large sums granted to this province, scanty aid can be afforded to missions among Fio8|iurity of the pro- vince. lafi A Chart fe delivered at ThcChurcli m valued ill proportion UH it IH li- iKimliyBup porttul. ObjectionK to an En- dowment Fund, We Hliall spare pos- terity. till' hpiithcn. Now it' we were ttolicitiiifj^ itH bounty for the first time, the *' houKchuhi of fitith" would no doubt present the nio»t urgent duini on itH liberality ; but Imving already enjoyed that aid in full measure for ho manv veurs. it becomes us to vield to the ueueHsities of our lesH favoured brethren, and to make a sacrifice that they may receive help in their turn. And I take it to be an unquestionable truth, that wc shall value the Church nu)re in prop»)rtion as we support it more liberally. For where iind by whom is the Church most valued ? Is it in places where no contributions are made, where the Laity having everything done for thcin, are called on for no active support ? Just the reverse. There every one seems buried in apathy. Not only does the material fabric often lie waste^ but the spiritual interests of the flock are neglected. Every call seems a heavy burden, every exertion impossible ; and those who contribute nothing to supply the spiritual wants of others, suppose themselves incapable of attending to their own. But those who contribute the most liberally to every Church institution, feel the most pleasure in upholding what their beneficence has created ; they enlist others in the work, and they do it with a heartiness and enthusiasm which attracts general sympathy. The very exertions and sacri- fices we make ensure the help of others in any case of need. But I am obliged, T regret to say, to notice and endeavour to answer some of the objections which are made to an Endowment Fund. First, it may be said, we contribute according to our ability, to maintain the Church in its present condition. And why should we spare posterity the duty of contribution } Their turn will come as well as our own ; and if we endow the Church now, we leave nothing for our successors to do, who may be better able than we are to do it. Admitting for an instant that this argument is plausible, I boldly assert that it is a glorious thing to work for posterity without consideration for the future. Whom does posterity honour .'' Whose name has descended with credit from genera- tion to generation, but the name of the men, who regardless of their own profit, and seeking only the glory of God, and the good of their fellow Christians, have endowed the Church of England in the small scattered villages in that highly favoured country, with lands which pcrpetunlly ensure the residence of a Pastor, which assist in providing schools and schoolmasters^ and Fredericton in 1H62. 1«7 help fur the poor, and a thousand other bleoHingH to the purit«h ? Yet this wtts working for posterity, and yet there is abundance of work to be done by tlie present generation in every parish, not- withstanding the endownietit. The Rector of a country parish in Somersetshire lately informed me, that within three years, the sum of 50,000/ had been expended in his rural Deanery in the repairs and rebuilding of the material fabrics alone ; and this is independent of schools, Hchoolmastere, asylums for the deaf, the blind, the lunatic, the consumptive, hospitals for the sick, alms- houses for the poor, Christmas and other gifts, and poor-rates. 80 that no age finds more claims upon it than our own. But plausible as this argument appears to some to be, when sifted, it may be seen to be a string of fallacies. First, instead of our contributing according to our ability, we have contributed not one half, not one fifth part of what we ought to have done, and far less than the other religious bodies have done. I have heard that some Churchmen have even boasted of its being a line thing to belong to the Church of England, because they were not called on to do half as much as Dissenters. Again, so far from main- taining the Church in its present state of efficiency, which would be very creditable to us if we had done it, we have without iscruple assisted ourselves by taking the alms of poor domestics and labourers in England to spare our own pockets, whilst our merchants in past years have made enormous profits by their ventures in ships and lumbering operations, and trade of all descriptions : and when thousands have come into their purses, they have been lauded, because they gave 10/, or 20I, or 50/, or 100/. to the Church, when 1000/. would have been the Scriptural proportion. Further, from leaving posterity nothing to do, we leave posterity a considerable burden, even after the very mode- rate sum is raised for Endowment which is proposed. If the Society now give 4000/. sterling, a year, and that sum, after al- lowing for pensions and scholarships, only just enables the Clergy to live, and barely to live, and the capital necessary to produce that sum would be nearly 70,000/. sterling, what great boon are we conferring on posterity by raising the sum of 20,000/. or even 40,000/. currency } If we raise nothing, and the Society gives us up, as it may justly do, we shall simply leave no Church for posterity to endow, and having received all the benefit, we may well fear lest we be subject to the awful reproof of the angel to- wards those who were remiss in doing their duty, " Curse yc 1^8 -.1 Chmuje delivered at m Wo hIuiII make tliu MiToz. Huiil till* mi^i'l of tlu- liord, cur«' yc hittnly tlu- iiiliiil)i- tantH thtTi'Df, hi'fauHi' tlu'V ciuuc not to tlu' help of the Loril." Their f^'treiif^th was to sit still, and li't othcTH work. What is till- liti'ratiiri' of KiiglamI, what in the truiiflation of thf Scriptures, what is* the coni*titiitioii of our C'hurch an wc find it, but an iucMtiinahic boon, conferred upon urt by the labour and learning and patience anil Muffering of othern, in which we have borne no share ? And are we to cry out against wt)rking for posterity ? Shante upor» the indolence and covetousness which clings to such a fallacy. Hut I notice another objection. *' If wc give to this Flndownient Fund, says one, we shall render the ('lergvindei)eiulent of U8. They Cksrgy in- • J < tt, i / (k'liemlont. ^'^ ^^*^ "'"' ""i^'ters ; they will be arbitrary, violent, and capricious, and perhapir they will bring in Popery at last." It is perfectly astonishing how many turns that word Popery is made to serve. For of all convenient excuses for not giving, this seems the strongest — that it is Popish, IJut the most Pro- testant among us may be well disabused of the notion, that it is in the power of any man, or any set of men, to bring in Roman- ism into the (Jhurch of England, so long as the Laity will allow our Liturgy, our Creeds, and our Articles, to remain just as they are. l^et the Church of England alone, and she will continue to be, what she has for three centuries been, a sturdy and manly protester against both Rome and Geneva : but alter the formu- laries, and I do not pretend to say what she will be. But of this I am sure, that by endowing the Clergy with a decent competence, by raising them above bare, starveling want, by preventing them ! « from being abject hirelings, " crouching for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread," you are not likely to make them converts to Popery, you are furnishing them with the means of self-respect as gentlemen, you are enabling them to educate their children decently, you are helping to retain within the Church men of education and refinement, you are morally enriching yourselves I and your families, and you are preventing a very sore evil which will certainly fall upon you sooner or later, if you do not endow, the evil of an inferior race of Clergy, unfit to mix in social and domestic circles, where anything of refinement is expected. And the effect of seeing such a race of teachers will be to lower the whole social standard of ('hurch of England ])cople in the province, and I believe to lower the level of the whole province. What wc suffer from in thi? province is ignorance, and want of Frfdeiifiton in i86i. W) reflnement. Starve the Clergy out of it, uiid lenitfii the number of educated teachers in it, and you only incrcanc and perpetuate the evil. In su ttaying, it n\UHt he recollected, that I am not re- flecting on the miniitterH of other perHuatiunn, or supposing that none are well educated but ourselves : I am addressing myself to our own condition, and the etfcct of wnnt of Kndowment upon us. But the evil consequences, which would be most disactrous to our own body, would be also felt by the province generally. Injury to any important and influential section uf the community will be felt by the whole. Besides, how preposterous it is to talk of rendering the Clergy independent by any Endowment Fund which ■ we are likely to raise ! Even with the Society's generous aid, they are not inde- pendent: they can hardly live atid keep out of debt, with the strictest economy. They cannot educate their children without assistance. A mere pittance is all they have in most cases. Take away the Society's help, and what will our 20,000/, or even our 40,000^, do for them ? It will not place them in the same con- dition in which they are at present. They u.c dependent now; they will be more dependent then. But what will follow, if there be no Endowment ? Simply, that there will be in most parishes, no Clergy to be dependent, or independent. No set of men can live without incomes ; and if the people will not furnish the income, the supply will go elsewhere — whole Missions will cease to be connected in any way with the Church of England. And this will be not our misfortune, but our fault, our grievous fault. I must notice another objection. It may be said, the Clergy Sonu! of do not deserve our aid. Some of them have done no credit to "'* * '•«'"J>y their holy calling. They have been rather a disgrace to it. jinerodit to These faults throw grave suspicion on the. whole body, and we theClmrch. are not inclined to give, when such faults occur. Now if the Laity were called on to uphold Clergymen in their sins, or if their faults were tolerated, there might be a show of reason in this argument. Fut I defy the accuser to produce a single in- stance, in which official accusation has been made, that an in- quiry has not been speedily instituted, and a single instance in which legal proof of guilt has been established, that speedy jus- tice has not been done. Nay more, when any turpitude has been morally certain, speedy justice, as far as it lay in my reach, has been done in every case, though opportunity has been given for repentance, and for change of conduct in certain cases ; and I 180 A Charge delivered at \' The So- ciety will not with- drawitaaid where is tlie Clergyman or Lnyimin that should be denied the opportunity of recovering himself out of the snare of the devil, and amending his ways ? Are we so merciless, that we would have condemned St. Peter to everlasting ruin, because he denied his Master three times, and that with oaths and imprecations ? Or are we so foolish as to imagine, or to pretend to believe, that it is in the Church of England only, that cases of moral guilt among Ministers sometimes occur ? All I assure you is, that I have endeavoured, in the fear of God, and without favour to any man, to do the Diocese justice ; and I have sheltered no offender, when I thought his crime demanded instant punishment, and his case did not allow of tender and prudent commiseration. But never, I hope, shall it be said of me that I became public pro- secutor, witness, juryman, and judge at the same time ; and that the Clergy could never rely on me as their protector and their friend. But if I may speak plainly without offence, if the same measure which some would mete out to us, were meted out with equal zeal and severity to all Laymen without distinction, (and the New Testament lays down the same standard of holiness for all Christians, be they teachers or not,) I much question whether there are not some Lay brethren among us who would go out " convicted by their own consciences," and would find them- selves unable to cast the first stone at us. We lay claim to no exemption from the faults of a common sinful Mature. We are, like others, poor sinners, whose hope lie£' in the mercy of God through the sacrifice of Christ our Lord. But we do not think it just, wise, or charitable, that the faults of individuals, for which, in most cases, they have been severely |)unished, should be visited on the whole body, or that it is a reasonable argumeii. againSb an Endowment Fund, that some Clergymen have abused the good gifts of the Church, and have brought scandal on their sacred calling. We might just as well denounce the whole col- lege of the Apostles, because one of their small number was a traitor. I proceed to notice another objection. " It is needless to con- tribute to an Endowment Fund, because the Society will never withdraw its aid." But the Society has withdrawn already some of its aid. Its offers of assistance are not now made for life, but for three years, or even less. It is only bound b, express com- pact for life in the case of a very few Clergymen, whose " imbers are diminishing every year, and wuo in the course of nature Fredericton in 1862. 131 cannot expect to live many years. It is, as I have already suid, a purely voluntur" institution, dependent on the annual contri- butions of Churchmen in England ; and should these contributions cease, its power tc help us would be gone. What may be called the Endowments of the Society are lega- cies left for specific objects, which cannot, under any circum- stances, be transferred to us. How unwise, to say the least, is it for us to rely wholly on this source, and not endeavour to lay up in store for a day when all our energies will be taxed, and heavily taxed, to help ourselves ! s, One other objection I shall notice. " "We are too poor. The We are too times are very hard, It will be time to do this at another sea- *^"°'^' son, when we find the Society can help us no longer." If how- ever, as has been just shown, the Society has already '.vithdrawn aid to the extent of nearly i ,000/, and no grant lately made can be depended on for more than two years and a half or three years, the time for action has already come. Trade is indeed not in a flourishing state. But a beginning may be made even in unprosperous times. The instances which the Scripture gives of liberality were those of persons whose circumstances were often of the poorest kind, — far poorer than our own. And in this pro- vince several of the most costly buildings erected for Divine wor- ship have been the work not of the wealthy, but of the compar- atively poor. Where are the houses v.hich are not well, and in some in- stances, handsomely furnished ? Where is the farmer who has not his team of horses, his oxen, his cows, and his sheep, his un- failing crops of grass and of grain and of roots .'' Where are the parties of pleasure that are given up, the balls that are not at- tended, the smart dresses that are not ordered, the dinners that not given.'' I find these expenses going on, as if some ])eople were not poor. And I distrust the excuse when I see it only applies to charitable gifts. Nor is it any excuse for withholding our offerings that many come from distant quarters and appeal to us for help. It is neither just nor generous to contribute to dis- tant claims, when we neglect a duty that lies at our own door. It is indeed most painful to consider the consequences of the withdrawal of the Society's aid in the present state of apathy which prevails among Churchmen in the province. Impercep- tibly, but most certainly, our work would melt away before our eyes, and ere we were aware of it, we should find our Missions K 2 182 A Charge delivered at The en- dowment question simply in- volves the existence of the Church in tolerable eificiency. deserted, our Churches shut up and decaying, our Sunday Schools hroken up, our Church Society ill supported, our work and labour of love coming to nought, and this diocese, instead of counting its fifty Clergy, would not assemble above twenty. There are, you will recollect, thirty-four Missions, which are not, and for a long period will not, be entirely self-supporting ; and these will require constant aid, which the Church Society cannot, with any- thing like its present income, efficiently maintain. I entertain no doubt that a sum similar to that subscribed in Nova Scotia, could be raised in this province, if Churchmen were convinced of the necessity of the case, and chose to put forth all their strength. The money is in their possession if they would only part with it ; and a better investment for the good of their children, and their children's children, could not be devised. And though the times are hard, and business is dull, do people live as if they were poor ? I must admit my grievous disappointment at the manner in which this important subject has been met by the wealthier members of our communion. Difficulties have been raised, doubts suggested, the question of patronage has been thrown in to give an air of perplexity to the business * ; of talk there has been plenty, but there never has been in any of the meetings which I have attended, from first to last, a thorough, hearty, un- flinching determination to face the difficulty and to overcome it. And while those who had little to give ofifered counsel in abun- dance, those who bad enough and to spare, with few exceptions, stayed at home and took no part in our proceedings. This cannot be called in any sense a party question. It is connected with no particular view of doctrine or practice ; it is simply a question of the existence of the Church of England Missions in this province in a state of tolerable efficiency. If the Society continue to with- * I once more remind our Lay brethren, that the question of patronage does not rest with me, but with the Crown. The Crown claims it, I pre- sume, because whatever Endowment exists in the shape of Glebes, comes from that source. In no single instance has so much as an allegation been made, that the representative of the Crown has abused his patronage, nor in any instance, save one, have any of the Laity offered to endow a living ; and in this solitary instance (that of the late S. Scovil, Esq.), the Endowment is prospective, not immediately available. As far as I am concerned, no opposition was offered to the bill proposed to be brought in on this subject two years ago, though no one seemed to think it worth his while to attend to it. But I should hope, for the credit of New Brunswick, that some measure less crude, and less devoid of the simplest elements of sound Ecclesiastical legislation, might be prepared, when so many members of our Church are connected with the profession of the law. Fredericton in J 86a. 133 draw their aid at the same rate for the next five years, as for the last five, many Missions must remain vacant, that is, will be destroyed. And if the withdrawal should be more rapid, ruin stares us in the face, and nothing that I can see can avert it. As matters stand at present, the Clergy have a hard struggle to keep up a decent appearance and live out of debt : but if the source on which they chiefly depend be taken away, and no effort be made to supply its place, no body of men can be expected to face starvation. Such of them as can migrate will leave us for more generous climes, where the Church is believed in, where the Ministry is really valued, and the labourer is deemed worthy of his reward. And as the country Missions become vacant by death or removal, they will not be filled up, because no one will consent to incur expenses which he cannot meet. No accusation of covetousness can be sustained against the Clergy for such a course. They are expected to perform certain duties. To per- form them they must live, and they cannot live without a main- tenance. And as they have no time to labour for their daily bread, their time being occupied in serving others, those whom they serve must provide them with the means of living decently. This is a very plain tale, which wants no eloquence to enforce it, and speaks powerfully to every one who believes the Scripture to be the Word of God, and who deems the Ministry of the Church of England to be that which is profitable to his own soul. He who thinks and acts otherwise, either t -; not believe the Bible when it says that they " who preach the Gospel must live of the Gospel," or he does not value the Church while he iijoys all its advantages, and therefore he has no business in it. We should do better without him. For he takes all and gives nothing. I have now said to you all that occurs to me as necessary on this topic. If I have been silent on many subjects of high spiritual interest, you will not suppose me indifferent to them, or think that I undervalue what is most vital, essential, and profitable. But time does not permit me to dwell upon them in this address, and I have not lost sight of them in my admonitions to you froti. the pulpit this morning. I trust that you will all concur with me in using your utmost endeavours to bring the whole subject before your parishioners throughout the province, and to convince them of their duty ; and I shall be prepared to second your efforts in the addresses which I shall deliver, if it please God to spare my life and strength, in the course of the next summer. 131. Extracts from the Fifth Charge For the present I content myself with humbly and heartily im- ploring God's grace and benediction upon you all. Laity as well as Clergy, in tliis as well as in all other works of piety and charity. Note. — The rlay after the Charj,'o was delivered, the ( lergy met in the Cathedral Library, and the sum of 5594 dollars has been subscribed by thirty-four of their number towards the Endowment Fund in the diocese. An account is now open with the Bank of New Brunswick, in St. John, to receive subscriptions towards this object. I have received two sums, one of twenty dollars, and one of forty dollars, from lay members for the same, and have been given to understand that another sura of 1,000 dollars will be forthcoming. I gladly and thankfully direct your attention to the following sound and weighty wonla of my valued friend and brother, the Right Rev. G. Bur- gess, D.D., Bishop of Maine, in his last Charge, delivered July 9th, 1862, and trust he will pardon my so freely using it. 11' EXTRACTS FROM THE FIFrH CHARGE OF THE RIGHT REV. THE MISHOP OF MAINE. The Chris- The Christian Ministry, that whim Christ began, and which the Holy tian Minis- Ghost continually replenishes, was a gift, of which He never intended ""y* to deprive the Church or the world. It is wherever the Gospel is : it is here with us. No land ever became Christian except through the agency of that Ministry ; and without it no Christian land exists. The only body under the Christian name which ever attempted to live with- out an order of Ministers, dispensed also with the Sacraments, and soon I withered away. In the ordinary course of things, it is with the Church as with an army ; its success is as are its officers. With the character, the vigour, and the labours of its Ministry, t prospers or decays. If they lack knowledge, the Church walks in iliukness. If they are de- ceived, the blind are led but by the blind, and know not whither they go. If the Ministry be a corrupt, selfish, ambitious, or degraded class of worldly men, the forms of religion must necessarily become the means of wickedness. On the other hand, improvement and refor- mation have often begun outside of their order, but never could ad- vance far without enlisting them on its side. For workmen every cause must have; and these are the workmen, designated, authorized, bound and trained, to the cause and body of Christ, I might uanost say its tongue and its feet, ready to speak, and swift to bear gdod tidings ; if not its discerning eye and executing hand. Could they cease; only a miracle could make good their place. Consider the natural order in which the agency of the Minister of of the Bishop of Maine. 135 II d lie (/hrist yields to those who receive him, the fruits which nothing on this side of heaven can measure or rival. He comes to those who sat in the shadow of death, and hrings them tidinf^s of salvation. He is the chan- nel through which they ohtain that knowledge which prophets and kings desired to see and hear, but neither saw nor hearil, which " sages would have died to learn ;" for he is the messenger of the (iospel. When they have believed the Word, he baptizes them as he has been commanded, and they are through his agency admitted into the fellow- ship of the Church of Christ, with all its privileges and its joys. Then the Church of Christ is there ; and there is the Word of (iod : and there, the Communion of the Saints, the practice of godliness, and the hoj)e of heaven ; all through the coming of that one man under his commission from his Lord. Soon rises some house of jirayer, beau- tiful, more or less, in holiness ; and Christian worship, Christian in- struction. Christian marriage. Christian burial, have their appro[)riate j)lace and scenery. Who shall tell the value of that personal peace and righteousness, of that social harmony and kindness, of that intellectual culture and development, and far above all, of that eternal joy and glory, which are to have their sources there, as generation follows generation ? You may pursue these results as they descend from the barbarian fathers first converted to the (iospel, and so all along tlirovigh ages of growing civilization and improvement, into the unknown fu- ture. You may trace them as they spread from a single spot till their inHuence has been felt throughout all lands and continents. You may imagine them, as they attend and form the destiny of the man, from the first lessons and impulses of his childhood, nay, from the time when he was brought an infant, like the infant Jesus, into the temple, to receive the Sacrament of which the Spiritual grace is a new bi? ih to righteousness, till he sits down with all the glorified Saints in the king- dom of (iod : and thenceforth onward to all which may be prepared for the ransomed and sanctified soul in the life eternal. All began with the seed which a humble Minister of Christ was sent to sow; and as far as to the gate of Paradise, he is there to be the guide of all this progress. Remove him ; and what nmst be the end ? Yes, let the Christian Ministry disapj)ear from any region ; and how long or how widely would the blessings of the Christian religion re- main ? The voice of the preacher is silent ; and there is no substitute : for all experience tells that where the Ordained herald is not heard, or is heard with scorn, the Lay teacher of Evangelical truth has no audi- ence, or no will to speak. In some scattered spots, the echoes of pub- lic prayer and social song may linger a little while, but they too expire. Where is the hamlet or neighbourhood, altogether unvisited by a Mi- nister, that long retains even the custom of assembling on the Lord's day ? Soon the house of prayer is desolate, and falls into decay, a melancholy memorial. There is no ecclesiastical organization or fel- lowship; but a few scattered persons are left, who once met at a Sacra- ment long since disused. The rising generation art all unbapti/ed, 13(5 Extracts from the Fijlh Charge imcatechised, untrained: the Sunday School wus closed for want of teachers, almoHt as Boun as the Pastor departed. People sicken and expire with no mention of Christ; and men become accustomed to bury their dead, silent and prayerless, without a word of the resurrec- tion. Bibles unexpounded, and soon unread, grow old on shelves and in closets ; and are but beheld as relics of the past. The Sunday rest survives long after the sanctity of the Sabbath ; but at length this also yields. Education, literature, commerce, domestic industry, philan- thropy, the administration of justice, the institutions of civil liberty glide into the shadow of heathenism, whicli appropriates what it may of the influence of Christianity, and goes on in its own development, as from the beginning, becoming even more and more brutal, gross, and godless. The startling truth has been more than once demonstrated in the history of the world, that society can exist, and individuals can live and die, without religious belief, worship, or customs. In what moral condition, the same history relates with a shudder. But it is not too much to say, that all this change would be wrought in any Christian country or community as a simple consequence of the total extinction of the labours of Christian Ministers. But rather than it should be wrought, who would no be tempted to wish that an earthquake might engulph his city, that the ocean might submerge his native land, or that his posterity might become extinct in the person of his firstborn infant i* Unless the Lord should have purposes of mercy beyond, who ccJd desire that the end of all things should not be close at hand ? How little would remain to those from whom all had departed, which is bound up with the continuance of the (iospel amongst men ! The Gospel came with the Ministry ; is pro- claimed, upheld, and propagated through the Ministry ; and with the Ministry would go away and be heard no more. This is no exaggera- ting picture of the imagination, but a most sober and clear deduction from all experience. Ends without means are not the order of Pro- vidence ; and the Ministry, under Divine appointment and by an al- most universal recognition, is the express means for bringing Divine truth to the hearts of mankind, and dispensing the blessings of Chris- tian worship and fellowship. The more vast are those blessings, the more precious is this agency ; and it is in the full light of its ne- cessity, and its power for good, that we are to estimate our duty and that of our brethren of the Laity, in maintaining its efficiency, its purity, and its honour. In striving that the Ministry may be effectual to the growth of the kingdom of Christ on earth and to the salvation of souls, and to this e.id, that it may be held in just honour, we embrace within our view the duty both of those who bear it and of those amongst whom it is exercised. Everything can be exalted, everything can be degraded, by customs, modes of speech, and ways of thinking. All Christians must wish that the work of the Ministry, and therefore that those to whom of the Bishop of Maine, 187 it is committed, should be held in honour. Our Lord has said that their reception is His own. He has given them a title to hospitable entertainment and honourable maintenance for His name's sake, and for the blessings which from Him they bring. His first messengers were accredited through signs which no man could behold without reverence. They healed the sick ; they spoke with new tongues ; they took up serpents, unharmed ; they cast out devils. When miraculous tokens ceased, others were granted. In the ages of persecution, men who had confessed Christ or might be called to confess Him, in the face of death, had the same renown which ever attends the valiant sol- dier of earth or heaven. Foremost in danger, they were also most eminent in the esteem of all believers. Still later in the history of the Church, they preserved their elevation by the almost exclusive posses- sion of letters and high knowledge. Not merely also from corrupt am- bition in the priesthood, but from the devout and wise purpose of rulers, to provide for the perpetuity of religious institutions in their lands, a purpose aided by the actual accumulation of ages, it resulted that largd Endowments were sometimes in the hands of the Clergy, and that their order was thus surrounded with some worldly in- fluence and attraction. So, through means of the most various character, it has pleased the Providence of God to protect the Minis- try of His Church from contempt, even in the eyes of those whose thoughts might not rise beyond that which is external and earthly. The wisest are not insensible to the power of such associations as seem appropriate to worth, dignity, or sanctity ; and cannot desire to see those whose office is revered, personally occupjring the last and lowest place in the social scale; and minds less mature receive often their strongest impressions from the clothing in which religion is presented to their view, whether it be coarse or refined, austere or graceful. None of us who wished to recommend a cause to general acceptance would consent to give it the aspect of poverty, neglect, and scorn. This would not be less contrary to all practical judgment than to the feelings of the heart. Covetousness or indifference will thwart any end, and justly ; for, why should we expect that others will much re- gard that which we value so little as willingly to keep it famished and all but helpless ? A church or temple, poorly built, cheaply furnished, and negligently sustained, tells either the indigence or the irreligion of the worshippers. A Clergy or a Clergyman, faithful in the discharge of the sacred office, and left to anything hke want, is a living proof of a people without substance, or without heart, or without Christianity. As a matter of feeling, who that loves the Lord could consent that His messengers should not receive ample hospitality ? As a matter of faith, who could expect a blessing while he should withhold this respect towards Him whose commission they hear ? As a matter of interest, who could estimate the work of a labourer, ill trained, ill supported, disheartened, 138 Ea-tracts from the Fifth Charge and diNtreRHed, at the same value with that of one who has all the edu- cation, the resources, the means, and the comfort, which give skill, efficiency, and alacrity ? Let us linger a little at this conHideration. A father who lias a son in the Ministry, a son who has a father there, will have no difficulty in deciding on the kind and measure of provision which should he made, if it be possible, for those who labour in the Word and doctrine. But there prevails, in the minds of some persons, an impression that the purity of an order, with which they have no personal connection, and to which they give no children of theirs, is best guarded by holding that order on the verge of penury. We might possibly concur with them, were there no choice except between this and the pomps and temptations of luxurious wealth. But as between a kindly and mode- rate, or even generous, provision and that which is stinted, pinching, and precarious, the choice of no reasonable and right-hearted Christian can waver. Where God, in His Providence, imposes the burden of want, it may be welcomed, like any other affliction, because it comes from Him ; and through His grace it may become a blessing. But it is not for any Christian deliberately to wish it and plan it for any of his fellow men ; and not surely for those whom it must deprive of many aids for the performance of the most important and the holiest work on earth. God has ordained that " they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." It is no longer a question whether the office could be adequately exercised by men earning their bread in the several callings of secular hfe. That question is decided by Divine appoint- ment. There may be many exceptions ; but the rule is fixed, that the labourer is worthy of his hire, and should receive it from those for whom he labours, so soon as they, in sufficient numbers, acknowledge the obligations of Christianity. Till then, he has the same claim on those who send him forth as their missionary. He is worthy of his hire ; and that hire should not be the meanest, if you wish him to be a strong and diligent labourer. At the head of every parish, all Christian peo})le desire a wise, a well instructed and pious teacher; a good preacher; a respected and re- spectable man, exercising some beneficial influence throughout the community, and attracting to the ways of peace through the example of a well-ordered and amiable Christian household. Education, books, channels of information, and leisure for study, are indispensable to the formation of such a man, and such an influence and attraction are wonderfully aided by that culture which is hardly to be attained amidst the struggles of severe penury. All this is abundantly evident ; and no one questions it, unless through fears of the pressure which may be laid upon the people for the honourable and comfortable support of their Ministers. It was never heard that such an addition to the income of a Clergyman as made him not affluent but at ease was lamented by his parishioners as long as it imposed no burden on themselvc"-. of the Bishop of Maine. 189 Wealth is neither more nor leas perilous to a Clergyman than to otheru ; for if it bring to him any peculiar temptation to sloth, it may also be believed, from the motives which he has obeyed and the vows which he hiis assumed, that he may the more feel himself constrained to be a good steward, and a cheerful giver, ready to distribute, glad to com- municate. But that degree of competence which leaves him free to labour with an undivided mind, and provides him with all necessary aid, is simply what every one who loves his neighbour as himself would gladly make the general lot of Christian Ministers. Under this conviction, in the old time, whole nations separated for the local Clergy a certain proportion of all the fruits of the land, and gave them suitable dwellings. Elsewhere, individuals, having large possessions, or else communities uniting their efforts, appropriated lasting endowments, that the public worship of God might be sustained from generation to generation. Glebes, parsonages, parochial funds, have been made even in our own land, the portion of those who, as to worldly sources of gain, may be said, like the Levites, to have no in- beritanc-e in Israel. But the dependence of the Ministry is now, and amongst ourselves, almost entirely on the free contributions of their people, or of those who by missionary aid, supply the deficiency left through the inability of rising or decayed or permanently small con- gregations. In favoured portions of the land, amongst the wealthy, and in compact communities, populous but not too populous, the pro- vision is adequate. It is painfully inadequate in all the less peopled and less opulent regions. It weighs most unequally on those from whose contributions it proceeds. It brings manifold ills in its train ; the uncertainty of support, the capricious subscription, the straitened household, the danger to pastoral independence and fidehty, the fre- quent removal, the inequality of places in the House of God, the tendency to exclude the poor, the indirect means of collecting funds, through appeals to the love of amusement or to mere humanity or good nature rather than to duty. All these do not meet in a single instance ; they are separate evils of different arrangements ; and it is far easier to lament them than to suggest a faultless method. But the best antidote to all such evils must be in a generous, Christian concep- tion of duty to the Ministry, as to the great institution of the Lord for preserving, propagating and making effectual the word, and the means, of human salvation. If it were certain that the continuance of the Ministry, and with it of the Sacraments, the Church, and all the blessings and the hopes of the Gospel, on any spot where a man and his family would dwell for generations, did absolutely depend on the amount which that man should give from his income, hia labour, or his estate, for its maintenance, what proportion would that man be willing to offer ? Is there any limit ? Would any one who believes in a life to come give up his re- ligion, for himself and his children, rather than give up any portion or 140 Extracts from the Fifth Charge, Sfc, the whole of his poasetHions ? Would not any man of wealth content at once to cut oflf ho much of hia accumulationa as might be demanded ? Would he not prefer to die ho much the less affluent, and die with the hope of the ( jospel, rather than ao much the more affluent, and without that hope ? Would not the poorest man consent to sacrifice a day's labour in every week, rather than all which he and his household owe to the existence of the Christian religion all around them and for them ; the Ministry, the Church, the Lord's day, Sunday Schools, education, baptism, holy matrimony, devout burial, missions, almsgiving, fellow- ship, faith, hope, love, contentment, peace, and the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent ? Unless life eternal is a dream, rich and poor alike ought to sell all they have, to forsake all they have, rather than lose the pearl of great price ; and if that they may be saved, they muKt call on the name of the Lord, we must still ask, " How shall they call on Him whom they have not believed ? and how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?" And, in closing, let us yet add with the Apostle, "how shall they preach except they be sent?" Authority, commission, training, order, precede and accompany a truly and permanently efficient discharge of the great office of an ambassador of Christ. Without these, assemblies may be gathered to listen to an unordained speaker, and perhaps to bow to his eloquence, and go away impressed, awakened, or reproved. But unless Churches be organized, maintained, instructed, and held in union, the summer shower is hardly more uncertain or fleeting than such a religion. The Saviour made provision that His might last and work for ever. From generation to generation, men, sober, grave, temperate, sound in speech and in faith, vigilant, blameless, proved, and then set apart by an holy ordinance, were to be the teachers of His Church, the preachers of His Gospel, the pastors of His flock, the spiritual guides of His people. While such a class, with such a character, remains, and is counted worthy of honour and support of every kind. His work must prosper, because He gave it to such hands to be by them fulfilled. In proportion as such a Ministry shall fail to exist, or shall lose the regard of all Christians, and so shall forfeit its own efficiency, the faith will be exchanged for vague, distracted opinions and unmeaning forms of expression, and the whole Church, without harmony or zeal, will be nearly what any single congregation is when it is long without a wise and faithful Minister. At page 20, line i, the Churchmen of New Brunswick are reckoned in 1853 at 10,000; in pa^e 1 19 at 42,000 in 1862 : the latter is believed to be the correct number. — Note by Edit&r. INDEX. A. American Church, conventions of, 1 6. — not to be copied servilely, i8. — vigour of, 19. — small numbers of, ib. — Clergy, straits of, ao. Amusements, how to be dealt with, 75. Antiquity, voice of, to be highly valued, 15. Apostolical succession, faith in, con- sistent with evangelical teaching, B. Baptists, numerous in New Bruns- wick, 48. Bazaars, for charitable purposes, con- demned, 87. Bible, authorized version of, not to be altered, 59. Bishop the, power of, in a Synod, C. Capitalists, claims of Church on, i a 1 . Catechising, fatally neglected, 80. Cathedral of New Brunswick, i. — Architecture of, 29-35- — Communicants in, 78. — Consecration of, 2.S-29- — Services in, 43, 77. Choral Service recommended, 4, 5. — supported by Holy Scripture, 5,6. — by use of Early Chwch, 6. — not to be pressed on country Churches, 7. Church Communion, its blessings, Churches, expensive, not to be com- plained of in these days, 2. Church of England, defective in dis- cipline, 54. — valuable witness of, 57. Church of England, position of, 6a, 8i. — privileges of, 1 1 1 . Church in New Brunswick (see ' New Brunswick*). Churchmen, appealed to, to support their Church, 84. Clergy, should unite in practical ac- tion, I a. — need of earnestness and reve- rence in, II, 89. — duty of, in questions touching morals and religion, 4.V College at Fredericton, 47. — how injured, 47-M9. — true idea of a, 5 1 . Colonial Church legislation should be imperial, aa. Colonies, have no past, 18. Confirmation, 73. — numbers of Candidates for, 7a. — preparation for, 73. — in Church of England, binds exclusively to Church of England, Convocation, not creature of Parlia- ment, 14. — its model, ib. — what is not its business, 15. D. Daily service recommended, 8. Discipline, difficulty of enforcing, aa, — necessary to the Church, 55. — of Clerks must be in hands of the Spiritualty, ib. rules in reference to, 93. Doctrine, true, maintained by ob- serving system of the Church, la. E. Education, must be religious, 44. — higher branches of, most im- portant, 45 • ^ 142 INDEX. fiducfttion, Mpanite spRular and re- liginui, moHt ohjectioiiabU', 45. Endowment of Cliurrh, a inoiltirate, indispenMble, 10, 85, no. — endow ini'nts and voluntary Kiiti diRtinguiHlied in Holy Scripture, lao. — conflequcnros of none, 139, 1,)]. Establidhrd Cliurch, the word un> meaning in the ('oloiiioo, 17, 79. — what it ii, when a reality, 79. o. Germany, remarks on some writern of, n. Gibgon'fl, Kishop, " Preservative against Popery," most valuable, 97. Ghulfltone's, Mr., Bill for (Colonial Church, II. Greek Testament, study of, pressed, 9, 66, 91. I. Immaculate Conception, The, now article of Roman Catholic faith, 98, gcf. Infallibility, 101-106. Inspiration, 102, 106. Irenasus, iSt., his alleged testimony to Roman Church, 99, 100. Irvingite, sect described, 95, 96. Latitudinariaiiism, fruits of, 11. liCgislation for ( Colonial Church should be imperial, 12. M. Marriage Service, no part of to bo omitted, 77. Mechanics, claims of Church upon, in New Brunswick, 123. Missions, ways to support, no, iii. — consequences of abandonment of, 83. N. New Brunswick, political privileges of, 16, 46. — has no Established Church, 17. — position of Church in, 1 7, 80. — society, character of, in, 18,46,47. — Glebes, nature of, in New Bruns- wick, 19, 80. Ihow many, 20, expenses of, 52. how distributed, 64. — Churchmen of, how many, 20, 119. New Brunswick, duty of Churchmen in, S4. — Education in, low standard of, 45 . — Emigrants to, class of, 53. — how peopled, 5]. — not 80 poor, 125, 131. 0. Offertory Collections in Cathe INDEX. 143 Society for tho FropBuation of tli« (ionpol, its help tu Nuw Uruniwicki »«• — domandi upon, 5.). — grantHofto Now Hrunswick, 1 34. Hundtty MchouU, 67, 80. — in ruduciiiK K^ant* to N«w Brunswick, 53,81. T. Trench's, Dean, Works recommended, V. Vohintnry Kif>H in Eorly Church, no. — and cndowmeiitH, distinf^uiMhi'd in ll(dy Scripture, ib. — system in America, JO, 5a. — lias failed, 64. Vlrpn, The Itlesscd, Adoration of, unscriptural, 107. — Immaculati) Ooncuption of, new article of Church of Kunio, 98, 99. W. Wesley, Mr., strong; lan^uaKe of, about adherini; to Church of Kng- land, 60, Mi, 113, Weslcyans, (luestiim of reunion with (Muirch of KnKliind, 60. — wide difference between, uiul tho Church, 61. — claim to be a Church, fii. Wordsworth, Hev. Canon, Comnion- tary on New Testament, recon>- niended, «;?. Worship true, in what it consists, 7' .«• , — Its comforts, 43. ^ ^