^i^ V] . ^ ^^ .^s ^ "-4 ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 94£ IM 12.2 I.I l£ 2.0 1.25 1111= \A IIIIII.6 6' mo Sc&ces Corporadon ::! #> ■^ \l^ ^1\ ^Tj 6^ "■ " ■ — -«. i y ■ [' ■i ] Mi » i aiiM.'i'jl $ ilaf|e u tht §Ut^ OF THE DIOCEBE OF FREDEEICTON, DEUVBBKD AT HI6 EIGHTH TRIENNIAL VISITATION, IN THK mmtu «f m. Mmi% W^mm^, f t i#«, JXJlffm 30tli, 1S6S. r I I I W. C. Milner I HALIFAX. N. S. j i IP 252.05 MED J W' A CHARGE TO THE CLERGY *.)V THK DIOCESE OF Fin^DEllTCTON, DKMVKKKl) AT ru stand in doubt as to which of the two or more aspects of the truth will prove to be correct, and we withhold our assent till our OF THK mOCKSK OK I'UKItKKKjTON. lie jfiTutcr and life ions, both Imt is the it is their devotion f'd by the 4rity, and 1 on earth inquiry st sineore toffiod's ml to see II former len or the )t trouble stencd to i of much ge. The le special '. entirely II exceed, subjects , astron- ultivated 'd to the ■al work, )' laymen las been 1 applied reverent red rela- lowever, r turn it >u all is, iieet this is worse be part meet it are not re natu- s of the till our convictions are satistied. Ignorance and self-conceit often dogmatize, when the wiser and more reverent mind is endeavoring to discover where the truth lies. It must, therefore, bo seen by all candid in- quirers, that the learning which suffliu-d for a clergyman tlfty years since, will not sutiice him now, if he desires to vindicate the truth, and bring it home to the understandings, as well as to the aftections, of his hearers. High sounding words with no better foundation than our own repeated assertions will show their emptiness in the long run, and the most sincere and pious intentions will not make amends for the want of that which all educated laymen feel that their teacher ought to possess, let him be as pious as ho may. Happily, there is no great, certainly no insuperable, difficulty, which need prevent a clergyman's acquiring the necessary learning, as there never was a period when a larger number of good and valuable works was more accessible, many of them cheap, as well as good. The " reading and assiduous meditation," which St. Paul enjoins, the *' books and parch- ments " which, on the verge of nnirtyrdom, he desired might be brought to him, show that the Apostle, at all events, did not under- value learning, and that he was a diligent student to the last moment of his life. But this universal spirit of inquiry is accompanied by a restless unqiiietness of mind, which is, no doubt, productive of much evil. There is, perhaps, no subject of thought, political, social, civil, or re- ligious, of which it may not be said that the foundations are shaken; and the complexity of the various subjects of controversy renders the mind more uneasily alive to the difficulty of our position. This is much increased, in our own case, by the fact that the Church of Eng- land, be it for good or evil, is, on some points, a compromise — an endeavor to find a mean between extremes. In our Articles we find many strong expressions against lloman errors, but we find others" equally as strong against very opposite doctrine. The nineteenth Article asserts that " the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and An- tioch, as also the Church of Home, have erred;" but the 30th canon declares that "it was so far from the pui-pose of the Church of England to forsake and reject the churches of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, or any such like churches, in all things that they held and practiced, that it only departed from them in those particular points, wherein they arc fallen from themselves in their ancient integrity, and from the apostolical churches, which were their first founders." How much bitterness might have been spared, if such wise and moderate expressions had ever been the guide of our divines ! In spite of all our declarations against liome, no Anglican Bisliop attempts to re-ordain a Roman Priest, but invariably ordains a Presbyterian or Wesley nn Minister; yet we do not anathematize A CIIAROR TO THK CLKR(JY Hlthc, l.e on. .„■ tUo oth..-. TI.« .o.ncn hat obscn- wording of sumo ol ,1... \yuc\0.,aua tl„. vurions <,l.ange« a.ul .evi^ious of our I.ltm-y, l.n.vi' (hut it w.' «"PP»«ed) of comparative sloth and indifference From this we were aroused by a loud cry of ener^ and zeal j.roceeding from those who were at first sincerelv attached to our church yet who certainly broached new opinions, not easily reconcilable with our Prayer Book; yet they protested t; their la t n^oments that they lived and died in the Communion of th S u C of England This movement, the force, extent, and duration of whicl could not be foreseen, was ascribed to an insane enthusiasm. Those ui power could neither believe in it, nor appreciate it. Again the sword of unifonnity was unsheathed, and again a vast breacl was made in our ranks. Thousands left us, and remain to this day deTfi! tute of he attachment which their founder had fo our Church and I fear, with very little wish to return to it. ' ' m OK TIIK UI0CK8K OK KUKDKHK^TON. From this tiiiu% H uppourN to me, ftom wuch NoiirwH of iii(|uii'y as nro open to mo, tlmt tho principle of conipulsoiy unifonnUy Iiiin l)«en practically jfivcii up, aftur the fallun? of ho inai'\ ;;'J''mpt.s to euforco it by tlin power of tlip State; men's iniiids liav< becotne accustt)mpd to iliil'er ill matters not epsontiul to the faith; and it must bo admitted that a very ^'eneral neglect of the decency and reverence duo to tho worship of (iod was the immediate result of a reaction from tho attempt to put down noncomformity with a hij(h liand. 'I'lial I have not overstated the result is evident, I tliink, from tw'» pnicticuil proofs winch 1 shall now mention. If we examine the royal declaration prellxed to the Thirty-nine Articles, King James says thai "the bishops and clergy, in convoca- tion, shall have license, under our broad seal, lo deliberate of, and to do, all such things, as being made plain to them, and assented to by us, shall concern the settled continuance of the Church of England now established, from which we will not endure any varyimj or departing in the least degreed Again, ''in those curious and unhappy ditlercnces that have, for so many hundred years, in ilifTercnt times and places, txercised the church of Christ (hero the declaration seems to include nil controversies of doctrine and discipline from tho Arian controversy to those connected with Calvin), we will that all curious aearch be laid aside.'' How singularly the spirit of the Tudor sov- ereign seems to speak out here; and how remarkable it is to hear him speak as if not only England, and all Christendom, but the realm and ample domain of the mind of man, lay prostrate at his feet, and at the dread words, "Le roy I'avisera/' all disputation would be forever hushed, and that the waves and storms of thought would lie still in everlasting peace. Yet if a sovereign in our day f hould express such sentiments, who would pay any attention to them? Tiio whole theory of Tudor government has melted away. We retain the declaration; and there it stands before the Articles. No one ventures to touch it, but no one believes it, though many of our great divines once pro- claimed it, and did their best to maintain it. I was once present at a meeting of most of tlie English bishops when the question was discussed whether an address should be pre- sented to Her Majesty to remove from the Prayer Book three of the state services then appended to it, and in use by many of the clergy, A prelate, not now living, remarked that he feared the removal of them would give umbrage to many sincere protostants. It was drily observed that, probably, the protestants would not discover that they had been removed, so little regard was generally paid to those semces ; and the result has proved the general truth of the opinion. The ser- vices were expunged without long deliberation, and with less atten- tion. Prayers and applications of scripture which appeared perfectly A CHAIJGE TO THK OLKKtJV propnatc in former limes mado not tl.e ^Ughtcst imprn.^ion on tlie pnbhc m.nd in our own day ; and many seem to be i^noranf that Uiese services were ever h, their prayer books, and certainly feel no regret at «hcn- removal. Yet liow vast is Ihe difference implied between our ances ors and ourselves in om tone of thought on these matters! To take another view of the same subjeci . J f you read the sermons Snuilir' '''^'^''y'' ^"«h as those of Bishop Andrews, Bishop bande, on, or Dv South, valuable as they are in manv respects, /t would be impossible to preach them when they touch on the rela- tions between church and state, or on the conduct of dissenters: not onljr because the relations are entirely altered, but because the state- men s, jt now made would be perfectly untrue. Our feelings and haoits are entirely different, though the le.ter of our formularies continues to be the same , I draw, therefore, this conclusion, that, constituted as the Church of England is, and must remain, if she continue to be a mean between two powe.ful and apparently irrocon- cilablc adversaries; unable as she is, by her constitution, to accept the theory of a living, infallible authority on earth, whose word shall peifectly chimerical in her to aim at absolute or enforced uniformity either of aoctrme or of ritual. Ev.n Koinan Catholics have never attained it rhough the decrees of the living pope are their law, it IS clear that .he popes have not been uniform in their decrees, either on doclnne or riaial; and the vast orders ly m«ans of which the Roman Church has controlled various schools of thou -ht. differ still more widely If our church profess to be built on a^more popular basis It is plain that we cannot evade the necessary conclusion that vvhether a man be called Low Churchman, High Churchman, or Kitualisi, tuere is comprehensiveness enough in our clnirch to em- brace him, and there ought to be charity enough to make use of his zeal and piety, though as to the means he makes use of to ^,romote wWetdiffer.'"'^ "' ''' "''"'"" '' ""^^' ''''' — ^--0-'""^ Another moral I should draw iVom the historical tacts to which I have called your atteivdon i., that Providence has been for three untunes plainly teaching us that the strength of ur church does not he in Its connection with the State; and that when thnt connection has been closest, the State has been unable to enforce uniformitv of teaching and ritual, and the Church has been least prosperous. Lid If even m England, where the Bishops are officiallv recognized in Parliament whore the majority of the nobility and landed gentrv are rhTr.br 1 ''^r'' '' " ^"'"'^ '^'"^ ''' *'- ^'^-- -'■ ^'- 'til that Establishments have seen their best days, and that the time will come whe.i a higher and nobler strength than kings or parliaments ca ■'*■■■ OF THE inOCESK OF FU! 'DEUICTON. " supply will be needed bv clmiclnnen for the success of their work, how much more is it our duty, my brethren, not to lean on the staff of a broken reed, which will run into our hand and pierce it, but to rest on the broad and strong foundations which our blessed Master marked out for us at first, and on which the Church has rested, under every lorm of government, in the midst of the severest persecutions, and on which she must chieflv rest, whether the Statxi grant or withdraw its favour. To talk of an established Church in this Province at this time is one of the idlest dreams that coald enter into the mind of man. The words found indeed in the Statute Book apply to the time when all officials and most of the colonists were actually churchmen. Emigra- tion and other causes have reduced that statute to a dead letter; and the legislature, by the admission of all, deals \«ith us exactly on the same footing as with all other religious bodies under the protection of the State. I would not wish it otherwise; for what can be a more invidious and dangerous position than to be the church of the small minoritv, caressed and pampered, and perhaps corrupted by state patrona'f'c, whilst all our fellow christians, equally wortlry of assis- tance with ourselves, are willingly giving their hard-ear.ied money to the building of their cluirches and schools, and to the support of their cler-^y, and are denied other assistance or favour. On this ground it mty be said that we have paid dearly even for the glebes granted to us by the crown, which have yielded more odium than profit, and have contributed to foster the injurious suspicion that the clergy of our church are paid b> government, and have some secret support, of which no body can give anv account. And valuable as has been the a'd of the Society tor the Propagation of the Gospel, it is clear to me thai whenever a church is rooted in the affections of its people it oufht to sustain its own clergy, to build its own churches, to es- tablish its own schools, fid to consider itself as much bonnd to pro- vide for its spiritual wants as the lather of every family is bound to labour for his children's dailv bread, and to educate and send then, out into the n orid to make homes for themselves. Where the settlers arc poor, and unable to provide the whole salary of a clergyman, their richer brethren should assist in bearing the burden ; but it is a shame and a scandal that this burden, after sixty years of assistance, should be laid on charitable people in England, and especially on sprvants and poor agricultural labourers. It would have been greatly to 01U- rvedii h^^d we volunteered to take some of this burden on our- selv..^: this, however, is perhaps not to be expected from human nat'.re; and we naturally cling, as othcrc have done before us, to the dole of -ood money, and shrink from the trials and privations to which its withdrawal may expose us. But even if that withdrawal should lead to a temporary abandonment of some missions, I Hunk •^x; ij 10 A CHAKGE TO THE CLERgt it would be better to be a real I dimensions, doing- ou,- own woi-k'^'u^d^ n""""^' ""^ '^"^^^^'^at smaller liave the mere ..hadow of an estab>h In l?'/"^' 7' '"'"" '^'^-^■' t''^" '^ loal pauperism, with the .m^Zt^n^rTT' ""^ /" ^' ^""^'"'-^ ^'^ ^ belon.. to us. The Society at ome , ' ^ ^^'''"^^^^^^' ^^^^^ ^-'^ ^H>t that our love for the church shal be el, T. f"^'''-^' ^'^'^^nr.ined us three hundred pounds a year and i. H . ^ "' ^vithdrawn from ^vjll cdainly make a further red'uc on 'j?^° """"«• ^'- ^'^'^t year it f '1^^1'awal will continue u/,arwT u'o 1''' "'"'' *^"^^^^^^ ''^'^^ "^i« church by our own exertions and end)" . «^'""(ain our own all to make this fact as widelj k now . '^ '' ^ ""*'' '•*^'>' «" vou •show your people how reJL^^^u:::^'^''' T' '" "^^'^--"•- ^- tiie sa.ne footing with all other bodi "!";,, '.^^'.^^'^^'^i ^^ Placed ou tonmnttee have said, -i„ no better n.di .;''''"'' ^' *'^^ ^"^^^^^^1 to many of you, possibly, accuston; ", "^ T'' P^«i^i-»." As, clino.ino.tothememoriesofe.S dTA.r ' ^'^"""^ •-"^^-^'' -^ were purely exceptional. The Lov-.i; ^ ^'^""dii.g of our church here sharpened by persecution, and full ot , 'i ? ' P^^^^'^''^^" with a zeal the uttermost the rights of chm.ra f'-''"^""'^"" ^" l^''^^^^ most part vigorous a^nd deten ed men '"f-/''"^ ^^^''^ ''^' "- proofofdisloyaltytobeainthin. else I? ' 1 '' ''"' <^ousidered a oftlie government was -rcat ehn?. f ^''^"\^^^»"'-^-J'nian. The power and reaped the benefit c5 the ;or^^^^^^^^ «;f ^^!^^ offices olstati every thing seems to have bee. n hoi., ^'''"y^^^'^'^^^^ov kuev, church, having no places of wor in or h'"^'' "'"^ '"'-^"^ ^^^"t to securely on the tide of court-farura,d/T "'""' '■*^'*^>' ^" ^-^^ ^'-n-owly examines the record of ,' 1 T 'T'' ^'' ''''''' ^"« dUions of the period seen, to be a,l o^tl r ' '''"'^ ''''''''''' *^'« t''^" a primitive and catholic, character T 1 f?'"^'''^"' "«"« of them of of thegovernn.ent, the air ofToddlV re n ' ;^ ^?'^"'-^''^^> "'« assistance of thegovernn.ent, theairof woddVv re no'f"!',-'^"'''^^ "'^ ""''^'^^"^^ he reverent, loving ca.e of God'sT ^ ^^'T ^"^^ '""^'^ ^'-"^l^t ^•ul celebration of^Ch.,;' S c. n.::;"',!':! ^^^f ^ -''^'-^-i^i of; but tlie ""d careful coleb7a.ir7a!'];S w,'' '"'"'"'' "'° '•'^"'^>' ^'Moifiul «ga,dcd. At .11 eve,,,., the olto^it IT"'' "'"' ' '■'^'"■' '"O "'"« l'.om tl,e begi,„u„jf there was ZkT, '""" "'"'""iable.* speaks Of, „„<, .1,0 a„„;7od; eLr''f"'-''»^".eSc,i,,,„,, * In mentioning these fiot« t ^ ■I I OF THK DIOf'KSK OF FREDRUICTON. 11 lat smaller ly, tliun to iighig to tx t does not titemiiiied uwu li-oia 'U year it ■t tliiit this our own ly on you i:!avour to placed on Judicial n." As, em, and ^uragiiio- usidered oust see I'ch ijeie h a zeal sei've to for the ilQicd a ! power of state r later, .'ent to float en one le tra- lem of stance ought denial ' little pturc uent; urch, as llie prayor book appoints; fonts there were none; the vessels for the ITolv Communion were of the pooiest; pews were universally sold at high prices: the poor and the middle classes were alienated by the exclusiveness of the wealthy; bui'ial j^rounds were often uncon- secratcd; episcopal visits were few: how could it be otherwise when the state appointed, at first, one bishop for the two Canadas, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland? The arrangement of the churches resembled, in all external features, the worst patterns of dissent ; and the offerings to the clergy were few. Even at Fredericton, at first, nothing was ottered; and, after several years' service, only £;30 a year was promised. Tiius this entire leaning on state assistance would have proved the ruin of the church, had it continued; and it doubtless injured it in a great degree. There is not one of these points on which some improvement has not been made, though, uniiappily, many still lean on the broken reed of state aid, and do not believe even in themselves, much less in those powers and gifts which our great Master and ascended Lord has granted to his church, and has never witiidrawn from her. Surely, unless we are perfectly infatuated, and blind to every sign of the times, we must see, by all that is daily passing around us, that to lean on the state, or on poli- ticians of any party, or even on the donations of our brethren at a distance, is to proclaim our conviction that the church in this Prov- ince is not worth the pains and trouble by which every religious body in the Province, save our own, defends, supports, and maintains its own religious convictions. But to pass to another and important subject. You may, naturally, expect something from me on the subject of the Lambeth Conference, and on the reasons which prevented my attendance at that great assembly. 1 may say, therefore, first, that had His Grace the Arch- bishop required my presence as a matter of dutiful obedience, I should, without delay, have complied with his command. The matter coming before me, however, through his kindness and consideration, in another form, it was left to me to judge whether 1 deemed it desirable to attend or not. At the time fixed for the conference, I had issued notices for many confirmations, and tne clergy had pre- pared their candidates; and I was unwilling, without very strong reasons, to postpone such confirmations, as^I must have done, for a whole year. Further, with the utmost deference to the wiser judg- ment of the bishops who urged His Grace to summon that assembly, it appeared to me that in consideration of tl'c vast distance from England of many of the colon'al dioceses, and the grave importance of the step co»>templat«;d, a longer time should have been allowed to give the matters selected for deliberation full consideration, and to obtain, if possible, the judgment of the colonial bishops generally, 12 A CHAKOE TO THE CLERGr i" - ^n^f ^;^ ;;;:: -- -- -- -.. , .0 . .... cussicn on points pa tly LmL 17 T'' """'''■^' ""^^ ">"«" di«- Apostles only, but '^the Ipos IcT and ol ? """''''' ''''''''^^'' "^^ the o; tins matter- so timt tlfe eco„d ol •' T' '"^^'^'•«'' *« ««""der eluded f..on. the deliberation wLtl V' l'-"""^'''^' ^^"« ""^ -- is net clear; but it is certain that ti.T ^^ ' '"'''' ''" '"' '"""«»• heir consent, bein„. issued i^tlfLr 1'?."' ™ "^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ a^.d brethren,'' and tlmt'^ the Who eZur " ''^l^o.tl.s, elders, addresses of the Apostles. I am wnl^ "'^' '^•^'"^ ''''^^^''^'-^ to the P«-acticable at tha/ early peHod whnTr" ''"' ^'^^^ ^^^^^ P^'-^^'^tly were tew, may at the piesen Mmn , "^^n^<^"'bers of the church «ce no insuperable difficS i ooM .^'■''"'"">' i'npossible. But I the judgments of the Totl'droe^: '"^^ ^^'^^"" - —-able time P'-oceeding to a more full dLc iToVi; T"/''"' ^"'j^«^' b^^-- Ahove all, it appeared to me unwL o n ^' ' ^'"'^'•'*^' "^^««"^»>'v- Of the earth bishops of tirA^" Hca„ Z "• "^*^""'' '''^^^ ^^^ -''^^ an established church, someTo.r, •,"'"''"' '°'"^ belono-i,,. to «tate, or in a very ano.naloL po J ^^l ^"""'^^^^ -^"' the unconnected with the state, wifhouLh .,'"'"' '" " ^'^"''^'^ ^^^o^X Which we were called to^^tV.^ ^^^'f /"'"f .^^^""^ the purpose for Grave reasons, the force o? w^cV Itr ''''" *" '^ considered, have prevented this course Zn LtlZ ^??"'' '' ''"I*"^'"' "^^v ^•ankly to confess to you (with? L ° •? .^^^'^' ^"t I am obhVed think me mistaken) that Z o rbi^l 'T '''"^^ ^^""^ ^' ^'ou miy discussion, and when only three d.v"-^ ''^''•'^'^•^'' ^^^« "«"»ed for according to the notice Z ^Znl^^'" f •''''''' '''' ^^hberation «hort a time a large body ouM c'ome r. r ""^^'^^^'^^'^'^ '^^'^ -^ «« points with regard to whicl, "he members T'^'T' '""''"^^"^ «» the world might well look for wi^ cou,l. f '"'' P""'*^'^ throughout episcopate. ^^'^ ^«""sel from the whole assembled That my apprehensions were nn^ «ruu . . ^•o.n t, ract that can haX be di pS tf^f."""^ ^^'^^^^ ^^ -« wh ch I gladly signed, to aVoid even .h ' ^""^ '*'" «"C3clicaI letter, contained little beyond what we aUn r ^l^P««'-«»ce of disunion pressed in general terms a^ Td tl/'-" ''' '" '^^'''^^^ ""^ teach, ex-' settle, as the first counc I of U^'^ "" T7 '"'^' '""^'^ o^" attempt to M OF THR DIOCKSE OF FREDKRICTON. 13 decrees of of general august an '0 it slated much dis- '» not the consider IS not ex- ile matter ?ted with s, elders, 5J"s to the perlectly ■ church But I l)Ie time :, before sembJy. he ends giiig to ith the wholly ose for idered. >, may bilged u may 3d for ation, in so an on rhout ibled ome tter, lion, ex- >t to ited ;Ied itly '# «■ ripe for deliberation; and if that matter had been appointed for consideration, nothing would have prevented me from joining the conference. 1 allude of course to the unhappy position of the church in Natal, placed under the supervision of a bishop, who has openly impugned the genuineness and authenticity of certain Books of Holy Scripture; who denies (in bis work on the Epistle to the Romans^ both the eternal punishment of the wicked, and the security of the happiness of the righteous (thereby, as I conceive, impugning the truth of our Lord's words) ; who is said to have taught, that our liOrd is not a proper object of worship; and who has been requested by the general voice of the English episcopate to resign his see. I do not deny that tiiere are legal questions relative to the temporal position of such a bishop, which the assembled episcopate need not and might not be competent to discuss. But I should fearlessly maintain that it can never be said of any christian church, that it is its duty to leave the consideration of all spiritual questions to the civil power; or that if legal and spiritual questions are unfortunately mingled together, that the Church can be absolved of participation in the sin of heresy, if she does not openly, distinctly, and by all legitimate methods, declare that she will not hold communion with any one, especially with a pastor, who denies any of the fundamental principles of Christianity. If there be one principle common to all Christians throughout the world from the very first, it is " that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." Con- sequently, if we worship the one, we must worship the other. How, tlien, can we admit to communion one who denies both? " for he that denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." Considering that the last words of our Lord from heaven commend a bisliop of the church for reproving heresy, and censure another bishop for suffering it, I look with fear and trembling, not at the trial of Bishop Colenso, but at the trial before God and the world of the Anglican Church. It must be recollected, that if anything can be safely said of the Anglican Church, it is that it has never been contented with defensive teaching. Its whole aspect, since the Reformation, has been contro- versial, and Anti-Roman. The one object of the incessant attacks of most of its members of all parties, is the Pope of Rome. Many of its divines seem incapable of preaching a sermon on any subject without some hard names given to Roman Catholics. Is all tl)is zeal, then, to expend its force on one form of error? Whatever Roman Catholics may have added to the old faith, at all events they beliere in common with ourselves in the fall of man, in our redemption t , hrist, in the genuineness and authenticity of the canonical books, in the eternal punishment of the cursed and the secure happiness of the blessed, in the Trinity in Unity, and the worship due to Father, Son, and 2 f u Holy Ghost. Ill tl be A OIIAWJK TO TIIK ( LKIJOT K-'O fniidaiijeiifal « wo are in union with th lein, and Oil istians to bi- consi(l(.|ed in full » i-^ fionnrjon to all n'l)oltl.oscwhoaroj,niltvon ; ' m7"7"'''"'' '"'"' ""'' ^^'""'^t we bo it obHorved, of tL ^^^ U, .^^'"I''''^^' '^''^ '« '"> Huostion, •'•<' '^"-'""lor; it isagu..tth.no H . ''r'" ^^''^^•'^' »"^^ •^a'^.T of leaching. ^ " ^^ ^''" ^^"••>' foundation of all Christian i.iiJi'^irt::e'i^:t ;,!;:;- :- -■• ^-^ and ado. re<»on for Avithl.ol.jino- Christie,, T' .: •- ^' '''•' *'""' ' «eo no -<> ^''0 .Tow. «ut if lid' ::;;•;::;'':" '""."" ^"'—0 clan --'UH to n.othatanH>ro„oc,"^XS,'^'^7'^'-''':''^'i'^"^t^b^ it i-or a colloc.od body of Au^' ->mmu. coi.tainod in tho printed bool w liH n , ^'"'''^ "^'''^'^^'^ ^o be ^tracts. If anor we hud doa S ^ ^ J "\""'''"" "^''^'''"' '^-'i«« "or ^bouhl stop in, and proven ttria 1 1 •' ""'" ""^"^ ^«^«' ^hc law -it should appear La he S^d wis i""", '^' '" ^^«t-r>olitan, r:^i:t;'::r'------r^^^^^^^ wf i;;:^:^ tr ^^^ -. ^ da. not eonoeal, and I- a-e the oue point whii. cal Jt^.;!:!? ^i:^---- ^^^ OF THK DKX'KSI. OF VKKDERK TON'. 15 t'lein, ai)(l '>« Uoiuaii 'lion to all will" 1st we ►Ouostion, I salary of Olji-istinii and adoro > I see no r>nnncdan n, then it imnfriiiofl 'laf, such ^' they be '•■". Fnv- joct, and Jtl ;ifnilty 'Jce, and 3t of the o»n[)oral liiestion ed fj'om ers of a intoox- dcfinod, aques- A\go on iiTe;4'u- ^rfeotly nfains, ill the if there [>mmn- ! to be ics nor he law olitan, or the srable. 1, and u had Uion ; and though a declaration on tin; .subject was signed by many bishops present, it was not the official act of the whole body, nor of a majority of the body. Unless, however, I am very much mistaken in reading the signs of the times, the day is not far distant when the English Church must learn to lean less on the temporal accidents of its position, and more on the support which it may reasonably hope for from the spiritual powers entrusted to it by'its great Head. For it can hardly be expected (hat a nation which allows an established Episcopal Church in England, an established Presbyterian Church and an unestablishcd Episcopal Church in Scotland, an unendowed ..;id unestablished Roman Church in Ireland, and several powerful bodies of ciirisiians leagued togetlier in opposition to all Establishments in the three countries, can maintain, with any sliow of reason, or with geiieral satisiaction, that Ihe Church of England is established, because she, and she alone, teaches the truth of God. This is a position which the nation, as a nation, expressing the national voice in the national councils, would clearly shrink from maintaining, and which, however theoretically supported by our older divines, is found to be more and njorc untenable in practice since the days of William the Third. Looking at the matter from a national point of view only, I fear tliat such a statement is nothing but a liction, however agreeable a fiction it may be; and whilst 1 would not willingly move a stone of the present establishment, 1 should be sorry to risk the progress of the christian faith or. ivhat formed no part of our Lord's original foundation of his Church. But I am entering, perhaps, into a field too wide for my duty; and, therefore, I will pass on to speak of what concerns us so nearly — the position in which the church finds itself in our own little Province. Up to a very late period many among us, perhaps the majority, supposed that we were part and parcel of the Established Church of England and Ireland, and (liat the church was established in New Brunswick. This not unnatural supposition was supported, first, by finding the words " established church" applied to our church in the Provincial Statutes. Secondly, by the grants of iand made to our parishes by the Crown, in consequence of which the representative of the Crown has hitherto presented to all our benefices. Thirdly, by the general appointment of Englishmen to our missions. Fourthly, by the support given by the Venerable Society to our clergy. And, lastly, by tlie notion generally entertained, that an Englishman carries with him all the ecclesiastical law of England, wherever he goes. This pleasant fiction it is time that every one should abandon, as it has been demolished by the inexorable logic of facts. The legislature of this country has not ordered the words " established church" to be la A CHARGE TO TUB CLERGY erased fion. the Statute Book, but it deal8 witli our church on the .an,o tcnns ns with every other religious body. Grants ot land re- main which have been akso made to other bodies besides ourselves, but the Lrencral wishes of our people are evidently averse to the ap- pointment to benefices remaining in the hands of the representative of the Crown. The appointment of Englishmen only to missions has been reversed under my Episcopate ; and the majority of clergy n..la.<.» .ukI „.c..b.v(e.-» moot on „f imbeciUty and Isf™™""';';- '' '; ■;";" °fj!,i^'Xlo, however, is ,. bishop, suppose clorgy a..a la>t>^t»,';;- ^^^^i^j" ^^^ Jf Ibe case, and mere lUui^iou, con U-adicted by all the J8 A ClIMUSE TO THE d-ERGY and most lunvorthy suspicion of othnrs. 1 o-,oniulea on tlio meanest .u.u ....- "''"r::Z^yr,^' hv fiomc, to be Btill .e^avacd with an j-ot^nu^ -^ o^ . ^ ".^;^,,, ,, ,,,, -^-!^^'ri;;:;a.enoneave.ate.p.al^^^^^^ sec tluit the Cluiicn ' - , j -^ Every new legi^la- ,,o.e!y -'--^^-\7^ ^;; ;^ ;:. a^^^^^^^^^^ of chnvch rate., the live measure, such as tlic jn opo. eu ui church, tends ni th.it ^" «^\^?"; • ^^^ ^f tlie measures, supported ^^'^!"''""'-':i;;; i r npo^ibermistalce; and there is every by larf^e nu.ior ties "^^^'^^ jj^^,,, ^^t" Commons will proceed „„=i. o,>, as 'Y;;' "'!,i "En-lh o it >., that wo m«,t M.ift for „„,-.elvc., lely on om ow ,,o„fave.,e the civil law, and begin Willi, ana we ""« " ... 5„.„„„ie. We have their energy „„ .„e losing -'^ "' ''^:"::]'°^'nttp rof oiir brethren, niulor tlie and prudence ^«<°- »^» « .'^^/^^ , P,, „„ Ming to contend with same monarchy, to giiulc us, aim .onaration from the on .he P-'»f''V^'X;Sdose»dpeina:,ent union. What mothr church, but ratiiei *»' ^ "'°;': , , \, . fu,.tlier,ifthed!oocse OF THK DIOd-.SK or lllKDERK'TON. 19 ami that aft or law iul li ml, aiul sufflciml i)roof of jruiU, witnesses sentence shoukl be jnonounretl oy a \n-n\n-i iu..v;^.. -■ — - ^e p pvietv of thi. method in onr -onrts of law. Ave we .o devo. „ de -sta.ulinjr, that vnles .annot he fnuned in the ehn.eh w h eh vi leln-e the lun.ishment of ,nnlt, and yet protect the person of to :i2. iron, t ranny? U is next to -M>os.ible that n. a dn.y c^ - stitnted svnod, a bishop shonld ever play th. tyrant; for he n n> ri: IheV.,ns;nt of a nlajovity of both onlers ; and in ,u.^^ matter, the vote wonld always he taken by orders, not b. a bau. n a oritv of votes. The qnestion is whether you will have the decision f he whol chur.-h represented by her con.mnnieants, lay as well us le lar^ vh t,u von will sub.nit to the dictation of a tew nres- ^rihL'e^Ls, as;nn.in, powers which tb<. ch^vh^has no ,.^ he.n, and denouncing ev<.ry one who dares to th bom t u _ I m twentv vcars I have refused, on principle, to submit to tl..>, im we tv years I have borne accusations and insiuuations in si ence unTlave rested mv justitieation on the ..,od sense and j^ood leelino- ; he whole diocese. If the ,.leroy and laity think me in error, tliey live a^^^n hint opportunities for making their sentimen s known B^t I c n cahnlv, UK>ugh humbly, appeal to my own conscience and fo the j t sentence of (Jne who will hereafter render judgnien and us^'to all. without respect of persons, tln.t [ Inwe "ot sough o cruvh bv the strong arm of power, those whose opinions dUlei fiom mv ovvn that I liavreonferred beneiices and honors on those who gave ; sZ ; t to mv own views of truth : and if T have done this when I W.S 1 -i PO'.ition of greater independence, I must be less bkely to do. X c ^.0 -etb^ the strong checks of continual public discussion . " r; it i« fov tl>c diocese, not for me personally to wish tor the .srblisbment of a synod. No man, as he grows old, desires more 4^ r^tuble; and if it be generallv distasteful, 1 can ive very u TSf M it is tlie diocese that will be shut out of a com- Tou bS t broLUod, and deprived of the advantages that ZJtL common consultation, and mutual co-operat.on in a Z^md. With England we are likely to have less, rather than ,»r»ip pnrninunication of this nature. Th^ie one other point which I cannot wholly pass by, but on newUlero ti.o lailv; »,ul ,l>c only thing timt soe.nsccvtan, a "sc." "a tal-.ablo co„m.lm,, and po.sibly a tn.nnUnou. and 20 A CHAHtil. TO Tin: < I.KK«1Y I, list \ derision. WlKtlicr tliis hv your w i^*h in nudi a caso, yoursclvos nui>i (Utcnnino. In siu-l. an event, my npirir. may bo far tVom ilic; ronllii-ls and passionn ofeartli, and my voice and (;(»un^'cl may be alike l.owei-less to assiMt you. But for tlie snireside over you all. The very mention of such an occurrence reminds me that as it is not lil!ent person, that we need all Ihe etmrgy, all the wisdom, all the learning, all the forbearance, all the unity of purpo.-e that we can summon to our aid, to make us to stand at all, amidst the conflicting elements which surround us. Every lawful and christian means you can devise is required to keep our liocks from wandering, to teach and attract the young, to All their minds with Catholic truth, with sober, sound theology, to render them loyal and dutiful to their baptismal covenant, and to induce them to remain steadfast in Apostolic doctrine and fellowship, sound iu faith and holy in life. Our disunion will ne c.- ;>'.omote their unity. Our mutual recriminations will never i? .•,ir.>.s.j th("r attachment. And our perpetual attacks on the most numcrw'is body of christians in the Province will never nnike us a strong, united church. This plan has been tried long enough iu Ireland to prove itself a total failure; and what converts have we ever made to our conjuumion in tiiis i'rovlnce k (V OF Tnr niocESK ok riiKi>KniCTON. 91 by IncesRunt dcnunrlntlons oflho (.'hurch of Homo, or by Rtinii.f? up suspicion umouKHt the brcthicn? If iiifttcml of nltciuTmff t<. Ww ffiout Apofitlo'8 ndvlco, to miiko known Hie uioHsa}?^ of jfood will on- trusted to UH, «'bv punMioHS. l)v knowlcd^'c by lonj? Nurtcrinj?, by kindness, by lovo 'unfiiKUod," wc -bito and devour ono ivnoti.cr," HHKurcdlv wo sliull bo '• consumed ono of anotlicr." Wo may HnK p cbun^es on llonuuiisn*. riluaHfui, and infldPllty every dav'of our lives; but wl.ilc we tluis live !n tbc spirit of bitter controvcVsv, our inner life will decay, and lovo to (Jo