. %. s^. '%'M. o^, \^ w IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) <;^ #,^^ '^j^ 0"- cP, 1.0 I.I 1.25 US us u 2.5 2.2 •3^ ^ ^ 11 2.0 1.4 18 1.6 V •r ^. "^.%V (P C^ nV ^"' 11- 1 Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y 14580 (716) 872-4503 m \ iV A \ % V 6^ li if. 4io &* CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historlques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which me/ be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in tha reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D n a n n n D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couieur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e e.k\ WHAT IS THE CHURCH SOCIETY? Parson, — I called thiq evening, Mr. IJeyric, to ask you to attend our Church Society meeting, which is to be held next week? ParisMoner, — I am very glad you have called, sir, for I wanted to asl^ you about this Church Society, . Par, — Did you not receive one of the annual reports of tlie Society's proceed- ings, which I (jirculated through the parish ? Parish. — I have, sir, but there is a good deal about it I don't rightly under- stand. Par^ — ^The readiest way of explaining its objects is to refer you to the Constitu- tion, contained in the beginning of the 4 WHAT IS THE Keport ; and as I have one in my pocket, we will go through it together. First, then, yon see it is a Missionary Society, established for the support of Clergymen of the Church within this Diocese, who shall labour for the spiritual good of the people— for assisting poor Ministers by increasing their stipends— for providmg some support for them when worn out by age, exertion and infirmities, and unfit for work, as well as for their widows and orphans after they themselves are removed bv death. This is the first elass of objects the Church Society has in view, and I am sure no one can deny their excellence. ; Parish.— No, sir, that they can t, tor the Clergy in this country are too poor to lay up either for themselves or their families, and I don't know that the people would care to see them la^jirii, up, even if they had the means. Par.' -Next you see the Church Society, as the Constitution shows, is a Society for promoting education^ according to the principles of the Church. S /•■ CHURCH SOCIETY? of Parish, — That's good, that's good. I wish we had a day school here. Par, — The next object to which the Church Society desires to direct its efforts is, to grant assistance to deserving young men, who, have not the means of pursuing those studies which are needful to fit them for the ministry, for there are numberless instances where respectable and excellent young men are lost to the ministry, for no other reason than their poverty. Parish — But is not this part of the Society's work done for them already ? Par. — The Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel has indeed given both scholarships and exhibitions to the College at Lennoxville, where our Missionaries are educated, but it is to be feared that the time is nearer than we think, when these and other grants they make shall be withdrawn. Parish, — I see in the report something about Books and Tracts being " circulated through the medium of the Depository ;" now I don't understand what this *' Depo- sitory" is. 6 WHAT IS THE Par.-— It is a book-store m Couillard Street, Quebec, which has beeaset up by the Ohurch Society, for the purpose of furnishing, at the lowest possible prices, BibleSy Testaments, Prayer Books, and other books and tracts setting forth the doctrines of the Gospel, You can get a good Bible there for Is. Sd.,. a Testament loT 6d., a Prayer Botk for lOd,, and other books remarkably cheap. Besides this Depository for the sale of books, there is another, estalished for the same purpose, at Lennoxville, and there ought to be branch depositories in every Mission of the Province. Parish* — Why, what a pity it is that these depositories are not more known amongst the people, Far» — The last object which the Church Society has in view is, to assist in the building, keeping up, and endow* ing of church^ and parsonages, and the settiDg apart of church-^yards aad burial*^ grouia^. Par*s/i.~AII very good, I am sure. But where does the Society get the CHtmcH SOCIETY? T money to do all this; It must take a large sum? Far, — It would indeed take a lai^ sum to carry out fully all the objects Vrhich the Society has in view; and we cannot hope to do it for years to come, it is still, comparatively speaking, with it the day of small things. The only source to which it can look for the funds neces- sary to carry out its holy object is, the free-iHll offerings of the members of the Church J and to obtain and gather these together, and devote them to the objects I have named, is the purpose for which the Church Society was formed. Parish. — But why should a Society of this kind for the support of the Clergy be formed at all? The Government pays the great<»st part of all your stipend, does it not, sir ? Par.— Most certainly not. The Gov- ernment affords no more countenance to the Church in this Colony, than does to any of the religious denom- inations; it is txue that George III, endowed the Church munificently from 8 WHAT IS THE the waste lands of the Crown — of the Oown, observe, not of the people, — but far the greater part of these lands, now called Clergy lleserves, have since been taken away by the Governments of more recent days."*" A portion of this land was sold, and from a part of the proceeds arising from these sales, some of our Clergy are to some extent sup- ported. Parish, — Well ! I am surprised at what you say. I know that you, sir, are not supporte4 by your congregation, further than by the small sum arising from the pew-rents ; and I always fancied ■ ■— . ■^^— — — ■ , , . - I - - - 1.1 ■ - 1 1 11 * For a considerable period, the Imperial Parliament made an annual grant of £16,000 to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, to assist them in the support of their Missionaries in British North America, but about 18 years :igo, it was resolved by these gradually to with- draw that grant, and the Society was eonse- q^uently obliged to provide for the Missionaries amce appointed from its own resources. Three Clergymen only now remain, at whose death or removal, all support from the Imperial Government to the Church in this Colony will cease. * I r ^ CHURCH SOCIETY? 9 that you drew the rest of your stipend from Government. i^ar.—Not at all. I, and the great bulk of the Clergy in the Diocese, are supported by the bounty of one of the great Missionary Societies of the Church of England— the Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, which (with the other great Society in England, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,) has cherished the Church in these Colonies from the very beginning. Parish,— It's a great pity all this is not better known among the country folks. But surely these Societies, if they knew how badly the people in the back settlements were off, would not refuse to help them. ^ Par. — They are well aware of the spi- ritual destitution which exists, for our Bishop is in continual communication with them; but though they are very willing (as their deeds show) to supply our wants as far as they are able, yet there are many reasons which prevent 10 WHAT Ifi THE them from assisting us to a greater extent than they already do. Parish, — What are those reasons ? Par, — The first is, that a large share of their funds comes from ike free -will of- ferin^e of j^eopk who are Q-eaUf much poorer than oursetves. I have heard it stated that one of tho Missionary Socie- ties in England receive £15,000 a-year> from the pennjf^a-week sulscripHons of the lahourirta poor. Now, there is no comparison between the wealth of an English labourer and that of the bulk of the people of this Colony. liTti are far more able to help ourselves than they are to help us : and I suppose you will admit it to be unreasonable thdt the poor should help those who are comparatively rich% Parish. — There is no disputing that> sir, it's true ; but then if we are better able to help some of the people at home than they are to help us, still, there are thousands of rich people there who could ao a deal for us without feeling it. Par.— Very true: but then how do we know that they ivill ; are they even ■f CHURCn SOCIETY? 11 certain that they ought if they see that though we (^ould do a great deal for our^ selves, we put our hands behind us and wait for them to do every thing, do you tliink that a likely way to secure their eympathy or asw^istance ? i^af/fiA.— Why, no.— We don't de- serve tliat they should lend us a helping liand, if we don*t help ourselves* Par.— Exactly } and it is in order to enable us to put our sh >ulder to do this with effect that the Church Society was formed. — However, besides those which I have mentioned, there is p.nother still more sufficient reason for their not ren^ dering us more assistance than they do already, and that is,— that, though wiiK ing to do so, they are not able. It is not very long since there were only si>v Bishops in all the Colonies of Great Britaiti, and now, there are twenty*. three, and in the course of another year or so there will probably be upwar-ls of twenty - five, which is cause for much thankfulness of heart, for the only iva^ human to provide for the increase of the Chiircb., and 12 WHAT IS THE r the dissemination of '' the Word which makes wise unto Salvation," is to plant our Bishops in every country where there are ' ' ears to hear/ ' Now, for the support of the Church and Clergy in these Dioceses, the Societies in England are to a greater or less extent looked to, and if their income was double what it is, they could not answer so many demands made upon them from every quarter of the globe. They there- fore expect that we should be up and stirring on our behalf; for we should be preparing ourselves for that di^y, which cannot be far distant, when thej/ will iclthdraiv, at -all events from the older settlements, that assistance luhich thei/ at present render. You see, therefore, that neither from the Government nor from the Missionary Societies of the Church in England, can we look for much further aid in supplying the spiritual wants of this Diocese. Parish, — That's plain. But then, there are the Clergy Reserves you men- tioned a little while since ; you said that a part of them were left us, can we get nothing from that quarter ? \ \ I CHURCH SOCIETY? 13 i Par, — It is useless to build our hopes upon the Clergy Reserves. A large portion of the most valuable of them have been sold, as you know, and the share of the funds arising from the sale which has been given to the Church, is far too small to meet even her present wants, and the mode in which much of it is being disposed of, is such as to leave little hope of its proving of n:uch service towards the extension of the Church. Parish, — It does seem a hard case : a strange way for the Church to be treated by the State. Par. — It does indeed : however, we have nothing to do but to submit. They know that with us it is a religious prin- ciple, continually inculcated upon us by the Gospel. The proper ^yay for Church- men to do now, is to act, with reference to the support and extension of the Church, as if there was no siich thing as a Clergy Reserve in existence. It must now be evident to you, that we must depend neither upon the Missionary Societies of the Church in England, nor 11: WHAT 18 THE the Clergy Reserve Fund, to supply the spiritual destitution of this Diocese. Parish. — It's plain, sir, that whatever is done for the Church now, must be done by the Chureh folks themselves : but it will be hard to convince a deal of the folks of the truth of this. They have been so used to have all the bles«» eings of the Church provided for them at home without cost, that it won't be easy to persuade them that here, if they want thtm, they must pay for them. Pat. — Still we must endeavor to convince them of that truth ; for never, till the people understand the tru€ posi - tion in which the Church stands, will they give that general and hearty support to the Church Society which is necessary to its success. And this I am sure of, that if intelligent Tjaymen would make themselves acquainted with these things, and with the nature and objects of the Church Society, they could most material* ly assist the Clergy in overcoming the iornorance and nreiudices of thp n^nnl** on tJiese subjects. the to 4 CHURCH SOCIETY? 1 PaW«A.— Very true, sir : and that reminds me that I must ask a few more questions about it, for I should like to understand the management or working of it. Wlio are to teeome members of the Society ? Par.— Every person belonging to our communion. The Society is so formed as to be capable of embyaeing every member of the Church, whether they are young or old, rich or poor, male or female, and we must never rest satisfied till the members of the Church and the members of the Society are alike in num- ber. Faruh,--^But how is this to be man- aged? JPar.— This may be managed without much difficulty in those Parishes or Town». ships where there is a Clergyman residing or statedly visiting ; for, by the Constir tution of the Society, every Parson, with his Churchwardens and such of the par^ ishioners as may be appointed, form what Oflllpfl ^^ i\ Parnrliial A ffCA|r>^of^/^r» IS Committee of the Church Society.*' The u WHAT IS THE duty of this Committee is to call upon every member of the Church within the the j)arish, and invite them to join the Society — and any sum which they may give, however small, makes them mem- bers of the ''Parochial Association." Parish. — That seems a very good plan. But after the money has been gathered together in this way, how is it disposed of? Far. — The Parson of the parish, or the parochial Treasurer, if one be appointed, receives it, and sends it direct to the Treasurer of the Parent Society in Quebec. Parish.— And who is it, sir, that conducts the business of the Society, and determines the way in which these funds shall be expended ? Pnr.—The Bishop of Quebec is Pre- sident of the Society. Everything is considered and discussed at the meetings of a Central Board, held quarterly. When any very important measure is to be considered, a month's notice, or some times two months' notice is given of it ; call upon within the join the they may lem mem- ition." ery good has been , how is it parish, or one be s it direct Society in sir, that [jiety, and lese funds 3c is Pre- ^thing is meetings quarterly, sure is to ■-, or some -^en of it ; CHURCH SOCIET/? 17 nof ra'~'^^'\ *''"^"''^ Committee do the Society is to refer all applSiWor grants of money to this Comm ttee "or k whft we wi r '"'■'' ""^ """'^l °°* trust thnnJh T ^Z ^'^^' *'' b^«er hands ^Zf M, *" ^fr«'uebec and Mon- treal. From the brief statement, furnished above, may be seen what the Society h(fs done, rludge for yourselves whether it has a claim on your Christian sympathy and support. If so, pray for us, and "open wide the hand' to help forward our " labour of love." Quebec, Novemberj 1S52.